How To Move Across the Country at 18 by Yourself.

There I was, one week before I was supposed to move from Michigan to California at 18. I only had money to buy one checked luggage then it was just me and my carry-on and my personal item. My hand-me-down suitcase was ripping at the seams so I spent my graduation money to buy a new suitcase for this momentous adventure. No one in my family had done something this drastic before so I had to figure it out all on my own. I was terrified. But now I have moved from California to Florida then from Florida BACK to Michigan. So here’s what I would do with my knowledge if I was 18 again and packing up everything to move in one suitcase and a carry on.

I at 18 was moving out of my childhood bedroom and I never realized just how much stuff I had. And I don’t consider myself to be particularly sentimental. Prepare yourself to be on DePop, Facebook Marketplace, hosting garage sales, and asking your friends what size clothes they wear. You will want to get rid of a lot. It can be emotional and draining during the downsizing process. So you want to give yourself ample time to get through everything. If it’s possible for you to keep a box or pack a flat-rate box to ship to yourself of the things you want to keep and are not ready to part with. But limit yourself you only get that box so if you’re putting something in and it doesn’t fit something has to go in the box. You have to be very disciplined and strict during this process – it is not for the faint of heart.

Moving somewhere is not a cheap expense. Between deposits, furnishing your new place, plane tickets, overweight baggage fees, or renting UHauls and driving them across the country whatever your plan of action – it all costs money that adds up. You want to make sure you are saving up at least 6 months before you’re planning to leave. That way when a plane ticket drops you’re ready to pay for it or when you find an apartment you’re not scrambling asking your great aunts nephews cousin in law for money. By the time I was 18 I was working two jobs and still struggling for money so anything I saved immediately went to my moving savings. By the time I got to California I had 3 months worth of living expenses so that I could give myself time to find a job and not be scared I wouldn’t make rent, but this was Ramen for every meal type of savings. So the one thing I can not recommend enough when moving is save, save, save you will go through the money quicker than you ever had before. Especially if you’re not used to money.

This is something I never did because honestly I didn’t have the money to do so, but in all of my future moves I will be taking a trip to the new area. It’s a great way to see what areas you want to live in, check out a few apartments even if you don’t put in offers or applications (which you likely won’t if you’re living in an apartment – a house is a totally different ball game). This trip is for you to gather information. Sure google maps can help and that is what I used so this step is not needed but my first apartment with the pictures was beautiful when I got there it was quite honestly the opposite of beautiful. And this has happened to many other people as well. But if you physically go and check it out you will know just from stepping into a place whether something will fit for you or not. Then if you do like an apartment complex you can just keep an eye out so that when the time gets closer for you to move you already have a few places you wouldn’t mind living. You can even apply to jobs a couple of weeks before and try to schedule the interviews during the times you’ll be in the city as in-person interviews are more likely to land you the job versus you getting the job out-of-state. It’ll also help you sort through options like do you want to live in the city or 20 minutes out or maybe you want a place near the beach. How far really is 3 miles? How safe are those 3 miles? If you have the time and funds to do this I highly recommend doing so especially if you are traveling by your lonesome when you move.

This can be the easiest or hardest part of moving locations. I have a small family and I even took a hot minute to finish saying all of my goodbyes because of my schedule and other people. I worked every day up until a week before my trip because I was trying to make that last paycheck last. That meant fitting people into my schedule that last week was hard. So don’t do that, say goodbye to the people you don’t see as often a little earlier. That last week is hectic enough you don’t need 5 dinner parties and 4 home visits on top of all of that. This is also the time that you want to finish things out: sign the leases, make sure all of your stuff fits into your suitcase, sell your furniture you’re not using (you will need the money), write your two weeks for your job, sell your car, confirm your ride to the airport, plan your last meals in your present town if there’s staple things you’ll miss. All of those little pesky things that could make your break last week in town get all of that out of the way so that come your last week you can enjoy your final days with friends or family or even just dreaming about all the things you’re going to do in your new location.

Before you know it it’ll be the big day of your move and there might be tears and hugs at the airport or in the parking lot if you’re planning on driving and that is the most exciting part because as you say “goodbye” and “see you later” you will be entering a new era of your life. And life is all about taking big risks and being scared but doing it anyway.