Moving Across Country

[all images taken with my iphone]

This post is long overdue and I've been meaning to get around to it but I've been just so busy that I completely forgot. Moving across country has always been a dream of mine but the thought of actually moving 3,000 miles away scared me. Ever since I visited LA in my late teenage years I fell in love. The weather, party scene, sand, beach and with so many things you can do outdoors; what more can you ask for? I wanted to make the move when I was in my low-mid 20s but I was scared that I wasn't going to be able to survive by myself, with no help from my parents who'll be thousands of miles away. I gave up on that idea but every few years it would pop back up in my head. It was an ongoing cycle for years. Every time I made an attempt to plan I would get comfortable again and forget about my dream. It's really easy to fall back into your comfort zone and just be content with your life. Fast forward, to my early 30s, I started thinking about it more and more. I just got so sick of DMV (DC-MD-VA). I was born and raised in Maryland, thats where my life is, my family and friends; that's all I knew. But it just became repetitive; same people, same bars, nothing ever changes there. I knew I had to get out of there and that I just don't belong.

In 2014 one of my girlfriends tells me that she is moving to San Diego and asked if I wanted to drive across country with her. UM, did she even have to ask? I said YES, of course! I took 2 weeks off so I would have enough time to help her move, settle in and get a vacay out of it. We left the morning of Black Friday after I spent Thanksgiving dinner with her family and we were on our way! I won't go too much into detail about this trip because I want to talk about my experience. Anywho, I helped her move and I was able to see San Diego (it was my first time), Orange County and LA. Ever since I went back home the only thing that was on my mind was going going back to back to CALI CALI. So I booked a ticket to visit her again July 4th weekend in 2015. I absolutely fell in love with San Diego. It's so laid back, people are super friendly, great food, there's so many different beaches, beautiful sunsets I would never see in MD, and weather is just freaking great. My gf would constantly ask me when I'll be joining her on the best coast ever but I kept coming up with excuses like "oh give me a year or two so I can save up more". We all knew that the more I kept pushing it back, the further and further my dream kept going. After a lot of pushing and persuasion I finally decided to just do it! I gave myself 3 months to plan everything, gave my two weeks in and started packing! EEEK how exciting!

[In Santa Fe, NM]

[In Santa Fe, NM]

[In Santa Fe, NM]

[Drove through a crazy storm]

November 1, 2015 is the date I picked to get on the road and start driving to my, soon to be, new home. Took me 3 days to drive across and it was the most brutal thing to do alone ever! I drove like 12 hrs the first day, 15 hrs the 2nd and 17 hrs the 3rd. My body was crying for help. I don't recommend anyone to drive by themselves.

This has been the best decision I've ever made in my life. I absolutely love SD and couldn't be happier!

Here are some tips:
1. Save as much as you can. Money goes by fast when you move, especially this far.
          *Think about whether you're shipping your car or driving.
          *A shipping container if you need to ship over furnitures and boxes.
          *APT's security deposit and first month's rent
          *Furniture and other household items (*save those Bed Bath and Beyond Coupons!)
          *Storage Unit if you plan on staying with a friend until you find a place
          *U-Haul
       
2. If you plan on using a container to ship over big items, do your research. From what I can remember Door-to-Door was the most reasonable inexpensive company. It was still about $1700 I believe but every other place quoted me over $2000.

3. Start packing early if you have a lot of shit, and get rid of stuff you don't need!

Yeah, that's about it! For anyone doing the move, GOOD LUCK and wish you the best! If you have any questions leave me a comment below.