So around one year ago, my boyfriend and I decided to take the leap of moving from Florida to Colorado. It has been a crazy ride where I've learned a lot and I'd love to share this knowledge with anyone who will be going through the same ordeal.
STUFF
So no matter what kind of move you're going through one of the first things that you have to figure out is whether to get rid of all of your stuff, figure out how to move it, or something in between.
For us, we decided that it wasn't worth moving any of our large pieces of furniture across the country because moving them would cost more than they were worth. They were all knick-knacks from our college years. We sold them in the months leading up to the big moving day and made a few easy bucks that way. We sold them through Facebook groups in our area.
Instead of getting a U-Haul trailer, we decided to cut down our stuff to just what could fit in our two cars. I have a Mazda3 and he has a Toyota Corolla so it's not like we had a lot of space. At the time, it was very difficult for me to get rid of so much and it was difficult for the first few months because there was always something we needed, but ultimately, today I am very happy with this decision and actually wish that we had gotten rid of more.
If you're going to start fresh, might as well do that with your stuff too. We wanted to start buying lasting pieces and that's exactly what we did. Something we did that is a little different than most people is we got each piece slowly. We've lived without basic pieces of furniture for long periods so that we could figure out exactly what we needed, find something we liked, and then purchase it.
TRANSPORTATION
Once we decided that we were only going to take what fit in our cars, we had to figure out how to get there. Now one thing to note, is I HATE driving. It terrified me for many years and I only got my license and car one year prior to our move. Driving across the country on my own was not something I was excited about. We discussed options like hiring others to drive out cars or having our vehicles transported there while we took a flight, but ultimately we decided to just drive our individual cars there ourselves.
It was an extremely long drive. We ended up doing over 26 hours of driving 1800 miles in just 2 days. It was honestly awful. We both wanted to get the drive over with as soon as possible so we just decided to keep driving until one of us needed a rest. The drive caused my back incredible pain. Like to the point of crying. It was messed up for several months after the drive. I wish I had gotten a back pillow before the trip and I wish I had focused on relaxing my tension and posture during the drive. Also, I have light colored eyes with larger than normal pupils. This means that night driving severely strains them especially when the roads aren't adequately lit.
Both of these things caused us to stop for the first time to rest at a hotel in Tennessee. You would think that after driving all day and being extremely exhausted I would have a wonderful deep sleep. Instead, my body kept jerking me awake because it thought I was falling asleep behind the wheel. Even though I was just in a very uncomfortable hotel bed. I barely got any rest that night. The second time we stopped we decided to just stop at a rest stop in Kansas and sleep in the car. For some reason, I had a much better rest this way. My body did not jolt me awake once for this.
TRAVELING WITH PETS
We have 2 adorable cats, Vincent and Evander. They are both extremely well-behaved, sweet cats but they are absolutely terrified of being in the car. They both cry the entire time and basically sound like we are torturing them to death. As someone who pampers them 24/7, it is very hard for me to listen to this without holding and comforting them. Obviously this isn't really possible when I have to focus on driving.
My first thought was to find someone drugs that would help calm them. When I took them to the vet to request this the vet instead said just to use calming spray and create a comfortable environment. I went overboard on the comforting environment. I bought a crate that took over my entire backseat. It had enough space for them to walk around in, have a food and water bowl, and a litter box. It had a soft fleece bottom and I put in some of their favorite toys and blankets. We used the calming spray as well, and I kept treats in the front seat so that I could periodically reach back and hand them a few throughout the ride.
And yet, they still ended up crying the entire ride. It was terrible. I honestly wish that I had pushed harder for the calming drugs because they were in such extreme distress the entire time. Even when we stopped at the hotel room they were upset. The only time they were quiet was when the car was going one high speed on a none bumpy road with consistent sounds and when we slept in the car that second night.
STATE DIFFERENCES
I did not prepare myself enough for the differences between Florida and Colorado. For one, we went from the lowest altitude, super humid state to a state at a much higher altitude with zero moisture. Seriously, Colorado is a desert. While this may seem a bit obvious to some, I wasn't expecting the physical reactions that happened.
As soon as we drove up to our Colorado rental home and walked in, I had to immediately lay down on the floor. Extreme exhaustion hit me hard. I would soon learn that the high altitude and therefore lack of oxygen does this to you. I'm still not fully used to it. I will still get altitude sickness just from the drive between Denver and Colorado Springs. That first week was the worst though. We are two relatively fit people and we got winded just walking around Costco!
As for the lack of moisture, I had to deal with painful sinuses and waking up with uncomfortably dry mouths. A lot of people end up with bloody noses even if they just visit. I was fortunate not to have this symptom. We have 2 humidifiers in our room and that still doesn't feel like enough. I can't wait for the day that we purchase a home and install a built-in humidifier for the entire house.
The other extreme difference between Florida and Colorado is, of course, the winters. This was my very first year living through a snowy winter. I don't think that I will ever get used to the cold. At one point, I put on so many layers just so I could go outside and help shovel for less than an hour and I ended up with hypothermia. My poor body and its poor circulation just can't handle it.
Early on, we had to decide between getting snow tires or not. And if we did, whether to go cheap, expensive, or somewhere in between. We didn't know what to expect so we went back and forth a lot on this decision. In the end, we decided to be safe and get the snow tires. We went with expensive and each got the Bridgestone Blizzak tires through Costco. Now that winter is over I can honestly say that I am so glad that we did. Our neighborhood wasn't great about getting rid of the snow and at one point I was forced to drive back to Colorado Springs from Lakewood in a blizzard. I have seen so many people and slip, slide, and lose control of their car while my car was able to get through smoothly. These tires would have been 100% worth it if we just had it for this one winter but it turns out that we can both use them for another winter.
An unexpected difference were the roads. Colorado roads do not have reflectors between lanes because the snow plows would just knock them up. This means that whenever the roads are covered with snow or the paint wears off, lanes are just made up. Colorado roads and neighborhoods are also not even close to as well lit. I really don't know why this is. Lastly, red lights seem to be optional to almost everyone here. On the other hand, I do feel that there is less speeding here. And the way that the roads are set up make way more sense and they have a lot less traffic.
CONCLUSION
Overall, I am very happy that we decided to move here. Considering the amount of decisions we had to make, I feel like we did a good job for our first time moving cross country and wouldn't change much. Moving across the country has led to a lot of personal growth and strengthened our relationship. This past year has been a great journey. Hopefully some of my reflections can help others who are going through the same things.