By Relocation.com Staff
If you're moving in the winter months, you might have saved money on your moving costs.
Now the downside: It's cold! There are several factors to be aware of when moving in the winter months.
1. Bring enough warm clothes with you - don't pack them. This can hard to remember if you're moving from Arizona to North Dakota, but if your stuff gets delayed, you could find yourself shivering in Bismark. Pack warm, and pack plenty!
2. No matter where you're moving to or from, always plan for cold weather, and the hazardous moving conditions that they can produce.
Yes, it sometimes snows in Texas, and the temperature can dip below freezing in Florida. It doesn't happen often, but you should prepare for it, especially since you might be on the road a long time.
3. Make sure your car is serviced before the move - you don't want to break down in cold weather. Also keep an emergency 'survival' kit in your car that has canned food, bottled water, a first-aid kit and flashlights.
4. Make things easier on your moving company by clearing the sidewalk and driveways of ice and snow at your old and new homes. Any accident on your property could become your liability, so you need to be especially careful.
5. Make sure your new home has its heating operational before you begin the move. There will be many things to deal with on moving day -- you don't want to be fixing a furnace.
6. Your stuff will be in a cold moving van for a long time, so plan accordingly.
* Don't have any liquid that can freeze in your shipment.
* Ask the moving company about packing materials for items that could, left in cold weather for a long time, be damaged. This includes wood products. The wrapping should protect them, but to ease your mind, ask the moving company -- they're the experts.
* Plants should never be kept in a cold moving van. In fact, your moving company probably won't allow you to move them, but if bring them along in your car, be mindful of leaving them outside for too long.
7. Have something warm to drink for the movers. They'll appreciate the gesture, and you'll probably get better service.
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