How to Move to a New City

If you could move to any city in the UK, where would you move to?

There are 69 Cities in the UK: 51 in England, 7 in Scotland, 6 in Wales, and 5 in Northern Ireland, so you have plenty to choose from.

They are all so diverse: From St David’s in Wales with a population of less than 2,000 to the city of Birmingham with over 1.1m residents.

At first glance, that kind of information may seem insignificant, but it could be important when considering where to move to.

In fact, any information could be decision-changing when researching your new home city, so let’s look at some of the factors that could affect your choice of city.

You may also like to read: Moving to a New City Alone? Yes, You Can. If you are thinking of moving to a new city on your own then you will find this guide invaluable.

Questions to Ask When Moving to a New City

• Can I afford to move to a new city?
• What is the cost of living in the city?
• What is the job market like?
• Do I have friends or family in the new city?
• What are the good and bad areas of the city?
• Would I like to live in a city with a community feel?
• What are the schools like?
• What will I lose if I move to another city?
• What will I gain if I move to another city?
• Why do I want to move?
• Do I have a plan B if I do not like the new city?
• Is this the right home move for me?

But at the end of the day, surely it is the quality of life that you aspire to that matters.

Will your new city tick that box? This in-depth survey of residents, compiled by Provident, on the most welcoming, friendliest, politest, safest, best kept, most trustworthy, and happiest cities in the UK may just answer that question for you.

You may also like to read: Is Retiring to the City a Good Idea? In this guide, we share 16 reasons why retiring to a city is such a great idea.

Where Do I Find the Best City to City Removal Companies?

Out of all the questions you can ask when moving to a new city, this one we can answer easily for you!

Just click on this link to find reputable removal companies in your area.

Having clicked on the above link you will be presented with a list of cities, select the city you are moving to, or from, by clicking on the City name.

A list of reputable removal companies will now appear, complete with all the latest reviews for that company.

Picking the right removal company for your home move is so crucial that we have created a step-by-step guide on how to choose the best removal company for your move: How to Pick a Good Removal Company

How Do I Prepare to Move to Another City?

Having decided on your new city, buy a map.

Just looking at the geography of your new area will help you to become familiar with it.

Research as much as you can on the Internet so that you hit the ground running from day one.

If you regularly drink coffee from a national chain of coffee stores, locate one in your new area, anything that is familiar to you in your new city will help stave off relocation depression.

So now you are mentally prepared for your impending move, let’s get onto the aspect of the physical move and how you prepare to move from one home to another.

#1 Home Moving Checklist

The first job to tackle is the creation of a moving checklist and calendar.

This will allow you to plan out every step of your home move in chronological order, ensuring that you do not miss any vital element of the home moving process.

You may also like to read: The Ultimate Home Moving Checklist. In this guide, we have created a comprehensive home moving checklist and calendar for you.

#2 Declutter

Nothing is going to make your home move cheaper than decluttering.

The more ruthless you are decluttering, the fewer packing materials you will need, the quicker you will load, unload, and unpack, and you may even need a smaller moving lorry.

You may also like to read: The Epic Guide to Decluttering for a Home Move. In this guide, we share tips to make decluttering every room of your home so much easier and quicker.

#3 Decide How You Are Moving Home

A good removal company is going to make every aspect of your home move easier.

However, it may be that you have only a few items to move or no furniture furniture to move.

Once you have decluttered you will now know how much stuff you have to move which will likely determine how you will move your things to your new home.

You may also like to read: Small Home Moves: Moving With No Furniture. In this guide, we share tips to make moving home with no furniture as cheap and easy as possible.

#4 Create a Home Moving Binder

A home moving binder ensures that all the important information about your home is kept in one place so that nothing gets lost. It should contain any information that the people moving into your home would find useful such as alarm codes, bin collection day, or even the telephone number of the best local takeaway.

You may also like to read: How to Create a Home Moving Binder. In this guide, we explain how to create a home moving binder and the type of information to put in it.

#5 Get Insured

With the best will in the world, accidents and the unforeseen happen.

Having adequate insurance in place, whilst not preventing the worst from happening, will at least ensure you are compensated for life’s mishaps.

Being underinsured is one of the most common home moving mistakes and can be a very expensive mistake to make.

You may also like to read: Home Moving Insurance Do I Need It? In this guide, we explain the various insurance policies and how to ensure that you are adequately insured during your move.

How Do I Pack for a Move to a New City?

Packing your own goods to be transported by the removal company is no small task.

But as you now know good planning and execution will make the process trouble-free.

And of course, you have now got rid of all your items that you no longer need or use, so the packing process will be less time-consuming.

However, packing is probably one of the worst aspects of moving home, and hiring professional packers is one way to save yourself a whole load of time and stress.

You may also like to read: Is Hiring Packers Worth the Cost? In this guide, we look at what packers do, how much they cost, and whether it makes sense to hire packers fo your home move.

But, if you still decide you want to do your own packing then here is your step-by-step packing guide:

#1 Source your packing materials

You will need:

• Boxes
• Packing tape of various colours
• Bubble wrap
• Packing paper
• Industrial shrink wrap
• Strong bin liners
• Marker pens

Obtaining packing boxes for free will save you money but you can save even more money by using towels, blankets, and clothing to protect items before boxing them.

You may also like to read: Alternative Packing Materials for Moving Home. In this guide, we suggest items commonly found in the home that can be used to protect and transport items during your home move.

#2 Label Your Moving Boxes

Labelling the moving boxes correctly will ensure that the removal team places the boxes in the correct rooms in your new home and that you will be able to easily identify in which order the boxes need unpacking.

You may also like to read: How to Label Moving Boxes. In this guide, we suggest a simple way to mark your boxes so that you can instantly see which box goes into which room, the sequence to unpack the boxes, and o easily see if a box has been misplaced.

#3 Pack an Open First Box

This box will provide everything you need on moving day and the first night in your new home.

It will include things like medication, personal care items, and anything that you need instant access to on moving day.

You may also like to read: How to Pack an Open Me First Box. In this guide, we suggest things that you may like to include in your moving day essentials box.

#4 Tips to Save Time When Packing

• Roll clothes rather than fold them as this will prevent creasing.
• Items that are usually stored in drawers do not need to be packed in boxes, leave them in the drawers to save space in the removal van. Just wrap the drawer in industrial cling wrap so that the contents do not spill out.
• Items that hang in your wardrobe can be left on hangers and the hangers slipped into bin liners. Tie and top through the hanger so that the entire bundle can just be slipped straight onto the hanging rail.
• Save your smaller boxes for packing books as you do not want to have excessively heavy boxes to lift on moving day
• Use small boxes to pack heavy things and large boxes for light things.

You may also like to read: How to Pack for a Home Move. Packing for a home move is such an exhaustive subject that we have created an entire library of guides for packing every item in every room of your home.

What will happen on Moving Day?

#1 Set your alarm

Be up and ready in plenty of time for the removal company. You don’t want to still be in your PJ’s when they arrive!

#2 Keep children and pets safe

Have the kids or pets looked after whilst the removal team are loading and unloading. It will be safer for them and less stressful too.

#3 Have your mobile phone handy

Remember to fully charge your phone and keep it with you.

#4 Open First Box

Don’t let it out of your sight! As you already know this is today’s survival kit so stay with it and keep it safe.

#5 Put the kettle on

Your removal team will appreciate a cup of tea to start moving day off properly.

It is a great opportunity to get to know them which will make the whole day so much more enjoyable for all of you.

#6 Be safe

Remember this is just one day out of your life.

There is no point doing anything dangerous or foolhardy on moving day, so ensure you all end the day in your new home, not the hospital.

#7 Stay Calm and Move Home

People feed off of others emotions, so stay calm and those around you will too. Let the removal team do their job but be there in the background in case they need to ask you anything.

If all goes according to plan you will be up bright and early on moving day.

Everything will be packed and ready to be loaded.

The removal company will arrive on time and will load, transport and unload your belongings in record time with no damage.

By early evening you will be sat in your new home, toasting your new life with a well-earned beverage or two.

But life is not always that good to us.

There are many things that could go wrong on moving day but the key is to be prepared for anything that does not go the way you hoped.

You may also like to read: Things That Can Go Wrong on Moving Day and How to Avoid Them. In this guide, we look at things that commonly go wrong on moving day and how you can avoid and manage those events.

The removal company are trained to deal with most eventualities and you should trust in their ability to resolve any issues as they arise.

Things to Do After Moving To The City

You still have plenty of work to do now to organize your new home and get your life back to normal. This will require just as much planning as moving out of your old home.

#1 Unpack

The sooner you get everything unpacked the quicker you will settle into your new home.

But unpacking can be just as overwhelming as packing was so in How to Not Get Overwhelmed Unpacking After a Move we suggest an unpacking strategy that will make things so much easier for you

#2 Get familiar with your new city

It is essential that you get to know your new city as quickly as possible. The more familiar you are with your new surroundings the sooner you will feel that you belong there.

You may also like to read: How to Make a New Place Feel Like Home. In this guide, we suggest ways to quickly get to know an unfamiliar city.

#3 Make new friends

A big city can be a lonely place if you have no support network.

Also, finding all the secret gems, that coffee bar tucked behind the local market, the best place to grab a pizza and where to buy that hard to find item within the city, will be so much easier, and more fun, with a bunch of local friends to show you around.

You may also like to read: How to Make Friends in a New Neighbourhood. In this guide, we suggest ways that you can make new friends after moving home.

#4 Host a home warming party

Who needs an excuse to party? But in case you do, what a great way to say thanks to those who helped you move home and to say hi to your new neighbours and colleagues.

You may also like to read: How to Throw a House Warming Party. From prepping to cleaning up afterward, in this guide we show you how to throw the ultimate housewarming party.

Don’t forget to visit our home moving blog which is packed with guides to make every aspect of your home move easier, cheaper, and safer.