Moving to a New City Alone? Yes, You Can!

Moving home is full of challenges and plenty of excitement.

If you are moving to a new city on your own then those challenges may seem overwhelming, but the reward of overcoming those challenges alone will be all the more satisfying.

Moving to a new city without the physical and emotional support of another person may not be easy but with the right planning, organisation, and preparation there is no reason why you should not have a successful home move and wonderful new life.

Questions to Ask When Moving to a New City Alone

• 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 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?

And just maybe it is the quality of life that you seek that really matters, so will your new city tick that box?

But if you don’t jump, how do you know where you will land?

Sometimes we make decisions with the best of intentions and it doesn’t always work out, but always, making a decision will lead you onto exciting new paths that in one way or another will enrich your life or teach you important lessons.

You may also like to read: How to Decide Where to Live Next. In this guide, we suggest 12 things to consider when choosing where to live next.

So having made the decision that yes, it is time to move to a new city, what is the best way to move home on your own?

How to Prepare Mentally to Move to a New City Alone

Of all the planning and preparation you can make for relocating to a new city, being mentally prepared is the most important.

If you perceive the move as being scary and just too overwhelming, then it will be.

Focus your attention on all the positive reasons why the move makes such good sense.

No matter what stage of life you are at, the city can open up some wonderful opportunities for you.

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

Anybody moving home has some degree of fear or trepidation, that is only natural, but learning to harness that fear and use it to your advantage is a skill worth learning.

• Take control of what you can, for example, you can control your finances by good budgeting, you can select a nice city in which to live, secure a job, and lay the foundations for your new life.
• Delegate to others the things that will make the move more stressful. Leave the physical move to a removal company, it will make your move so much easier, leaving you to concentrate on what matters, you.
• Leave fate to the things that you can’t control. There is no point in stressing over things that you have no control over. This may be the best decision you have ever made, it may be the worst, but you will have done all you can to make it successful, and you will be a far stronger and more confident person because you did so.

One of your biggest fears may be loneliness in your new city but that could also become one of your super strengths.

You may also like to read: How to Overcome Loneliness After a Home Move. In this guide, we explain how being alone in the city can be a massive advantage and how it can improve not only your quality of life but teach you so many life skills.

So now you are prepared mentally, the next phase of your relocation is planning the actual move.

What you absolutely must not do is arrive in your new city scared and stressed so read on to discover how to plan the move, how to get to know your new city, and then how to settle into your new city.

How Do I Prepare to Move to Another City Alone?

Having decided which city you are moving to it is a good idea to buy a city map.

Just by looking at the geography of your new area you will become familiar with it and begin to get a sense of direction.

If you usually drink coffee from a certain chain of coffee stores, locate one in your new area, anything which is familiar to you in your new city will help prevent relocation depression.

Research as much as you can about your new city on the Internet, any little piece of information you can glean may prove invaluable.

It goes without saying that your financial position should be as stable as possible.

Setting up a new home can be expensive, so use the internet to determine the cost of living and average rental or property costs, so that you can be sure that you can afford to live in the new city.

So hopefully you are now at the stage where you are mentally and financially prepared for your upcoming home move.

Now it is time to consider the physical aspect of your move and how you should prepare to move to a new city.

• It is vitally important to thoroughly plan your home move, a moving checklist is the ideal tool for this job. A home moving checklist allows you to plan out every step of your home move, ensuring that you do not miss any important tasks in the home moving process.
• Next, declutter your home. It is time to get rid of the items you no longer need or that will not fit in your new home. This is one of your most important home moving tasks as it will substantially reduce your moving costs.
• Make a floor plan of your new home so that you can be sure any furniture you intend to take fits in your new home, it makes little sense to pay to pack and move furniture that will not fit. The fewer items you move to your new city, the cheaper your moving costs will be.
• To help you budget for your move, get a removal company to estimate how much your removal costs will be.
• Ensure that you get an in-home moving survey from the removal companies. This is a free service offered by the majority of removal firms. They will visit the home you are moving out of, make an inventory of the items you have to move, and identify any issues that will affect the price of your move. Use this opportunity to determine the suitability of the removal company for your home move.
• Compare the removal companies. Compare not just the price but the level of service, or extra services, that they offer you. Once you have made your decision, book the removal company as soon as you can as the best ones often get booked up fast.
• File important documents. Important paperwork is something that you cannot afford to lose track of during your home move, so be sure to collate and safely file all your paperwork. All your important paperwork should be taken by yourself to your new home, never load them onto the removal van.
• Get insured. Unfortunately, despite your meticulous planning and the professionalism of your removal company, accidents and the unforeseen can happen. It is important to have adequate insurance in place, which, whilst not preventing the worst from happening, will at least ensure you are compensated for any mishaps.
• Join social media groups: A great way to find out all about the best that a city has to offer is to join forums and social media groups.

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

Hiring the services of a good removal company will take a huge burden off your shoulders, freeing up your energy and time to allow you to plan your new life in your new city.

Hiring a full-service removal company means that a team of professional packers will come and expertly pack all your household goods, ensuring they arrive safely in your new home.

A trained removal team will come and load and transport your things to your new home, then place the furniture and boxes exactly where you want them, allowing you to concentrate on making your new house your home.

Finding a good Removal Company can be fraught with uncertainty, and can be a time-sapping job but is worth every minute you spend doing so.

You may also like to read: How to Pick a Good Removal Company. In this guide, we take you through the process of picking a good removal company step-by-step.

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

If you are not planning on moving any furniture, or particularly high-value items, you might consider packing your own goods to be transported by the removal company.

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

However, there are still plenty of common packing mistakes to avoid.

These tips will help you avoid common packing mistakes:

• Get your packing materials: You will need plenty of packing tape, bubble wrap, packing paper and of course boxes. Finding cardboard packing boxes for free will save you money you can save even more money by using towels, blankets, and clothing to protect fragile items before boxing them.
• Label your moving boxes: Take the time to label your moving boxes, this 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 what is inside each one.
• Pack a moving day essential box: Also known as an open first box, this box will contain everything you need on moving day and the first night in your new home. What you pack in it will depend upon your individual needs but could include things like water, snacks, important paperwork, medicines that you need to take regularly, a change of clothing, a wash kit, and any high-value items.
• Packing fragile items: Fragile and precious items require special attention when being packed. The added time and expense needed to protect your valuables is money well spent. Use strong boxes, wrap each item individually in protective layers of bubble wrap, pad the packing box inside on all sides, and ensure the items within the box cannot move about as they are being moved.
• Packing electronics: Before unplugging your electronics photograph and label each connection, it will make reconnecting them in your new home so much easier.
• Packing clothing: Use any suitcases or holdalls you may have to pack your clothes into to save boxes. Rolling clothes rather than folding them will prevent them from becoming creased. Items that are usually kept in drawers do not need to be packed in moving boxes, you can leave them in the drawers to save space on the removal van. Items that hang in your wardrobe can be left on hangers, just slip the hung clothes into a bin liner, as you would a suit cover. Then all you have to do is rehang them in your new wardrobe.
• Packing books: Pack books into smaller boxes, as books can be heavy. Try not to exceed more than 20kg in any one box. What is the correct way to pack books, spines up or down? Books should always be packed spine down with the open face pointing up.

You may also like to read: Are Packing Services Worth the Money? By now you will have realised just how time-consuming and stressful packing will be. The best money you will spend when moving home is hiring professional packers and in this guide, we explain why.

What Happens on Moving Day?

There are a few simple tips to help moving day be as stress-free and enjoyable as possible.

• Set your alarm: Be up and ready in plenty of time for the removal company. Start your day relaxed and have a good breakfast, you will need the energy.
• Charge your mobile phone: Remember to fully charge your phone and keep it with you.
• Moving day 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.
• Put the kettle on: Your removal team will appreciate a cup of coffee to start moving day off properly. This is a great opportunity to get to know your removal team which will make the day so much more enjoyable for all of you.
• Be safe: Don’t try to lift anything heavy, even if you can. Leave it to the professionals, that is what you are paying them for.
• Stay Calm and Move Home: People feed off of other peoples emotions, so stay calm and those around you will be calm too. Let the removal team do their job but be there in the background in case they need to ask you anything.

In an ideal world, everything will go according to plan:

You will be up bright and early on moving day.

Everything will be packed up and ready to be loaded.

The removal company will arrive on time, your belongings will be loaded and transported in super quick time with no damage.

And by early evening you will be relaxing in your new home, toasting your new life with a well-earned glass or two of your favorite tipple.

Unfortunately, life does not always stick to our plans.

Many things could go wrong on moving day but the key to a stress-free move is to be mentally prepared for anything that does not go the way you hoped.

Remember that a good removal company is well trained to deal with most eventualities and you should trust in their skills to resolve any issues as they arise.

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 the things that most commonly go wrong on moving day and what you can do to avoid them happening to you.

Things to Do After Moving Home

Even after moving day you still have plenty of work to do to organise your new home.

This will require just as much planning as moving out of your old home did.

• Secure your home: Your first night in your new home may be unsettling if you are all alone. But there are a few simple precautions you can take to make your home safe. Be sure to change all the locks to the external doors as soon as you can, you have no idea who has copies of the keys to the existing locks. Change the intruder alarm code straight away, again you never know who has the old code. Replace the batteries with fresh ones in the smoke alarms and any alarm sensors around the home. Replace any blown bulbs in outside lights. A few simple precautions will keep you safe and sound.
• Unpack: Unpack a few key items that will make your new house feel like a home. Having a few familiar things dotted around will help stave off relocation depression. Then plan on unpacking your boxes for the most used rooms first. Having your bedroom and bathroom set up will help you wash away the grime of moving day and ensure a good night’s sleep. Have a room set up quickly where you can escape from all the moving boxes and to relax in. Then tomorrow you can tackle the other rooms from the most used to the least used.
• Go for a walk: There is no better way to get to know your new city than going for a walk. You will have already become familiar with the city from your research but there is nothing quite like the smells, noise, and buzz of a new city experienced in the flesh.
• Make new friends: A big city can be a lonely place if you have no friends or support network. But hopefully, you joined some forums and social media groups as we suggested earlier and you will soon have a group of great new friends.
• Volunteer: Volunteering is a great way to meet new friends and integrate into your new community.
• Host a home warming party: A home warming party is a great way to meet your new neighbours and colleagues.

You may also like to read: How to Make a New Place Feel Like Home. In this guide, we share tips on how to get to know your new city and how to make it feel like you belong there.

When we make a decision, any decision, we never know whether it is the right one or not, life can take us on some strange journeys sometimes.

But moving home, to a new city, can be an invigorating and life-changing decision.

Plan your finances well, organise a flawless home move, approach your new life with a positive attitude, and who knows what amazing things may happen when you move to a new city on your own.

If you never try, you’ll never know.

Good luck.