Or out of the country, what have you. My fiancé and I have been talking lately about where we would like to raise a family. And we've decided mutually that staying in Florida isn't something we want to do. Any general advice for research on where would be a good fit? Or anecdata on how you've accomplished a long distance move as an adult? How much to save, even? Where do start?
I'm thinking, I've moved a lot, I should answer this . . . and then I realize it's so general a question that I have no idea how to answer it. Though saving for a big move is a good idea no matter what. If you don't want to stay in Florida, why is that? I don't mean tell us, just make a list of whatever it is about Florida you don't like, and cross off your list places that resemble Florida in those ways. Where can you move? That is, wherever you go you'll likely need jobs, or one job at least, and so you want to look at job availability, licensing requirements, incomes in your field. Practical stuff. What do you like doing? Gardening, hiking, sports, outdoorsy stuff; or arts, culture, restaurants and the like? Are you planning to homeschool? Some states are a lot friendlier than others. Do you want your kids in a high school where the graduating class is 800, or 80? You might look at which states are losing population, and where people are moving to. Over the past two or three decades, many places are becoming more lopsided politically. If you think that might matter to you, you'll want to look at the local level -- city or county. Actual moving isn't all that hard, especially if you do it before you have a houseful of stuff. Someone wrote a piece, I think in the New Yorker, about the absolute worst place to live in the U.S. It was a small town in -- North Dakota, maybe? and after the piece came out, the inhabitants invited him to visit (he'd never been there). They showed him how the textures of their lives were woven, and he thanked them and went back to New York. After some months, he decided to move to the town he had once despised.
I just moved, so I have experience! Probably take looks at Zillow - they have school and walkability ratings for areas. Try to visit a place before you decide to move there. Look at political trends and access to health care and job markets. Try to have a job in place before you move, or at least three months of expenses in addition to your moving expenses. For the moving itself - assume $600-$1500 for the truck, depending on size, distance, company, and gas mileage of the vehicle. Try for a couple weeks to dedicate to packing and pruning your stuff. Buy stacks of boxes. More than you think you could reasonably need. Boxes stack better than any kind of ad hoc system, and U-Haul will buy back any boxes you don't use. A couple hundred bucks on each end mean you can have Hired Dudes do the heavy lifting. I advocate for that, especially if you want to actually like your fiancé at the end of the day.
Sorry to muscle in but I will be in a similar sitch in a couple years and you said you are considering a different country so yay shared adulting troubles. In my case we are pretty sure on what the move will be: getting my partner from Pittsburgh to the UK (Scotland). The thing we have done the least research on is the moving of belongings over the water. What companies do you talk to? How much does that cost?
