How I did it: First we spent months researching the area in Colorado that would be best for us, checking population demographics, employment statistics and geography. After that it was a matter of saving up enough money, finding the best means for moving all of our belongings and our cats and reptiles, then actually making the move.

We did this is two stages, my wife moved first and stayed with a friend that we had known for a long time while she went to interviews, got everything ready for us and began her new job. Then about two months later I finished packing everything up, reserved our moving truck (and renewed my AAA membership which saved us a pretty penny on the rental, hotels and food along the way), and resigned from the board of my video production company.

The cross country road trip was immense fun and sort of a mini vacation for us. We made the trip in about three days and everything made it here safely.

Lessons & tips: Take you time and plan for multiple contingencies. There is no rush so make sure you really think things through. Also be prepared to make compromises that seem impossible of really unappealing. My wife and I had been married for less than a year and had to endure two months of separation so that one of us was continuously employed during the whole ordeal which was the only way that we were able to afford to do this even with the months of saving up. 

Resources: Probably the single most useful tool at our disposal was having a AAA membership. They provided us with a dozen maps, and charted out our drive much better than googlemaps or mapquest could have. Plus the discounts were fantastic, I never knew how much you could save by being a member. Another thing is to make sure you get all types of insurance that the truck rental company offers just in case. We were fortunate enough not to need it, but I perish the thought of not having purchased it in the event that something did go wrong.

Aug 06, 2009, 08:36AM PDT | 1 comment | 2 cheers