Best Long Distance Moving Companies

Moving can be stressful, but when moving long distances, that stress is often ratcheted up a notch because everything involved in the move becomes more complicated. For a long-distance move, you must ensure your items are packed in a way that will withstand the long drive. 

A long-distance moving company can be a great benefit to those who are relocating far away. These types of moving companies specialize in packing and loading your household items and are experts in ensuring everything arrives safely on the other end.

The Best Long-Distance Moving Companies

If you’re in the process of choosing a moving company to help you relocate, you need all the help you can get. Benzinga reviewed long-distance moving companies to help you choose which one is best for you.

1. Colonial Van Lines

Colonial Van Lines is a standout among long-distance moving companies because of its experience and offerings. It has been in business for more than 50 years and serves customers across the country. The company claims it is the nation’s top-rated mover.

This moving company offers a full suite of services to help people moving long distances lessen their stress levels. You can get an instant quote, have a personal relocation assistant assigned to your case to help with moving details, easily book your move and access climate-controlled storage facilities. The moving company also works with those who need a last-minute move.

You can get a quote from the company by phone, submitting your information online or using its proprietary app. The app lets you snap pictures of your belongings and give the company special instructions about your items. It will use the photos and instructions to give you a price, which is payable by check or credit card. Some online reviews say that if you have less stuff than you thought, your quote could come down, but if you have more, the quote could go up.

The company handles about 12,000 moves each year, but if you’re looking for a local mover, this company isn’t right for you because it only handles long-distance moves.     

2. Allied Van Lines

If you’re relocating internationally, you need a moving company that specializes in those types of moves and has representatives and assets around the globe to make such a move go smoothly. 

Allied Van Lines fits that bill. It has more than 1,000 representatives in 130 countries to ensure your international move goes as planned. In addition to international moves, the company also specializes in long-distance moves.

Allied Van Lines has 88 years of experience and has moved more than 750,000 families in the past 15 years. Movers help pack your belongings, move you to your new location and help unpack your things. You can get a quote by phone, submit a request online or use the company’s virtual moving in-home survey. 

To use the virtual survey, you must schedule an appointment to get a link that you will open at the scheduled time. During the appointment, you will walk through your home with a tablet or smartphone to show an Allied representative what you need moved. The representative give you a quote based on the items you have.

3. All Coast Moving Group

If you’re looking for a long-distance mover that goes a step above in helping you plan for your arrival, All Coast Moving Group is a solid option. The company notes on its website that moving someone across state lines requires the right auto insurance and works with customers to plan what will happen when the moving truck pulls up to your new home.

Unlike many movers who unload your stuff and leave you with the hard work, this company creates a plan at the onset that identifies where you want specific items placed. All Coast also helps you pack and unpack your possessions if you choose. It will also ship your vehicle, and provide storage. 

You can submit a quote request online or call the company to speak to an expert.

4. United Regions Van Lines

This company has 25 years of experience moving people across the country and specializes in working with military members and seniors. It  says it provides a white-glove experience and offers a full array of moving services from packing, unpacking and transporting your household goods to storage and specialty packaging for your cherished or fragile items. The company requires its crew to be company-certified and has a minimum of two years of commercial experience.

You can call the company or request a quote online.

5. Moving APT

Moving APT is a broker that specializes in last-minute moves. Because the company is a broker, you will work with it on the logistics of your move, but it will hire a moving company to transport your possessions. The company manages interstate and international moves. You can book a move as little as two weeks beforehand with this company.

The company uses trained experts to help locate the right moving company for you. It offers the same services as most long-distance moving companies: packing and unpacking, storage, the ability to move fragile antique or heavy equipment and free quotes. To get a quote from this moving broker, you can submit a request online or call and speak to a representative.

Top Tips for Long Distance Moving

Moving a long distance can’t be compared to moving across the city or to a nearby town. This type of move requires serious planning and the right long-distance moving company to coordinate and execute the move properly. But there are some things that you can do to help make the move smoother.

Tips that should make moving day a lot less stressful:

Start planning early: When moving long distances, you can’t wait until the last minute to start planning. Start as early as you know about the move and chip away at the details until everything is finalized.  

Create a checklist: Forget the generalized moving checklists you find online. Your move is special, and you will need to create a specialized checklist for your move. You can start with a generalized one and add the things that make your move unique.

Populate your calendar: It’s easy to create a checklist and then forget about it. That’s why you should populate your calendar with the items from your list. It’s easier to manage a move when you have individual deadlines for each thing on your list rather than a long and overwhelming to-do list.

Get more than one estimate: Quotes for long-distance moving can vary wildly. To ensure you find the right moving company, be sure to get more than one quote. Also, don’t accept quotes from moving companies that don’t look at your house and its contents. Only those quotes that are truly reflective of your household should be considered.

Read reviews: After you’ve narrowed your list of moving companies, look at online reviews. Read the good and bad reviews and use them to further narrow your list.

Inventory your household: Now it’s time to take an inventory of your possessions. Go from room to room and write down everything you plan to keep.

Donate or sell: As you inventory your rooms, keep a list of those items you want to sell or donate. It will reduce your moving expenses and prevent you from moving things you don’t want.

Look for moving supplies: You will need a lot of boxes, packing tape, bubble wrap and packing paper, and you should begin collecting them early. Look for sales and free boxes on Craigslist or Nextdoor, or make plans to purchase them from a big-box store or the moving company.

Break up the packing: If you plan to pack your home by yourself, plan it in stages. It’s not realistic to think that you will pack up an entire home in a few days. Instead, set a date for each room on your calendar to make the process easier. Don’t forget to leave out those things that are essential for daily life and pack them separately. Also, if you label your boxes, it will make things much easier on the other end.

Think about your pets: Do your pets need extra medication until you find a new vet? Are their vaccinations up to date? How will you transport them? Start thinking now about what you need to successfully move your pets with you.

Hold on to your valuables: On moving day, don’t pack your heirloom jewelry with the rest of your things. Instead, keep anything you consider valuable with you during the move.

Change your utilities and address: Don’t risk arriving at your new location and being in the dark. Make sure you transfer your utilities in time to have working lights, AC or heat and a refrigerator when you arrive. Also, by changing your address with the U.S. Postal Service before you move, you won’t experience a delay receiving your mail.

Long Distance Moving Services You Need

When moving long distances, take advantage of the many services long-distance movers offer. You will have enough on your plate moving to a far-away location, and the moving company can take away some of the stress by doing the following tasks for you:

Packing and unpacking: Packing is one of the most difficult parts of moving, but the moving company can do it for you. This extra service goes a long way in making the move less stressful. Also, if you want an easier entrance into your new home, the movers can unpack for you.

Inventory: Taking a full inventory of your goods is time-consuming, but the moving company can do it for you to save the time you will need for planning the move.

Car towing: If you are a couple or family with more than one car and want to drive to your new location together, you can ask the moving company to tow your extra car.

Freight services: If you are moving to another country, the moving company can help arrange the freight services you need to transport your goods.

Storage: Things don’t always go as planned, and if you find that you cannot move into your new location, many long-distance moving companies offer climate-controlled storage. This service gives you a worry-free place to store your belongings while you wait for your new home or office to become available.

 Frequently Asked Questions