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I am going to be moving from the east to west coast next spring and am doing some research now to prepare. my questions concern the actual logistics of the move - I am probably going to drive the 3k miles as I'd considered a uhaul and such but this feels too expensive and hard on the car and me so will likely just get rid of everything I have here and go with whatever can fit in the car, and ship other things.
the main issue I need advice about is that I am sort of fearful of this big move as I am a single woman and so will be traveling alone. I've heard stories about criminals/predators who look for lone travelers and especially women as targets. I guess i will avoid rest stops and travel centers and use fast food places and such to minimize the chance of being targeted. Maybe i'm just being too paranoid but since I really don't want to become a statistic, I wondered if any other women (or men) have done a similar move and what things they did to ensure their safety for the journey? I know simple things like having a charged cell phone, AAA and such to cover in case something mechanical goes wrong but what about things like actual planning/charting the route and specific hotels/motels where you will stop along the way, is there a service that someone could use to do this? I've never done this before so am pretty scared about it and any advice or suggestions would be welcome. safety is my biggest concern but I am set to do this as it's been a lifelong dream to make this move and I am getting too old to let another year pass without doing it!
the other important part I am worried about is the actual route over the Sierra and what month is the safest as far as not having snowfall to deal with crossing there. Also, what road is best for the crossing in terms of less stress on my car - I guess I mean not too high? I guess I could just fly out and sell or ship my car but I need to save as much as possible for a reserve fund when I get there. I also don't want to be without transportation when I get there.
I've driven across the country a number of times and never had a problem, even with a tire blow-out in Birmingham, AL. Without knowing your exact start and end point or the date, I can only say take the more southernly route if you are worried about snow, always check the weather and be prepared to spend and extra day or two on the road if you need to bunk down somewhere. If you are using GPS, have a paper map as a back-up.
I always plan my route and pre-book hotels. Know how many hours you are comfortable driving, look for a safe hotel and book it. You can check hotel reviews on Trip Advisor or a similar site. I pack a cooler with good food and sandwiches so I can eat when I'm hungry, stop every few hours at a busy gas station and gas up and attend to other needs. I usually choose a hotel near something like a Chili's so I can grab some takeout and go back to the room and relax.
When you figure out your route, share it with your friends and check in a few times per day with them. Preferably friends on both ends of your journey.
Gas up your car whenever you get a chance. Nothing worse than thinking you're going to run out of gas in the middle of nowhere.
Be and LOOK alert to your surrounding when you stop. Walk confidently and look around you as you walk. Don't have your head down, talk on your cell or text while you're walking across the parking lot at a rest stop. If it's dark out, wait till you see a group like a family walking and tail along behind them almost as if you are a part of their group.
Always have your keys ready when you are walking back to your car. Get in, lock the doors and drive away - don't linger.
I am going to be moving from the east to west coast next spring and am doing some research now to prepare. my questions concern the actual logistics of the move - I am probably going to drive the 3k miles as I'd considered a uhaul and such but this feels too expensive and hard on the car and me so will likely just get rid of everything I have here and go with whatever can fit in the car, and ship other things.
That's what I did on my move from the east coast... I sold it all off and brought a 42" TV, my laptop, and clothes.
It was far cheaper than trying to Uhaul.
I was single and made the drive solo over 5 days... driving about 600 miles a day. It was spring and I took the diagonal route. The weather was great the entire trip.
If it had been winter I'd have taken a more southerly route. I kept in touch with family and friends during the trip via Facebook.
I moved from Bellingham, WA to Nashville, TN many years ago. I forget how many days it took. I loaded up my VW squareback and me and a ghetto blaster (radio didn't work anymore) and me.
I got my trip mapped out by AAA. I think it was called a TripTick, if I remember correctly. This would have been 1985. The world before Google maps and GPS lol! This was before cell phones were in my life, too.
AAA booked me into Best Westerns all the way. So, my trip was mapped out from Best Western to Best Western. I remember I stopped in Utah, Wyoming, and Kansas City. Don't remember if I stopped anywhere else.
Anyway, I experienced the biggest rain storm I'd ever been in in my life driving across Wyoming. I'd never seen rain come down like that before! Everyone on the freeway just pulled over and waited. Couldn't see to drive.
Then I drove ahead of a tornado warning somewhere - Nebraska? Illinois? I forget. Very exciting. The radio reports were telling me I should stop and get into a ditch or culvert if I see the tornado. Very exciting.
I got lost in Kansas City trying to find the motel, and ended up in a scary neighborhood. I overshot a yellow light, decided to stop and tried backing up, only to hit the guy behind me. He started yelling, I got scared, drove through the red light to get away from him, blue lights start flashing, I get pulled over and I jumped out of the car and told the cop I was soooooooo glad to see him! LOL! I don't think he'd ever had that happen before! He told me how to get to the hotel and helped me with the insurance info for the guy I hit.
Otherwise, all went just fine. I actually had fun. Oh yeah, and I went to my very first WalMart store - before they were all over the place. I think it was in Wyoming.
I'd do it again. You'll be fine. Oh yeah, and I stopped only in fast food places, never in rest stops. My dad was a cop and drilled it into us to never use rest stops.
I've driven across the country a number of times and never had a problem, even with a tire blow-out in Birmingham, AL. Without knowing your exact start and end point or the date, I can only say take the more southernly route if you are worried about snow, always check the weather and be prepared to spend and extra day or two on the road if you need to bunk down somewhere. If you are using GPS, have a paper map as a back-up.
I always plan my route and pre-book hotels. Know how many hours you are comfortable driving, look for a safe hotel and book it. You can check hotel reviews on Trip Advisor or a similar site. I pack a cooler with good food and sandwiches so I can eat when I'm hungry, stop every few hours at a busy gas station and gas up and attend to other needs. I usually choose a hotel near something like a Chili's so I can grab some takeout and go back to the room and relax.
Gas up your car whenever you get a chance. Nothing worse than thinking you're going to run out of gas in the middle of nowhere.
Be and LOOK alert to your surrounding when you stop. Walk confidently and look around you as you walk. Don't have your head down, talk on your cell or text while you're walking across the parking lot at a rest stop. If it's dark out, wait till you see a group like a family walking and tail along behind them almost as if you are a part of their group.
Always have your keys ready when you are walking back to your car. Get in, lock the doors and drive away - don't linger.
I really love this idea of "joining" a family as they are walking and will definitely use it, thanks for the tip.
I moved from Bellingham, WA to Nashville, TN many years ago. I forget how many days it took. I loaded up my VW squareback and me and a ghetto blaster (radio didn't work anymore) and me.
I got my trip mapped out by AAA. I think it was called a TripTick, if I remember correctly. This would have been 1985. The world before Google maps and GPS lol! This was before cell phones were in my life, too.
AAA booked me into Best Westerns all the way. So, my trip was mapped out from Best Western to Best Western. I remember I stopped in Utah, Wyoming, and Kansas City. Don't remember if I stopped anywhere else.
Anyway, I experienced the biggest rain storm I'd ever been in in my life driving across Wyoming. I'd never seen rain come down like that before! Everyone on the freeway just pulled over and waited. Couldn't see to drive.
Then I drove ahead of a tornado warning somewhere - Nebraska? Illinois? I forget. Very exciting. The radio reports were telling me I should stop and get into a ditch or culvert if I see the tornado. Very exciting.
I got lost in Kansas City trying to find the motel, and ended up in a scary neighborhood. I overshot a yellow light, decided to stop and tried backing up, only to hit the guy behind me. He started yelling, I got scared, drove through the red light to get away from him, blue lights start flashing, I get pulled over and I jumped out of the car and told the cop I was soooooooo glad to see him! LOL! I don't think he'd ever had that happen before! He told me how to get to the hotel and helped me with the insurance info for the guy I hit.
Otherwise, all went just fine. I actually had fun. Oh yeah, and I went to my very first WalMart store - before they were all over the place. I think it was in Wyoming.
I'd do it again. You'll be fine. Oh yeah, and I stopped only in fast food places, never in rest stops. My dad was a cop and drilled it into us to never use rest stops.
Thank you for sharing your story NoMore, it sounds like it was a great, though scary at times, experience for you, very funny about the accident! yeah, i'm probably being over-paranoid and I guess that's just too many forensic/crime books and shows...anyway, I so admire women who can conquer their fears and get out and do something courageous, on their own. I saw a story recently about a woman who rowed (yes, rowed!) across the Atlantic alone, what a strong woman! and then she did it again across the Pacific, and again, incredible! see here:
I don't see myself doing anything like that but I surely can make a cross country trip that will only last about a week, and will take my time with planning and thanks for the AAA suggestion as far as booking the hotels so I'll know where I'm sleeping, I will contact them about that so I can have all my ducks in a row before I hit the road. Thanks for your posting!
Location: Los Angeles>Little Rock>Houston>Little Rock
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In 1988 I moved from Los Angeles to Little Rock, AR. I had my sister fly to LA to drive across country with me. Everything that could go wrong did. I came down with pneumonia in AZ and had to stay for 3 days in a hotel there to recover enough to drive (sister did not drive). My car (a 1978 Seville) had to have repairs or a tire fixed in every state and twice in TX. In Amarillo it was very cold and windy and the wind blew the door of my car shut with the keys inside so we had to call AAA to open the car. Once we made it to Little Rock there was flooding and a tornado. Oy! I wanted to turn around and go back home right away.
I am moving back to Little Rock from Houston in the spring. I will be driving with 4 cats, a husband who is no longer able to drive, and our son. A mover will be taking our stuff.
You will be fine. The previous posters had good advice. Just know your route. Maybe even check into a motel before it gets too late at night and take off at a reasonable hour in the morning. Make sure your car is in checked before you take off. Good luck!
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