The Cheapest Methods of Moving Across Country

Drobert Moversfolder
6 min readDec 8, 2022

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Cheapest ways to move across the country

You may be searching for the least expensive moving options when you are planning to move across the country.

Moving costs a lot of money and strains the household budget, so you might consider doing it yourself or hiring a team of reasonably priced cross-country movers.

Additionally, long-distance moving prices are significantly impacted by the distance, weight of your possessions and additional required services.

Making the decision to move your households all by yourself with the aid of moving truck rentals is a major one and should not be rushed.

Make sure to first compare the price to any other options you may have. Continue reading to learn about different moving alternatives so that you can choose the one that is ideal for you.

Truck Rentals

Truck Rentals

Renting a moving truck could be your best and cheapest way to move across country if you are prepared to take charge of packing, loading, driving safely, getting insurance, and relocating your stuff across the country in one piece.

You’ll need to set aside the time before moving day to find and buy packing supplies, then pack up all of your belongings on time. Moving costs can add up quickly. Some people choose to rent a moving truck in order to get ready for their move and save money.

Truck rental companies like Penske, U-Haul, and Budget offer a variety of trucks and van sizes to drive across the country with all your belongings.

This method is exhausting and accident-prone but if you have a lot of household furniture and personal belongings to move and you don’t want to spend on long distance movers then this will be your best way to move long distance.

Moving Containers

Moving Containers

Another cheaper way to move across country is by renting a portable moving container. Don’t want to drive a moving truck but you are ok with carrying, packing, and loading all your belongings on your own, then moving containers are the best way.

Your chosen and appropriate-sized moving container for your load will be delivered to your place, you will have three days to load it up yourself and unload at destination.

Don’t hesitate to ask for help, get your friends and family to pack and load, However, if you have lots of heavy furniture items, the physical exertion and the risk of injury while maneuvering such items should not be ignored. So, it is better if you hire experienced moving labor to load the moving truck.

Moving Trailers

Moving Trailers

For a variety of reasons, moving trailers may be your best option. Although renting one is less expensive, you can also inquire if a friend or relative has one you can borrow.

Just make sure that you have the right tow package that fits your needs, trailer hitch and power to pull one. You might be able to save money by buying a trailer if you have a lot of stuff to move, especially if it’s a long distance.

Even after the moving, enclosed trailers can be utilized for additional storage. Alternatively, you can even sell them.

Pickup Truck

Pickup Truck

If you don’t own a pickup, you probably know someone who does. This is the most common method of moving a minimum amount of stuff. Just make sure everything is securely fastened down before heading out on the highway.

And when you are moving only a few smaller furniture items along with your other junk, then a pickup truck would be the best thing.

Shipping via Bus or Train

Shipping via Bus or Train

Greyhound’s Bus Freighter service offers much better deals than going directly through Greyhound and the best part is that they offer both terminal-to-terminal and door-to-door shipping options.

If your shipment weighs up to 250lbs, moving by bus can be your best way to move cross country as it allows you to ship both boxed items and furniture using Package Express.

Pack securely since boxes tend to get tossed a lot during transit and if you are choosing terminal to terminal, make preparations to how you will get your stuff to and from the bus station.

If you are moving by train, Amtrak accepts both packages and pallets of 500 lbs per day. You can even take your cat or dog (under 20lbs) for $25 extra which is not allowed by bus.

Make appropriate preparations for getting your stuff to and from your home to the station and pack sturdy, since your boxes will not be handled with care.

Freight Shipping Services

If your entire shipment does not take up an entire truckload, referred to as less-than-truckload (LTL), then freight shipping services like UPS, FedEx, DHL, or the good old U.S. Postal Service can be your best way to move across the country.

LTL freight usually shares a container with other shipments and travels on a hub system which means your furniture will exchange trucks several times before reaching its destination. However, you can get faster priority shipping or slower but cheaper economy shipping as per your needs.

Shipping by Air Cargo

Shipping by Air Cargo

Several airlines like Delta Cargo, United Cargo, American Airlines cargo offer cargo shipping services. There are also a few courier companies like DHL, FedEx, and UPS that offer flight cargo service.

While moving via air is certainly not cost-effective, but they might be your best way to move across the country if you are moving to remote places like Hawaii or Alaska with just a few boxes (minimum shipment size), else you can compare the long distance movers who service to your destination with the Air Cargo Service charges.

Hiring professional movers

Hiring professional long-distance movers for your move may be expensive, but it is the best way to move if you want your belongings to reach their destination intact and hassle-free.

As for their credibility, you can easily verify it by checking their license details at FMCSA or check their reviews and ratings at BBB (Better Business Bureau) website.

And if you are worried about movers cost? then by being a little more vigilant and by following a few moving tips like moving during the offseason, partially packing yourself, etc, you can save your money while moving.

There are different aspects that dictates how you should move:

  • If you are moving across the country, then it is wise to search for the professional but because these types of moves are complicated.
  • If you have fragile or very expensive items, then you need to hire movers as they offer professional packing and insurance to cover such items while moving.
  • If your move is considerably big, then even if you are moving locally, it is wise to find someone who can handle such moves.
  • If you have special items like a piano, pool table, grandfather clock etc, you need experienced, skilled and specialty movers to move them.
  • If there are any access issues out of your old home, or into your new property, then you need special moving equipment to accomplish the move.

Hiring professional movers will ensure a stress-free move, As they bring in all the packing materials and equipment required for the move and finish the whole process of packing and moving considerably faster.

IMPORTANT! Prioritize all the moving tasks and by considering all the pros and cons decide on your best way to move.

How to Find the Affordable & Reliable Movers?

With the above mentioned cheapest ways to move, you can experience a stress-free and more comfortable move even if you’re moving on a tight budget.

With Moversfolder.com, find the cheapest moving company that offers an optimal level of service and price for your needs. Just fill in a simple form to reach out to multiple movers, compare moving quotes and save up to 40% on your upcoming move.

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Drobert Moversfolder

11 years of content writing experience. From last 5yrs, I have been researching the moving industry and resolving moving queries. https://linktr.ee/moversfolder