Moving halfway across the country is no small feat. Compared to more local moves, which are already stressful, long distance moving comes with its own special set of additional tasks to complete for a smooth, hassle-free move. If you’re heading west from Winnipeg, Manitoba, to Vancouver, British Columbia, keep reading for advice from your favourite big hearted movers—we’ve made the trip more than a few times!
Update Whatever You Can Before the Move
Updating your driver’s license, health information, utilities, Internet, home and auto insurance, and everything else that you can is going to give you a long to-do list all on its own. You should expect to be exhausted when you finally arrive in Vancouver, so it’s important to update absolutely every piece of information you can prior to moving day (or even moving week). Start out by making a list of the subscriptions, services, and personal information that you’ll need to update, and keep track of those items in one place that you can easily refer to. If you need a good starting point, take a look at our Checklist Directory—we’ve created a number of lists that should be helpful for your move, but for this task we recommend our British Columbia Provincial checklist.
A good “catch-all” option is to set up mail forwarding with your local post office—any mail that happens to be missed will make its way to your new address, prompting you to update your information as needed and ensuring you don’t miss any important mailed documents.
Moving Yourself or Using a Moving Company?
You’ve likely already considered this, but if you’re not yet sure whether to use movers or to move yourself, here are some questions that should help you make your decision:
- What volume of belongings are you transferring?
- Will your items fit in a trailer behind your car?
- If they will, are you moving in the winter? Are you confident to drive among mountains in potentially poor conditions with a trailer hitched to your vehicle?
- What is the driving time to reach your new destination?
- Do you want to keep all your furniture, or sell/donate it and buy new furniture when you arrive in Vancouver?
- Are you traveling alone or with someone?
- Do you have people to help you pack, load, and unload?
We may be biased, but we think long distance moving companies are the way to go if you are moving more items than will fit in your car, especially if you’re moving from Winnipeg to Vancouver, and especially if you’re moving in cold weather! Canadian winters can be unpredictable, and movers are trained to drive in all conditions.
If you do decide to hire a moving company, check out guide to choosing the best movers for your long distance move.
Check on your home or renter’s insurance policy
Most home insurance policies do cover items in transit, and frankly with superior coverage when compared to what most moving companies can offer. While your moving company absolutely should have coverage options—and you should consider it a red flag if they don’t—they will operate with different conditions of carriage compared to your home insurance provider. Check out both policies to see what the best option for you is, just in case there’s an incident during the move. Companies like ours have a great track record when it comes to moving items long distances without any problems, but it’s always best to prepared for the worst case scenario!
Plan your route well in advance
If you’re driving to Vancouver from Winnipeg, as with any long drive, it’s important to figure out what the best route for you is. You should also make note of planned stops as it’s about a 25-hour drive! Of course, you’ll also want to be aware of gas stations, restrooms along the way, and things like toll booths, mountains, and more. With so much to plan, it’s best to start early and ask around! Hopefully someone you know has made the trip before—if not, talk to your Move Coordinator or even ask in online discussion spaces to find more information.
Are you planning a long distance move from Winnipeg to Vancouver? We can help! Click here to start your quick, free quote today.