Moving To A Warmer Climate? Follow These Tips
If you currently live in an area where the temperatures are generally cool to moderate, moving to a warmer climate is sure to sound exciting. You won't have to deal with blinding snow storms or shivering in your boots anymore! However, as exciting as moving to a warmer place can be, the change does present a number of challenges. Follow these tips during your move and while you're settling in.
Pare down your cold weather items in advance.
Why waste time and money transporting twenty pairs of boots and your collection of winter coats to your new home if you won't use them once you're there? Make a conscious effort to pare down your cold weather possessions before the move, and you'll save yourself a lot of money on packing services. (Or you'll save yourself time if you're packing yourself).
You may want to save a coat or two and a few outfits for cooler weather so you're prepared if you ever travel to a cooler climate again. However, you should sell or donate most of your cold weather clothing to avoid unnecessary clutter.
Purchase some warm weather items ahead of time.
It would be a shame to arrive to your new place and find that you have nothing suitable to wear. The selection of warm-weather clothing in your current town may be limited, but there are ways around this. Consider ordering some warm-weather clothing online prior to your move,and having it shipped to your new place. Talk to the company you order it from and arrange to have it held at the local Post Office until your move-in day. When you arrive in your new town, you can swing by and pick up your new wardrobe on your way to your new house. This will take less time than heading out to the mall to shop while you're also focusing on unpacking and settling in.
Allow extra time for unpacking.
Since you're not used to the warm weather yet, working outside may tire you out sooner than you think. So, it's important to allow yourself some extra time to unpack. Don't schedule your return of your moving truck for just hours after you plan on arriving to the new place. Give yourself an extra day so that if the heat starts getting to you, you can take a break and then go back to unloading the truck.
If you get warm while unpacking the moving truck, don't keep pushing yourself. Otherwise, you risk heat exhaustion and dehydration. Head to a cool place, sip a cold glass of water or sports drink, and take a break until you feel better. If possible, arrange to have several friends help you unpack so that you don't have to do all of the work in the heat alone.
If you experience headache, dizziness, and a dry mouth while working in the heat, these are signs of dehydration; increase your fluid intake before you experience more serious symptoms like fever and fainting.
Research utility costs.
Utility costs in a cool climate can be significantly different from those in a warm climate. You may be used to paying for heat, but now you'll be paying for air conditioning. To make sure you're not surprised by bills that exceed your budget, talk to others in your new town to get a better idea of the utility costs you can expect. You may even be able to contact the local utility company or the old occupant of your new home to ask what the average monthly utility bill has been.
Moving to a warm climate brings its unique set of challenges. If you're not confident in your ability to pack and move safely in the heat, consider hiring a moving company to do this for you, such as Wheaton World Wide Moving. The movers will be adapted to working in the local climate, so you won't have to be as concerned about heat exhaustion and dehydration.
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