Driftwood and Iron moved cross-country! Last month, my husband and I packed up a POD at our house in Marietta, Georgia, got in our Mazda with our doggo and made the journey to Graham, Washington. It was a long trek, and we learned a lot in the process. Moving in general — let alone across the country — is a huge undertaking. Driving across the country during a pandemic provided another layer of craziness. But we’re here! And we are beyond grateful to be settling in to our new town.

Whether you’re about to make a move yourself (across the country or only across town), or you’re just curious about our story, I hope I’m able to provide some helpful tips and recommendations that we’ve learned along the way!

Related: 5 Tips to Selling Your House Quickly + How to Avoid Beginner Mistakes

WHAT IT’S LIKE MOVING ACROSS THE COUNTRY DURING A PANDEMIC

I think one of the most important things to keep in mind when moving (whether it’s cross-country or across town), is to make sure all of your essentials are easily accessible. Moving somehow magically makes everything 100x harder to locate the things you need, so organizing your stuff and thinking ahead makes the process so much easier.

One major thing that helps keep your costs down is booking your hotel on Priceline the same day you plan to stay. If you’re traveling with a pet, I highly recommend giving the hotel a quick call to check if they allow pets and if there is a pet deposit (we noticed the fees varied — we actually started choosing the same hotel chain since their pet fee was cheaper and the hotel chain was clean, which especially was helpful during COVID).

COVID complicated things a bit, but overall, we always kept plenty of masks in the car as well as in our overnight bags. We also brought wet wipes with us to wipe down surfaces in our hotel room upon arrival, and we used plenty of hand sanitizer throughout our trip.

THE ROUTE

There were a few routes we could have taken when we were moving to Washington, but we were a bit concerned going through multiple passes in January with a car that did not have all-season tires.

The southern route added some extra time to the journey, but it allowed us to visit some pretty incredible places (the Navajo Reservation in New Mexico and Arizona as well as the Grand Canyon!) along the way.

• Atlanta, GA to Dallas, TX
• Dallas, TX to Gallup, NM
• Gallup, NM to Las Vegas, NV
• Las Vegas, NV to Boise, ID
• Boise, ID to Seattle, WA

OUR FAVORITE ROAD TRIP SNACKS & DRINKS

Keeping a fully stocked snack and drink kit is essential to a successful road trip. These are some of our favorite snacks, along with our top coffee and quick breakfast picks!

• Circle B Ranch Snack Sticks
• Mezcla Plant Protein Bars
• Paleonola Granola
• Veggies Made Great Meals
• pH Perfect Hydration + Electrolytes
• Biodynamic French Roast Coffee (I’m OBSESSED with adding the Oatsome Coffee Creamer to it!)

Check out some of the views we had along the way!

DOGGIE MUST-HAVES FOR LONG CAR JOURNEYS AND ROAD TRIPS

Car journeys can be difficult for dogs. Our sweet pup normally loves car rides, but traveling 8-10+ hours each day was difficult for her, particularly on days 3 and 4. Before we moved, we consulted with our trainer in Georgia on his tips for our long distance trip, and he recommended the three options below for us:

• Pill Buddy Naturals Pill Pockets (and Benadryl)
• CBD Oil for Dogs – CBD Direct is a great one stop shop!
• PetHonesty Calming Treats

WHAT I PACKED IN MY OVERNIGHT BAG

I feel like this is the thing I’m the most nosy about — I’m always curious to know that if you were going to be moving or on a trip for a week or more, what products would you ultimately be taking in your overnight bag? These are the ones that I wanted to have with me every night as we were driving from Atlanta to Seattle:

OVERNIGHT & COZY MUST-HAVES

• Weekender Bag
• Satin Silk Scrunchies (these don’t cause breakage or a headache)
• Dreamegg Sound Machine
• ODODOS High-Waisted Yoga Shorts (with pockets!)
• COMFY Original Sherpa Wearable Blanket

BATHROOM / HYGIENE PRODUCTS

• Choate Matcha Peppermint Face Cleanser
• CeraVe Moisturizing Cream
• Paula’s Choice Salicylic Acid Exfoliant
• The Ordinary Buffet
• Microfiber Cleansing Cloths
• Bioderma Micellar Water
• Batiste Dry Shampoo
• Briogeo Scalp Revival Micro-exfoliating Shampoo
• L’Oreal EverPure Volume Conditioner
• Carmex Lip Balm

Related: How I Cleared My Skin for Good

MUST-HAVES IN THE CAR

• Wet Wipes Individual Hand Wipes
• Anker Power Bank – USB Charger for phones, etc.
• OPOLAR Handheld Collapsible Personal Fan
• Ohuhu Double Tip Markers (fat and skinny end)
• Harry Potter Coloring Book
• Portable DVD player
• The Big Bang Theory TV Series
• Avatar the Last Airbender TV Series

SETTLING IN

We arrived in Graham after a 5 day journey across the country. As of now, it’s been about a month since we arrived. House hunting is the next item on our agenda, which we’re excited to see our next future home! To follow along on our home journey, check out our other posts here.

See you soon!

Jenn