Long Distance Moving

Find a long distance mover near Washington, DC

Find a long distance mover near Washington, DC

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Top 10 Long Distance Movers near Washington, DC

Long Distance Movers Cost Guide

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Q & A

Answers to commonly asked questions from the experts on Thumbtack.

How do I choose the best long-distance moving company in D.C.?

To find the best long-distance movers in Washington, DC, compare companies side by side in an online search. This way, you can browse the top movers in your area and read their customer reviews. Pay particular attention to reviews mentioning problems that might have occurred and how they were resolved. 

You can also visit the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Household Goods Program to see if there’s any available information about the moving company’s complaint history or safety rating. The movers you choose should also have the required level of insurance.

Once you’ve narrowed down the top long-distance moving companies, ask for free estimates. Give the movers as much information about your upcoming move as possible so you receive an accurate estimated price.

How much does it cost to move across the country from DC?

Moving out of state or across the country from Washington, DC, will depend on several factors. For example, movers often take into account the number of miles they’ll be traveling, the size of your move, the time of year and more. 

The cost of your cross-country or out-of-state move may also depend on how many things you have to move, as well as the distance to your new home. Moving from DC to New York would probably come with a different cost than moving from DC to Atlanta, for example. If the moving company charges by the hour, you may want to ask about what happens if they hit severe traffic on the Beltway, which is notorious for traffic jams.

Contact the top movers in DC to get a personalized estimate for your cross-country move.

What is considered a long-distance move in D.C.?

Moving from Washington, DC, to a city that’s 100 miles or more away is generally considered long-distance, though some companies may raise the threshold to 400 miles. 

A move from DC to New York could be considered a long-distance move, as is moving from DC to Atlanta. Other potential long-distance moves include:

  • Moving from DC to San Diego 
  • Moving from DC to Seattle 
  • Moving from DC to Boston 

Contact DC’s best movers for help planning and executing your next move.

How much does it cost for long-distance movers?

Long-distance movers transport your belongings across the country for you. No more renting a trailer and road-tripping from state to state with your entire house hitched to your bumper. Long-distance movers make the move happen so you can fly to your new home, suitcase in hand, and wait for your furniture to arrive. Nationally, the average price range for long-distance movers is $1,490-$2,230. The distance you are moving and the number of cubic feet the movers have to transport will both affect cost. Another factor in long-distance moving costs is whether you choose to pay for an exclusive move or a consolidated move.

In an exclusive move, which is more expensive, your belongings are the only cargo on the moving truck. The movers travel directly to your new house and deliver your belongings on a scheduled day. A consolidated move is more affordable because the movers transport your belongings along with those of other people, saving them time and gas — which means you save money. The downside is that your belongings typically arrive with a two-week delivery window rather than on a prescheduled day. Read reviews to make sure you can trust the company with your possessions to ensure a peaceful moving process.

What is considered a local move vs. a long-distance move?

Local moves are among the most common moves. Unlike a long-distance move, a local move is typically less than 50 miles and does not cross state lines. Generally, a local move only takes one day, and movers tend to charge by the hour. 

The definition of a long-distance move may vary depending on the moving company. Generally, a long-distance considered to be any move of 400 miles or more. However, some say a long-distance move is over 50-100 miles. 

Local Move

A move under 50 miles

Long-Distance Move

A move over 50-100 miles or over 400 miles; may also be called an “interstate move” or “out-of-state move”

Out-of-State Move

A move that crosses state lines; may also be called an “interstate move” or “long-distance move”

Interstate Move

A move that crosses state lines; may also be called an “out-of-state move” or “long-distance move”

Intrastate Move

A move that begins and ends in the same state, typically beyond 50 miles

Interstate moves require additional legal preparation and will incur additional costs for distance, the amount and weight of your items, the preparation required and various other factors. Moving companies tend to do an initial weighing of the truck, which you should be present for.

A move that crosses state lines is considered an interstate move or an out-of-state move. Contrast this with an intrastate move, which begins and ends in the same state, but is typically above 50 miles. 

To determine whether your move is local or long-distance, contact the best movers in your area.

 

 

How much does it cost to move out of state?

Moving out of state costs an average of $5,630, according to the American Moving & Storage Association. However, this is just an estimate — how much you’ll pay to move out of state will likely depend on the weight of your belongings, if you need storage, the distance of the move and more.

To avoid any surprising or hidden fees, get free estimates from movers near you.

What is the cheapest way to move long distance?

The cheapest way to move long distance is to plan ahead. This allows you to capitalize on several money-saving strategies. For example, you may consider renting a portable moving container. These are often cheaper than moving trucks, though moving truck rentals are a great option for moderately sized homes. 

Planning ahead also gives you time to start looking around for free moving boxes and supplies. You might also be able to snag discounts from moving companies if you book far out in advance and ask movers for a deal. Try not to move during the peak season (spring or summer), as prices tend to be highest during that time.

Contact the best long-distance movers in your area to get free estimates and figure out a way to save money.  

How do I choose the best long-distance moving company?

First, compare the best long-distance moving companies by performing an online search for national or local moving services.

Pay close attention to the moving companies’ ratings and reviews. When reading the reviews, take note of any feedback related to the movers’ pricing, professionalism, ability to work quickly and whether the company has damaged customers’ belongings. You should also check to make sure the moving company has the proper license or insurance within your state. 

Once you’ve found a few movers that fit your criteria, contact the companies to get free estimates. Compare quotes between moves to decide if a quote is fair. And keep an eye out for any deals and discounts movers may be offering during non-peak seasons.

What should I pack first when moving?

First on your packing checklist are non-essential items you don’t need to access for the next couple of weeks or so. This can include things like holiday decorations, extra towels and collectibles.

Then, move on to artwork, entertainment items and special kitchenware you hardly ever use. 

As moving day draws near, pack children’s games, jewelry, artwork and all linens except for an essential set for each household member.

Next up is kitchen equipment, items in your medicine cabinet, bathroom supplies, laundry supplies and electronics.

One to two days before your move, pack furniture, rugs and tools.

On moving day (or a few days before), pack your clothes, bedding, cleaning supplies, and other necessities like snacks and food.

How much do you tip long-distance movers?

Movers are generally tipped 10% to 20% or around $50 to $200 per mover. However, it may make less sense to tip a percentage of the total cost of the move because there might be more travel, gas and other fees compared to local moves.

But if you’ve got cash to spend and are very satisfied with the job, you can always tip more. Of course, tipping is not mandatory — especially if you’re not satisfied with the move.

Reviews for Washington long distance movers
Lindsay S.
Happy with the long-distance move services I received from New Age Moving
New Age Move ManagementNew Age Move Management
Thumbtack Customer
Rose helped us with a long distance move. She was very thorough from the organizational standpoint and always followed up. The movers were excellent!
Great Nation MovingGreat Nation Moving
Ibrahim F.
Incredible work at an affordable price. AT was hired for: packing, unpacking, long distance moving. The entire experience was no/low stress and everything was wrapped with care. Thank you for making the move happen on short notice.
AT MoversAT Movers
April W.
Thanks for making a long distance move very simple! I am very pleased with the packing, handling and delivery. Great communication and fair price. Thanks again!!
VKH Movers LLCVKH Movers LLC
Ali G.
It was a pleasure working with OSSL! They were extremely accommodating and professional, they had the best moving quote, and the movers Bri and Godfrey were incredibly kind, helpful, and efficient. Unfortunately moved out of the DC area (they helped me with my long distance move from DC to NY), otherwise would use again in a heartbeat (especially as I’m in the process of coordinating a short distance NY move and would love to have their help ;)). Highly recommend!!
OSSL Moving & StorageOSSL Moving & Storage
Jessica M.
AT Movers did an AMAZING job with my long distance move. They were timely, careful, professional and experienced! They made sure to communicate with me at every stop of the process and were transparent about everything involving the move. I would highly recommend their services if you need a reliable moving company.
AT MoversAT Movers
Aerial R.
Wonderful long distance movers helped us move from our tiny basement apartment (2 bedroom) in DC to a 2 bedroom apartment in Chicago on the second floor. They were so communicative and provided excellent services. We would definitely use again if we could.
VKH Movers LLCVKH Movers LLC
Luis S.
I needed to do a long distance move but I had very little time. I was looking for a moving company that can do the moving very quickly. Then I found Baku Moving, they were very helpful over the phone. The price was good for me and the moving was really good without any damage. They were neat and clean and in touch with me for the whole moving. It couldn’t get any better. Well done Baku Moving!
Baku MovingBaku Moving
Thumbtack Customer
Your Friends with a Truck made my long distance moving experience as painless and stress-free as it could possibly be. They were efficient and professional, and completely unfazed by the annoyances of moving into an old building in New York City. They were flexible and adaptable, communicated well, and overall provided a really great service. Can't recommend them enough!
Your Friends with a TruckYour Friends with a Truck
Courtney H.
Artem and his team were fantastic! We did a long distance move to SW Virginia, and he was very responsive in scheduling. The price was very affordable. His team was professional and handled our stuff with care. They arrived on time, and everything made it to our new place in one piece. We couldn't have asked for a better move. Highly recommend!
AT MoversAT Movers
Larry C.
Long distance moves are always tricky. Baku Moving made that trip seem so easy. They do this for a living of course. I was quite a fussy customer but they dealt with me very cordially. I have to give it to them for they knew how to work magic on customers. They employ very skilled men who really know the insides and outs of this moving job. I gained a lot of respect for these men during my move last week.
Baku MovingBaku Moving
Martin P.
Can't be happier with their service! They protected everything, however it worked against them since it's a flat rate long distance move. They took a great care of my bed assembling and reassembling it later. They did a great service and one of the man could speak to my native language (polish) what was amazing!
Stark Moving and StorageStark Moving and Storage
Thumbtack Customer
Great Nation moved my furniture, furnishings and other personal property from DC to Lynchburg, VA. All the folks at Great Nation with whom I had contact - Rose, the estimator and the crew - were professional, knowledgeable, timely and experienced. I was impressed with the pre-move interaction and follow up as well as the move itself. The moving crew was skilled, thoughtful and careful. The final bill was per the estimate. I strongly recommend that people consider Great Nation for a long distance move like mine.
Great Nation MovingGreat Nation Moving
Thumbtack Customer
We had a great experience with Great Nation, and Rose Carole made everything go very smoothly. Despite the California wildfires causing problems for the routing of trucks, Great Nation was able to keep to our preferred schedule. I learned a lot about long distance moving from this experience. It is not the simple matter that you might think...many moving pieces at play at any given moment.
Great Nation MovingGreat Nation Moving
Thumbtack Customer
I hired Jose Alfaro for a long distance moving. His style of working was very amazing. Jose and the other guys were very careful accommodating all the stuff in the truck. I noticed that their main priority is to take everything back in good condition. I like how most of the stuff was covered with blankets. Overall, I recommend them because they like work carefuly.
MW TREE Service LLC .....license and insuranceMW TREE Service LLC .....license and insurance
Elizabeth F.
I used Baku Moving to move from DC to Chicago. I had to delay the delivery date and rebook the loading dock at my new building because they could not make the promised date. The movers were unprepared - they didn't have a marker for the boxes or a lock for the truck. They also didn't have any of the required inter-state moving paperwork. They didn't take an inventory and moved my stuff to a new truck before delivery, which resulted in my mirror going missing. I called in to dispatch before the delivery date to give instructions regarding the time slot for the loading dock in Chicago. The movers called me five hours early on move in day, saying they were ready to move me in and head back to DC. Ultimately, they ended up waiting for the afternoon loading dock slot, which was a relief. If you are moving locally, they are probably fine, but I would suggest finding another company for a long-distance move.
Baku MovingBaku Moving
Eleanor C.
Artem and Ronaldo did a long distance move for me from DC to MA and were excellent movers and men to work with. Artem personally corresponded with me every step of the way - including when I had to change my move date and add a stop. He was incredibly professional, responsive to all calls and emails and I had the utmost confidence in his work. On the moving day they arrived 5 minutes early, had all necessary equipment and took time and care with all of my belongings. Not one item was broken or damaged in the process and the move went very quickly. The truck was packed meticulously and their loading and unloading system was incredibly well done, even when faced with a city move and a very small cul de sac that required Artem to back the moving truck up a hill and around a tight corner. I couldn’t recommend their services more - and I am very picky! Thank you Artem and Ronaldo for making the process smooth and as stress free as possible!
AT MoversAT Movers
Motoko H.
It took me a while to write the review because I didn't want to think again about my negative experience, but felt like I have to, to provide a warning to those who are shopping around for long distance move. Maybe they are fine for local move but I do not recommend them for long distance move (My job with them was a move from DC to Midwest), especially if you don't want to lose your posession, damage valuable furnitures and constantly check in where things are. Only time you see Kudzai's professionalism is in the beginning, up until you agree to hire him and pay deposit. He was supposed to drop off wardrobe boxes and some materials for move, but on the day he was supposed to show up, I never heard from him so I checked in with him, only to find out that he can't make it that day. He then kept pushing it back the date for drop off. Fast forward to the time of delivery, long story short, - some furniture like couch, and some other smaller items, despite the fact that we saw they went into the truck, didn't make it. What happened?? Magically disappeared, apparently - They lost some bolts and screws of furniture piece, and we now had a table we couldn't reassemble - some vintage furniture were noticably damaged, which movers recommended we contact Kudzai's to be taken care of (he insisted they will reimburse the cost) My husband and I felt strongly that they did poor job (I mean, there were things that weren't delivered), so I told that, of course we will pay for the job because they did move most of our stuff halfway across the country, but not for the full amount they want to charge us. Well, they basically threatened us that they will not leave unless they get the payment in full, on the spot (should have called a police then). One of the worker was getting really worked up, and we felt unsafe, so reluctantly we paid with credit card. Immediately after they left, we called up the credit card company trying to cancel the payment explaining the situation (sad story is, credit. card company also effed us by saying "well, you authorized the payment, so you can't cancel" - really?!). When the credit card company reached out to the movers as part of their "investigation", Kudzai sent us some nasty text messages, some things about putting his business in danger by making false accusations. I mean, he got his money and he still had to send that nasty message to us. Unbelievable. Do not hire them for long distance move.
New Age Move ManagementNew Age Move Management
Yates B.
I can’t say enough good things about this company. I had a long-distance move from DC to Chicago scheduled with another company and everything about it was making me uneasy, so I contacted Your Friends with a Truck at 11pm on a Saturday night before a Tuesday morning move, and they gave me a quote immediately, were able to get me on the schedule for just days later, and guaranteed arrival in Chicago within 24 hours of pick up in DC. The movers arrived right on time in DC and were thoughtful with packing, took extra care with the things I was most concerned with (China, breakables, etc) and arrived in Chicago exactly when they said they would the next morning. They unloaded everything as carefully and efficiently as they loaded it. I still can’t believe the entire process from start to finish happened in less than 24 hours, with zero hiccups. David was responsive and pro-active in checking in, and made this entire process almost stress-free, which is remarkable. I ended up paying a little more than the original quote because I went over the allotted 2 hour time for loading and unloading, but I was aware that would be the case up front and had a lot of stuff! Would definitely 10000% recommend this company and will absolutely use them again!
Your Friends with a TruckYour Friends with a Truck
Christine L.
I DO NOT recommend New Age Move for long distance moves (moved from DC to SF). It was one of the most stressful moves I've made. They decided to lump my smaller amount of belongings with another customer's (without prior consent), which would have been fine if it didn't cause them to tack on 3 days to my expected date because the customer was not home to receive them...they proceeded to decide that the best route would be to WAIT for another family member to fly over to receive them. Then once that ridiculousness case was solved (while I'm an empathetic person, this was not the service I paid for nor signed up for), the truck broke down over the weekend in New Mexico. I was not told about it until the following week the day before my new expected arrival date, and after asking explicitly for frequent updates on my belongings - which I did not get. I was then told that the driver had bailed and my belongings were in the abandoned truck which would be transferred and continued along a longer route to Southern California first with the next available driver in 4-5 days. WHAT. I repeat. WHAT. So my belongings were now already a week delayed and now were being left unattended in some random truck depot in New Mexico for another week. Right, that's fine. There was also no urgency nor sympathy to remediate things and I was told to sit on my hands and that "these things happen". Keep in mind this information was given to me through having to resort to hounding Kudzai with text/calls every day because he was clearly ignoring me after he realized I was over being patient and understanding. I remember at one point almost virtual-pleading with him to just send me simple updates because I was on Day 5 sleeping on a $20 air mattress in my empty apartment in a new city. I'll stop there because it's been a year since the move and I still get heated thinking about it, but tl;dr, as nice and reassuring as Kudzai was during the initial process (I even expressed my nervousness about the move which he went through his nice guy pitch to empathize with me with) I do not trust him personally anymore nevermind his management/business skills after making not one but multiple wrong calls and really, end of the day, screwing me over likely because I was a smaller job. It's a shame because the movers day of both times were fantastic people (I even gave one of them the link to my Spotify playlist playing during packing) and I feel horrible sullying their names through association. But as I'm pretty sure anyone else can see, it's for good reason I feel the need to share this experience.
New Age Move ManagementNew Age Move Management
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