Help! I'm moving across the country!

[WarBrute]

...Probably. I'm up for an internship in Reston, Virginia (just outside of Washington D.C.) that I'm very likely going to get. I'm not sure when it will begin, but it will be sometime mid to late March.

Well, as you might have noticed from my location I live in California. And everyone I know live on the west coast. So this is a pretty big move for me. Don't get me wrong I'm extremely excited about the internship and traveling, but as you can imagine it's a little overwhelming. :smalleek:

I'm really not sure were to start looking for a place to live. I'm certainly going to have to find some roommates. I'm not going to have a car so I'm going to need to live somewhere close to the office or a bus line. I'm thinking I'm going to look for bicycle as soon as I settled in.

So any advice?

[Tebryn]

Pack only what you need. Sell the rest. Buy a bed and things like that when you get settled in. If you can afford it, ship what ever you think is valuable enough to keep. Craigslist is a good place to start looking for roommates and cheap places in the area you live and can lead you to other sites which will probably serve you better. Find local places that interest you like hobby stores, bars etc to meet people. Hope you get good roommates who share your interests but don't bet on it. Make friends with people at work or around the area you work.

[factotum]

Surely the company you're going to intern for should be your first port of call? Chances are they have plans in place to help people who are having to move a long way to come and work for them, so ask about that as soon as the job offer is confirmed.

[Tebryn]

Surely the company you're going to intern for should be your first port of call? Chances are they have plans in place to help people who are having to move a long way to come and work for them, so ask about that as soon as the job offer is confirmed.

I wouldn't make it my Plan A honestly. It's not worth casting aside but I really wouldn't count on it. It's not something required of businesses to provide. It'd be great if they did, but have a plan in place for yourself alongside that hope.

[WarBrute]

Surely the company you're going to intern for should be your first port of call? Chances are they have plans in place to help people who are having to move a long way to come and work for them, so ask about that as soon as the job offer is confirmed.

Nope, I've already discussed this with the employer. No travel or housing expenses will be covered. One of the reasons I know I'm likely to get the job is my interviewer said I should start looking for a place to live now.

Has anyone taken Amtrak across the country before? I'm curious about it because I think I can bring more bags on it than on a flight.

[inexorabletruth]

A cross country bus trip? You, sir, are a soldier.

The longest trip I ever took was from Florida to Texas, which was awful, but I do live without a car, and can tell you that traveling light is a better way to go by far. If your only reason for traveling by bus is so you can bring more bags, don't do it. Sell your unnecessary junk (or if it's too sentimental, put it in storage) and bring only what you absolutely need to start your life off with.

As you settle in and earn some money, you'll be able to reacquire newer and better versions of the stuff you sold, and the money you made from that garage sale back home in Cali will really come in handy when you first arrive in town.

Also, as a frame of reference, start googling the prices of restaurants, hotels, apartments, and other businesses in the local area to get a feel for the cost of living. From what I gather just doing a quick CoL index search, Reston, VA is more expensive than Central Valley, CA. When you're budgeting for your new life there, you'll want to take that into consideration, so you'll know how much money to have in the bank to survive the first month.

Here are the results I got from CCN Money:

Groceries: 1% more
Housing: 112% more
Utilities: 8% more
Transportation: 2% less
Health Care: 2% less.


To live in Reston with the same quality of life you'd expect to have with $50k/year in Central Valley, you'd need to earn $65,673/year.

That's a speed bump, but not a bad one. This CoL variance won't be a difficult adjustment if you plan for it. Live lean between now and the time you head out and pad out that savings account.

[Mauve Shirt]

When you get to Reston tell me, I can hook you up with some gaming and/or drinking buddies.

[WarBrute]

A cross country bus trip? You, sir, are a soldier.

If I had a super power it would be the ability to be uncomfortable for long periods of time. I'm not sure why, I'm just good at it.



The longest trip I ever took was from Florida to Texas, which was awful, but I do live without a car, and can tell you that traveling light is a better way to go by far. If your only reason for traveling by bus is so you can bring more bags, don't do it. Sell your unnecessary junk (or if it's too sentimental, put it in storage) and bring only what you absolutely need to start your life off with.

As you settle in and earn some money, you'll be able to reacquire newer and better versions of the stuff you sold, and the money you made from that garage sale back home in Cali will really come in handy when you first arrive in town.

Those are good poins. The main stuff I want are my computer, clothes and camping gear. But really, I probably won't really be camping much, especially without a car... I've always wanted to go backing packing in the Appalachians, but if I make this a permanent move I can always get new stuff or have grab things as I go home to visit or as people come to visit me.



Also, as a frame of reference, start googling the prices of restaurants, hotels, apartments, and other businesses in the local area to get a feel for the cost of living. From what I gather just doing a quick CoL index search, Reston, VA is more expensive than Central Valley, CA. When you're budgeting for your new life there, you'll want to take that into consideration, so you'll know how much money to have in the bank to survive the first month.

Here are the results I got from CCN Money:

Groceries: 1% more
Housing: 112% more
Utilities: 8% more
Transportation: 2% less
Health Care: 2% less.


To live in Reston with the same quality of life you'd expect to have with $50k/year in Central Valley, you'd need to earn $65,673/year.


Cool numbers. :smallsmile: I know how to live cheap and I'm really not into buying expensive toys or anything. Plus dropping the car payments going to be awesome. Thanks for all the advice


When you get to Reston tell me, I can hook you up with some gaming and/or drinking buddies.

Great! Not knowing anyone in within in 1000 miles is going to be weird, I've never experienced anything like it before.