How to move across the country in 5 easy steps

Are there many other professions out there that require multiple relocations throughout the course of education, training and the final position? I can’t be sure, but I believe the field of Medicine is probably highest on the list of careers that involve moving around! In the past 11 years, I have now officially lived in four different provinces (and moved between five), all in the name of medical education (and my final staff “resting place” here in B.C). Along the way, I carried, birthed, and relocated three children and all their associated baggage (pun intended). And let’s not forget my husband, who was instrumental in helping me survive the education aspects of the last 11 years, but only added more baggage to the moves! This last move from Montreal to Victoria, which has affectionately been named the “Epic Mills Move of 2021” will go down in our family history as something we will never forget but wish we could. Just in case you are planning your own epic cross-country move, I will provide some tips on how to make it legendary and infamously memorable. Move during a Global Pandemic I realize that global pandemics are hard to come by this day in age. Approximately every 100 years it seems – given that the last major flu pandemic was back in 1918. Regardless, if you hear musings of Sars-Cov-3 coming down the pipes, that should be your cue to plan your epic cross-country move. Ensure that not all members of your family are eligible for vaccinations (if they are available), just to complicate the situation even further. Also, be sure to take a family-visiting pit-stop in the one province in Canada that cancels all pandemic associated restrictions for the summer. At least this way you can take advantage of the #bestsummerever while eventually missing out on the #worstfallever (sarcasm aside, we remained cautious on our Alberta pit-stop). Take advantage of your entire baggage allowance Why not let the airline do your move for you? This is especially true if you have any kind of premium reward status with an airline that will give you and everyone on your reservation two free checked bags. Do not be fooled! Ten checked bags and 10 carry-on bags provide a lot of space for all those last-minute things that didn’t fit in your shipping container… in addition to all the clothing and toiletries needed to clothe and bathe a family of five for a month until you have access to your shipping container again. It is also easier than ever to get 20 bags and five people to and from the airport without the use of your own vehicle (because naturally, you have already shipped this ahead of you). With easy access to car-share services, taxis, and family in your pit-stop locale, it’s surprisingly easy to move around that much luggage. Just make sure that at least one of your children is tall enough to see over the luggage piled high on the airport luggage cart so that they can push one for you. Otherwise, you may find getting all 20 of your bags to the bag drop area a particular challenge. Schedule your move immediately before a major exam Moving before the school year starts may seem like the prudent and friendly thing to do for your children, who are about to change schools for the second time in as many years. This goal should absolutely take priority over your need to study for any exam that is conveniently scheduled in the same month. Whoever believed that subspecialty fellowship exams should take place at the beginning of the K-12 school year didn’t have kids. Either that, or they firmly believed that those of us seasoned enough to sign up for a second royal college exam in as many years could handle the added stress. If this isn’t enough of a challenge, ensure all three of your children end up enrolled in 3 different schools—this greatly enhances the experience. Don’t be too cocky though, bank all your study time for those weeks leading up to the exam. Build a house and assume it will be ready on the contract date It is imperative that when you move, you choose a place where the real estate market is very hot. This will ensure that you cannot find a reasonable place (both size and price-wise) for your family of five to rent upon arrival. For this reason, it may seem like a better plan to buy a house. If you followed my advice in point #1, you will have to buy a house by virtual tour only and when the real estate market is hot, this means you need to be willing to forego a home inspection and offer significantly more than asking price. This is not okay, because who wants to spend that kind of money on a house that you saw on a 13” screen over a 10-minute patchy zoom session and trust that it’s not falling apart? Not you. Instead, decide to buy a brand-new house, and when those are all sold, just buy a house that isn’t built yet. That global pandemic will ensure that the completion date is bumped by three months at least once, resulting in you having to rent that too-small and overpriced place to house your family of five anyway. Don’t book your long-term Airbnb too far in advance If you have a type-A personality like me, you may be tempted to book your long-term Airbnb rental far in advance. If you followed my advice in point #4, as soon as you confirm the move-in date on your new house and register your kids in school nearby, it may be tempting to book a place to stay in that general area. You may believe that booking early gives you more choices and generally cheaper rates for the two months that you are effectively homeless once you arrive in your new province. However, this is a bad idea, because you will get a false sense of security amidst your multiphase, overly planned move. I must warn you that when you find out your house construction is delayed and you reach out to further extend your stay, you may find that your host has decided to sell their house and forgot to cancel your reservation. But don’t worry, because Airbnb will give you your money back and “help” you find a new place to stay by providing a clickable link to the search area of your original reservation. At this point you are exactly where you would have been if you hadn’t bothered to book so far in advance: Limited choices, expensive prices, and the need to piecemeal several homes to stay in for the now five months that you are effectively a homeless family of five. I sincerely hope that if you find yourself needing to relocate for medical school, residency, fellowship, or to accept a position as a staff physician, that you will consider making your move as ambitiously tantamount to the “Epic Mills Move of 2021.” I promise it will be an experience you’ll never forget!

How to move across the country in 5 easy steps

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