You’ve just been offered a job opportunity at an amazing company in another city, state, or maybe even country. Don't be scared; this is exciting! Chances are you’d already thought about the possibility of moving when you applied, interviewed, and then accepted this position. Now it’s a reality. In addition to negotiating your offer and going back and forth about whether or not this is the right decision, now you also need to think about all the details that come with that dreaded word… MOVING.

Don’t panic! You. Can. Do. This.

Trust me -- I’ve been there.

I moved from Vermont to Boston at the end of January 2016. I had just two weeks to pack up everything I owned, and one weekend to move it all. Picture this: I stopped working on a Friday, moved in the middle of a New England blizzard that Sunday, and started work bright and early Monday morning. I moved with my boyfriend and we found an apartment out of pure luck, but we were only allowed to move into the tiny living room since the landlord wasn’t finished flipping the apartment from the previous tenants.

For two weeks, we slept on a mattress in the middle of that little room, with no cable or internet, and each morning pulled our clothes for the day out of boxes. While we weren’t too thrilled about it back then, that moving experience is a great memory to look back on, and one I learned a lot from. So, here are a few key things I learned about relocating, and some essential tips that should be top of mind when making your next move.

Do Your Research

I can’t stress this enough. Check out the area you’ll be moving to and its surrounding towns. Ask yourself all of the questions that you know your mom would ask you. “Is it safe? Can you afford it? What’s the average cost of living? Have you been there to look at it? Where will you live? Will you have roommates? How will you get to work?” You get my point. Read online about your new city and try to plan a visit so you can get a feel for whether you’ll be comfortable living there. Don’t be afraid to ask your employer to connect you with someone who has made the move already or is comfortable sharing their relocation experience. The more you know, the better.

Double Check Your Finances

Moving is expensive. Ask your company if they offer a relocation package, services or assistance. Your relocation can often be negotiated with your offer letter, so work with your recruiter to see how flexible they can be. Be confident in what you are asking for and refer to the research you’ve done around cost of living in your new city. Have an estimated number in mind going into the conversation, so you aren’t negotiating without knowing what you can truly afford.

Start Your House Hunt ASAP

As the Global Travel Coordinator at HubSpot, finding a place to live is the thing I hear people stress about most often. Makes sense. Nobody enjoys couch surfing until they are finally able to settle in somewhere. My advice -- start looking as soon as you apply. When I moved to Boston from little Vermont, I completely underestimated how hard it would to be to find a place to live. Use resources such as Craigslist, Apartments.com, and Zillow for the U.S., daft.ie or rent.ie for Ireland, and Realestate.com.au In Australia. You can even ask your recruiter about where people post about apartments, houses, rent vs. buying, and more.

Consolidate

When deciding on what to pack and figuring out how you're going to ship your bed, desk, and armoire cross-country or across an ocean, look carefully at whether or not you even need to go through the hassle, or even buy new furniture once you’re there. Many apartments actually come furnished, so if that's the case for you pack your favorite items and have a big yard sale with the rest. Even if you’re not moving to a furnished place, it’s probably a good idea to take a look around at what you own and see where you can purge. I learned very quickly when moving into my 600 sq/ft apartment, that I did not need seven frying pans of the same size or all of the cake pans that I had never used. Of course those of you moving into large homes might have the space, but I encourage you to ask yourself if you really need everything that you’re bringing with you.

Make a Game Plan for the Actual Move

Now that you’ve sold everything you don’t need at your yard sale or online, it’s time to actually move. Your move could be as easy as packing up a Uhaul and gathering some friends or family to help for a weekend; or your move might look more like loading everything you own into a giant pod and then waiting 3 weeks for your stuff to sail across the ocean and reach you. If you were lucky enough to receive relocation assistance, you may have someone who is able to guide you in the right direction, receive quotes and handle the logistics. If not -- don’t worry. Luckily, many others have moved before you, and your new employer may be able to connect you to someone who can offer advice. Honestly, it comes back again to your research. Call around to different companies for quotes and ask questions about their process, how long it will take, etc. There are never too many questions when it comes to moving everything you own.

Enjoy Your New City

After the heavy lifting is over, moving is actually really exciting! Embrace your new location and all that it has to offer. Ask your coworkers for recommendations of good places to eat and don’t turn down their invitations for after-work activities -- you’ll make friends in your new home and have the chance to explore your new backyard. Also take the time to enjoy and explore your new workplace. Here at HubSpot, employees new to the area have countless opportunities to meet people from other departments through awesome programs such as Mystery Dinners where an executive at HubSpot takes ten employees out to dinner with them. (The catch -- you don’t know where you’re going or who is in your group until a few hours before the reservation.) This is usually how I find my new favorite restaurants, and I’ve made so many great connections along the way.

Relocating for my job was the best move I could have made (pun intended) and I’d do it over and over again. New friends, new city, new job, new start. Could it get any better? Check out our open roles in each of our global offices for to find out where in the world HubSpot calls home.