Mover

The pioneer spirit has fueled Americans since the first Europeans set foot on the nation's eastern shores. Today, not much virgin land remains, but wanderlust still compels some U.S. citizens to pull up roots in search of variety and adventure.

Even so, far less glamorous motives, such as financial issues, job transfers, climate and dozens of other factors, likewise push thousands of people out of their comfort zones into new territory. The numbers bear this out.

The United States Census Bureau's most recent statistics reveal that in one year, more than 39.4 million people nationwide relocated to other areas. The main reasons included:

Cost: About 2.6 million U.S. residents sought cheaper housing, along with lower related expenses, such as taxes, insurance and utilities.
Accessibility: Roughly 217,000 persons relocated due to retirement, often to areas with lower housing costs and an abundance of easily reachable health care facilities, senior services, shopping, recreational opportunities and other amenities.
Ambiance and demographics: More than 1.5 million persons moved to areas with better neighborhoods, equivalent or higher socio-economic status and lower crime rates, while 231,000 sought more favorable climates and 625,000 claimed health concerns. About 10.7 million relocated for family reasons, such as marriage and proximity of other relatives.
Employment: New jobs and transfers accounted for approximately 4.1 million relocations, while lost jobs forced 749,000 people to leave their area in search of employment. A whopping 1.34 million individuals moved to be closer to their jobs, either through driving or public transportation.

While statistics go a long way to painting a composite portrait of America on the move, they do not address how to make the process of relocation any easier. Fortunately, dozens of experts in this field offer hundreds of tips and guidelines - on planning to packing to paperwork. And regardless of their strategies, most agree on one key point: A checklist system will guarantee that everything critical gets done.

The Devil's In The Details

When you think about it, moving day comes at the end of a long, complex process. Ideally, planning should start at least three months before the van pulls up in the driveway and even further out if the move crosses state or national borders.

With this in mind, the following checklist follows a three-stage model: The pre-move phase which details local and interstate moves, along with suggested timelines; moving day, an itemization of critical last-minute tasks; and international moves, addressing additional points specific to relocation outside of the U.S.

To keep the process humming along, read the entire list before tackling individual chores. Bear in mind that many "pre-move" points in Part 1 apply to international moves, too.