Moving is a chore; that’s a fact that all of us can get onboard with. From having to order a moving truck or hiring a Phoenix moving company to having to get up early to having to deal with all the post move-out stress (i.e. unpacking), it’s just not a fun job, and one that most of us could avoid if we could. With that in mind, we always want as few external factors as possible contributing to the increase of the workload or difficulty level of moving day; of course, Arizona couldn’t give less of a crap about our desires.
Yup, Arizona moving is as hard as it gets, and this horrid state does all it can to make our day go wrong. It’s like a bully with a magnifying glass and we’re the ants, but the magnifying glass is actually a flamethrower and the bully is over 100 years old with a penchant for torture and racism. In other words, it sucks; but, there are ways to circumvent the suckiness of this situation, and I—an Arizona native—am here to guide you through this horrible trial. Without further ado, here are my favorite tips for moving in Arizona (now 100% suicide free!)
5. Move in the winter
This is a no-brainer for those who have lived here a long time, but it’s a tip that needs to be repeated; do NOT move during the summer months! Not only will all of your items left in the moving truck be burning with the white hot intensity of the sun, you’ll also die of heat stroke the moment you start taking your couch down those stairs. Seriously, moving in the summer is the absolute worst thing you can do to yourself, so why do it? Wait till winter at all costs!
4. Move at night or in the early morning
Of course, people don’t listen to reason very often, so some of you are probably going to completely ignore my first tip and start moving right in the middle of the summer months. Now, before we start, let me refer you back to step 1. Okay, if you still haven’t changed your mind, make sure to be smart about it. Night moving or early morning moving is literally the only way you can make it through an Arizona summer move without almost dying. It’s not that the heat is any less—it really isn’t. Expect 100 degree plus weather no matter what—it’s the fact that you’re avoiding the sun like the plague, which is an absolute must for any summer move. For a move, the Arizona sun = death, so avoid it like it really is a creepy ass skeleton with a scythe and a penchant for murder. You’ll be happy you did.
3. Park the moving truck in a shaded area
Let me ask you this; have you ever touched lava? No? Well, then you’ve never touched the metal on the inside of a moving truck during the middle of summer. Just listen to me for one second; you may think seat belt burns are bad, but nothing compares to the pain and agony caused by accidentally gripping the metal ramp you use to carry couches and such into the truck without any gloves. I have actually received third degree burns from this precise act, so do everything you can to keep truck shaded (or at least wear gloves). Oh, and don’t forget; the inside of a moving truck box is actually hotter than Arizona’s normal heat when you leave it in the sun, like it’s some kind of sick joke. Just…just park it in the shade.
2. Use a flashlight or black light before moving anything
Scorpions are not fun. Neither are black widows or brown recluse spiders. But, because Arizona oftentimes seems like a wannabe mini-Australia, we have all these fun little creatures and more, and all right in our backyards/homes! With this in mind, if you do decide to move at night, and if you are not a very cleanly person/live in the deep desert, you need to check everything before you move it. Scorpions and spiders will straight up wreck you, and snakes might even decide to make an appearance from time to time; so, take the precautions, and use a flashlight or a black light on all your boxes and furniture before you put your poor hands at risk.
1. Move away from Tucson
Finally, we come to the most “enjoyable” city in all of Arizona. Do you like the scenarios we listed above? Are you a fan of nothing but heat, quiet, and sadness? Then Tucson is the place for you! Or, you know, it isn’t. Seriously, few cities actually can offer less than Tucson, and those cities you’ve probably never heard of anyway! I mean, other than the Biosphere—which, let’s be honest here, is only a glorified greenhouse—you won’t find anything of note outside of poisonous bugs and Wildcats fans, and no one wants either of those things; trust me.
Tyler Fleck is a multi-purpose blogger who enjoys writing about moving and enjoys even more the pleasures of putting Tucson and U of A in their place. But, if you do find yourself hard put to avoid the siren call of Tucson, make sure you move their right and hire yourself some movers with EZ Move’s Tucson local moving services. They’ll help make sure you avoid all of this unpleasantness, outside of actually moving to Tucson in the first place. Good luck!
