Have you ever just picked up and moved across the country?

Question

How did that work out for you?

From where to where did you move, and how prepared were you to do so?

Answer 1

Twice.

The first time was right after I filed for divorce from my wife and went off to live with the girl I loved from afar back in high school. I went from sunny Southern California, where I had never even so much as SEEN snow before; to Anchorage Alaska, where I lived through the single worst snowstorm in the city's history -- 30 inches in 24 hours! It was quite an adventure -- the culture is quite different up there, and it took a lot of getting used to; but I wouldn't trade the experience for anything.

The second time was about two years ago, when we moved back to the Lower 48 (what Alaskans call the rest of the country). My wife had been offered a job in Maryland; and my freelance business allows me to work anywhere I have an internet connection and a P.O. Box. I'm grateful to be back in the civilized world; but the fact that we are still so isolated from our old friends and family (either on the West Coast, or down in Florida) tends to wear on me at times. But again, I'm grateful for the adventure and experience that living a stone's throw from our nation's capital provides us; and that some of my son's earliest memories will be things like visiting the National Air and Space Museum, or climbing to the top of the Washington Monument, or riding in an amphibious tour bus across the Potomac...

EDIT: I'd second what another poster said, about not making the move strictly for someone else's benefit (even though that's exactly what I did). Just know that, no matter what you do, you're NEVER going to be fully prepared; and there's ALWAYS going to be parts of it that completely blindside you. But also, you should think of all the times when you carefully tiptoed around risk and controversy in your life. Just imagine how it will feel, years from now, to lean back and tell the tale to your awe-struck friends -- "That's right, it was crazy and reckless and a million-to-one shot, and I did it anyway and lived to tell about it!"

"I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
two roads diverged in a wood, and I --
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."

Answer 2

Immediately contact the Guardian Ad Litem, and/or the court. Your ex is emotionally abusing your daughter. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see it. Your daughter is fearful because her father is in constant brainwashing mode being very emotionally abusive towards her when she is at home with him. Your daughter needs to be examined by a child psychologist immediately. The Guardian Ad Litem can go to a judge and request a court order for this examination and tell the judge what is happening. Once this exam is completed and the child psychologist gives the results to the court i'm confident that the court will stop any move out of state and may refer the emotional abusive behavior of your ex to the County Prosecutor for the filing of a felony level child abuse charge. I'm not kidding your ex if he is in fact doing this is committing felony child abuse with this type of emotional trama being applied to your daughter. You could call Child Protective services in your city immediately and make this report, have witnesses that can verify this and don't let them brush you off. Demand an investigation and immediate psychological exam for your daughter. If they find he's doing this he should be criminally charged, prosecuted and imprisoned in a state prison in your state. Emotional Abuse is far more harmful and takes longer to overcome than 95% of physical abuse.

Answer 3

Yes 3 times in my life. I first moved to Daytona beach at 18, worked 2 jobs but had a blast. I then ended up moving to Ohio to help my family with a new business they had started. then from there I moved to Houston Texas and since i have lived here a very long time I would have to say it worked out well.

Answer 4

Yes, I have, actually.
When I was 19 I was dating a man who was 26. :-)
He wanted to travel to Seattle because his little son was there with the son's mom. In doing so he planned a vacation like trip across the country and asked me to go. So I loaded up my car and left, traveling through the Southwest and eventually up California, Oregon and to Seattle. Things between me and the guy didn't end up so hot (he was kind of mentally abusive) but I got to see the Grand Canyon, Route 66, the Santa Fe railroad, Seattle, even Vancouver, Canada. I was gone from home for about a year and I sure did learn a lot!!

Answer 5

well...it felt like it - I am born and raised texan... picked up and moved to Tennesee for a guy (don't reccommend that reasoning)... I was completely un-prepared, had no job lined up, NOTHING... but, I found a job...made some great new friends...made a life there just like I had before. We lived there for 21/2 years until I convinced him to move me back to Texas (this was my ex BTW). I think the move was good... I broke away from what was comfortable and realized just how strong I really am...plus, without it, I wouldn't have my boys...

Answer 6

Yes. Last February I took everything worth transporting and put it in a rental truck, hired a driver (His name was Charlie Brown! Honest!), and moved from Boulder Creek, California, to St. Louis, Missouri. So far it's working out well. I like it here, and the cost of living is so much less than BC, which is within commute distance of Silicon Valley -- even Sunnyvale, which is where Yahoo is. So the cost of living there is astronomical.

Answer 7

I have just picked up and moved to a foreign country before. I have a strange way of dealing with break ups. :)

It worked out quite nicely, I don't regret it one bit. In fact, I'm considering doing it again...but I'm not as young as I was back then.

Answer 8

Yup and I picked up and left the country a couple of times too. Well, it worked out well for me in the last 4 years, because I got married and had another baby. Before it was just a kewl experience...so it was worth it:).........

Answer 9

No, but if I don't find a job soon here, I am packing the kids and cats up and moving somewhere else.

Answer 10

Yes. It was awesome. I had to move back home tho cuz I went early and couldnt afford it. But I would definitly do it again