Decide what you want to sell, donate or just throw out. Sometimes it's actually easy and more cost effective to sell furniture and buy new things when you get to your destination. It definitely makes it easier to move. And you may find that you want to start fresh in your new home, and so want to get rid of your current furniture.
Once you've weeded out what you won't be taking with you, take a detailed inventory of everything that's left. Put things in piles that will travel in the same box.
When you pack the boxes, number them, and keep a list of what is in each box. If one of them gets lost in the move, you will know exactly what was in it and how much it was worth, in case you need to file a claim.
Decide how much time you want to take for the move. It is best to give yourself at least five days to go cross-country, more if you are traveling alone. There are huge stretches of land, and you will tire more easily than you think.
Map out a route, keeping in mind that large trucks aren't always allowed on certain roads. If you are driving a U-Haul yourself, keep to the major highways and interstates. If you are having a moving company move everything, and it's just you and your car, you can take whatever route you want.
Contact several moving companies for price quotes. Often you can bargain on this point, once you've called a few places and have prices to work with. Make sure whichever company you pick has insurance, and will give you a contract that covers any damages and losses. Also clarify when you expect everything to arrive in the new destination.
Compile a large listening catalog for the ride. You will have countless hours on the road, and should bring plenty of CDs, or a digital music player chock full of music to listen to during the drive.
Insure everything.
Book all your hotels and print out your itinerary with all the hotel phone numbers, addresses and dates. Print out a map of your route, including where hotels fall on that map (or make sure to have a GPS unit to plug the hotel addresses into).
Get a full tune-up of your car, making sure to put on new tires if necessary and change all the appropriate fluids.
Pack everything up, pile in the car, and go.
