Moving without a car

[inkylines]

Hello,
We're going to be moving from one rental property to another 1.5 hours drive apart. Neither of us drive. In the past parents have come to help, but the last move was a while ago, now we have three kids plus two of us, and no one wants to get in a car with us due to Covid!

Obviously will be getting a removal van for all the stuff, but the normal thing to do is then hop in your car with overnight essentials/last bits and bobs and follow the van to the new place and I can't think of a way to do this that won't cost a fortune.

Is there any solution other than booking a taxi and forking out a massive amount on that drive?

Are there removal companies that would take us too?!?

Would love to hear from someone else who's done this.

Make friends with your new neighbours. Have you got anyone you know there so you can sit in their kitchen while waiting for completion?
Ask the removal firm for a "last bits and bobs box" or two. Pack one suitcase (overnight, irreplaceable) and one small bag which can stay tied to you (passports, birth certs).
Book rail tickets - get group discount, family and friends - they will find you the cheapest at the station.
On the day, put all the last things in the van and then off you go to your train.

Is one way to do it. I've not done it with three kids and I do love trains, so I realise this might not be everyone's idea of relaxing.

Yes, I did wonder if we could do it on the train...

We've not used a removal company before - just hired a white van man and had friends help. Wasn't sure if they'd expect us to follow them and be there when they arrived? If we got the train we wouldn't arrive for a while after they did.

We've regularly gone on self catering holidays on the train with the kids so I guess this doesn't have to be different.
We'd have to get the tube, then the train, then the nearest station is almost a 2mile walk... but we could book a taxi for that last bit I guess.
Would just have to be really organised - no chucking last random bits in the boot!
The kids are all primary age so quite manageable.

A proper removal company will be fine about you turning up later. When buying and selling they sometimes can't get into the new house and just have to sit there for hours or even overnight. They can't normally take paying passengers - it is a different licence - but ask them for advice because they do it every day.
Typically the price will include the vehicle and two, or three, movers for 7.30am to 4.00pm plus an hourly rate for after 4pm.

*Move people every day, not take paying passengers.

Thankyou. We've somehow got away with moving like students until now, rather intimidated by moving like the actual grown ups we are!

I might be missing something but what we did when buying and moving into our first house (albeit not as far a distance) before we had a car was I went across to the new house with the baby, and then DH stayed longer at the old place to supervise the removals people (or maybe it was just him and a mate, I can’t remember!). So I was at the new place to let the removals folk in, and DH arrived later.

I might have totally misunderstood your question, though! And I appreciate 3 kids is an entirely different kettle of fish to one baby (I now have three and wouldn’t fancy taking them all on public transport alone!)

Have you actually rung up any minicab firms?

My MIL lives about that distance away and tends to come by a taxi to visit. I think it’s £100-ish so doesn’t seem that bad to me.