My Tips On Moving for Short-Term

Tips for When You Are Moving Temporarily

Okay I know this title sounds a little weird, so let me explain. When I moved out of my mom’s house in 2019 for college I moved out from August 2019- May 2020. From there I moved into dorm housing that my seasonal job at a waterpark provided from June 2020-August 2020, then I moved back into an apartment from college from August 2020- May 2021. Then Back to the waterpark dorms from May-August 2021, then back into my mom’s house from August 2021- May 2022. And Then WOAH back at the dorms from May- August 2022. And one final move from those dorms back into my mom’s for my final year of college. When I graduated I packed my life up in my Nissan Rogue and drove it cross Country for a year long internship.

So that is what I mean by moving somewhere temporarily. In the past four years I have not lived somewhere for more than a year. And yeah i moved back in with my mom but it was for like 10 month stints until I moved again. I have become very good at packing my life up into a car and taking it with me, and obviously I do not have everything I own when I do these moves but I have gotten a lot better at narrowing down what I actually need vs. what I don’t need.

And that’s where we are gonna start.

Deciphering What You Need and Don’t

This can be a very difficult thing to do, I know it was for me. When you live with your parents you are so used to having all the things and you think that they are all needed even if you haven’t used that one thing for the past 6 months, it’s a necessity right? Well sometimes yes. What you need is also going to vary based on your housing accommodations. My accommodations that are included in my internship are going to be different if you are going to work a seasonal job somewhere. So with that being said make sure you are aware of what is being provided for you and what you have to provide yourself. Also take into consideration any dietary restrictions that you have. If you have some serious allergies that cross contamination can affect, maybe consider bringing some way to cook your food and to store some food. For example I am allergic to wheat and peanuts, so I brought my own blender, air fryer, and waffle iron (I really like waffles). But think of little things like that.

Another thing to consider is the span of time since you last used the item. Like are you really going to use that pair of shoes that you haven’t worn in the last six months. Or do you really need that one specific item that does that one singular thing. When moving somewhere for a shorter period of time try to bring things that have multiple uses rather something that is super specific.

If you sleep with the same blankets every night then you should probably bring them with you. I am myself a creature of habit so I have things that I take with me everywhere I go and stuff I just leave at my mom’s house.

What you see as a necessity is going to be different from mine, but there are some things we all need.

Shampoo & Conditioner- if you have hair you need to wash it plain and simple. (I use the Not Your Mothers Curl Talk Bond Building Shampoo & Conditioner) If you have wavy/curly hair and don’t want to spend an arm and a leg on your hair I definitely recommend it has brought volume back to my hair.

Body wash- We all need it. Just saying and pick whatever scent and brand you like and works for you.

Some form of entertainment- I brought books, paint, and my laptop/iPad. So I can read, paint, watch movies/tv, and write. There are so many forms of entertainment, pick one or two if you are only moving somewhere for a short period of time. You CANNOT bring every hobby you’ve ever had; I had that problem…

Clothes- Bring your style with. Bring the clothes you enjoy wearing, don't try to change yourself and who you are just to look a certain way, wear the clothes you like and feel comfortable in:)

Shoes- Same thing goes for shoes as it does for clothes however when you are picking out shoes that you are bringing keep in mind what you are going to be doing. If you are going to be sitting in lectures all day your Nike Dunks might be the way to go. If you are going to be working outside on your feet a lot you might want to bring some shoes that are comfortable/ durable. I currently work at a Christian Camp, so I’m outside a lot and I love my Altra Lone Peaks and highly recommend them but before you just switch to them talk to someone that knows shoes at REI or somewhere. Altras are zero drop so switching from a shoe that has heel elevation straight to zero drop can hurt your feet a little.

Bedding- Bring what you already have or get a new set. Bring a comforter and a few throw blankets. I live wrapped up in a blanket so I brought a lot when I moved to Oregon. I highly recommend the Room Essentials microfiber sheets from target. They last but they are also

cheap!

Tips on how to transition

Transitioning can arguably be the hardest part of moving especially if it’s for a seasonal job. Year-long things like college and some internships can be a little easier to transition to

because you’ll be there for a lil while; where, with a seasonal job the staff changes every year.

We will start with College/ longer programs or jobs. When transitioning into these I recommend trying to get to know the culture in the place you are going to. Knowing the culture surrounding the place can help you transition quicker and adapt. Before I moved out to the Oregon Coast I talked a lot to my manager so I could understand things out here. I also did a lot of research about Oregon and the town I was living in. Going in I obviously didn’t know everything but I knew enough where I could feel comfortable with packing up my life and moving out here. So talk to your classmates or potential coworkers. The people that interviewed you for what you are doing can be a huge help. Going into your interview make sure you have questions drafted up to be able to ask whoever is interviewing you. That is honestly the biggest tip I can give you is to make sure you are asking questions, and a lot of them. I know it might seem annoying, but trust me they will understand and try to answer all the questions that they can. They are there to help you, they might just be there to decide whether you get in/ get the job or whatever, but they are also there to help you so ask them questions they will understand I promise.

Now for those going into a seasonal job. This is a lil harder to adapt to. You’ll still want to learn all you can before going into the job and learn the culture the best you can. But the thing with seasonal work is that there is a higher and quicker turnover rate, so it can be harder to adapt to the changes that are happening in the job. From job season to job season the turnover of people is going to be higher because in some cases people are from out of the country, others are they found a different job, and sometimes people have just moved on from seasonal work to start a career. Whatever it may be, it causes you to meet a lot of new people. I know I had a hard time with this starting out in seasonal work. I wanted the staff to mainly stay the same with a few different people. Even within the season the staff turnover is going to be higher because people sometimes end up leaving early or starting later. It’s a whole thing that could be its own post honestly. But ways to help adapt to this type of work.

One way to help adapt to seasonal work is to get to know people who are going to be there the entire season while you are, even better if they worked there a previous season. People

that work seasonal jobs understand when you ask them a lot of questions because they were in your situation before. So get to know a returner and they will be able to help you, they can also teach you a lot! Most seasonal jobs have training, yes, but there are always things that can get left out or accidentally forgotten; returners know the ins and outs of where they are working because they have done it before. That was how I adapted to the culture of the Waterpark I worked at, I became friends with people I worked with that had worked there in years past.

Working seasonal and temporary jobs is a favorite thing of mine! I get to see new things and learn new things from new people! It has shaped me into the person I am today (Which I hope is a good thing lol). I will always highly recommend working a seasonal job, and there are so many types of seasonal jobs! Whether Summer or Winter, Spring or Fall, literally so many different types of jobs! I really enjoyed working at a waterpark, but there’s so many other things I also love working at camps; which I am doing full-time right now but if I could go back and work at a camp during the summer I would. You can search online for these jobs and you’ll find a ton of them!

If you have the opportunity and availability to work a seasonal job I highly recommend finding one whether near or far from where you are! I worked like an hour from where I lived!

If you still have more questions about this topic please let me know! I can write Part 2 to this!

–Stephanie <3