Items to Bring in Your Personal Vehicle When You Move

Working with a team of moving experts is an excellent way to enjoy an efficient and seamless move. While your movers will carefully transport your belongings, many customers will opt or need to bring certain items in their vehicle. Here, we’ll highlight the possessions you should consider taking in your own vehicle.

First Night Box

A first night box is a container, such as a suitcase, duffel bag, or carton, containing items everyone in your household will need for your move's first day or two. A first night box or an essentials box allows your necessary items to be accessible. Common items people pack include:

Change of clothes
Pajamas
Toiletries
Medications
Baby needs
Pet needs
Cleaning supplies
Soap
Trash bags
Paper towels
Bedding for each family member
Snacks
First Aid kit
Basic tools
Towels
Shower curtain and hooks

Prohibited Items

Moving companies are happy to accommodate where they can, but federal or state law prohibit them from transporting certain items, and movers cannot put them onto the truck.

Flammables and explosives (including fireworks)
Auto batteries
Refrigerated or frozen food
Household cleaning products
Lawn and garden chemicals
Corrosive chemicals
Wax candles
Aerosols
Pesticides and poisons
Paint cans
Animals
Plants
Fertilizer
Gas and oil products
Compressed gas cylinders
Illegal items/substances
Ammunition, gunpowder, and more

Always check with your mover; most offer a comprehensive guide to what they cannot take.

Moving Binder With Important Documents

During your moving process, create a moving binder that includes essential documents for the move and beyond. Use a sturdy three-ring binder to help keep you organized, make the moving process easier, and give you peace of mind on relocation day. This binder will help keep all your essential documents and checklists in one place as you move. You should put this moving binder in your vehicle with you.

Here are some suggestions of what to put in your personalized moving binder

Personal documents of family members like passports, social security cards, marriage certificates, birth certificates, health insurance information, wills, life insurance documents
Pet documents, including health records from the previous veterinarian, information about the new vet, microchip documents, and any other documents you might have
Old home — Any documents related to your old home like sales agreements, leases, insurance policies, utility shut-off information
New Home — Documents like sales contracts, lease information, floor plans, utility turn-on information
Renovation details like renovation plans for your new home, including painting, new furniture delivery
Receipts from your move-related expenses to track your budget
Important contacts list includes phone numbers and addresses you need during the relocation from relatives to friends to moving companies and utility companies.
Schedules and checklists related to the move, like to-do lists, packing, and inventory lists
New City details such as new school, shopping, clubs, and restaurant information

Certain Valuables

Other hard or impossible valuables to replace should also go into your car. Items in this category that people often transport themselves include

Artwork
Coin and stamp collections
Jewelry
Precious stones and metals
Priceless collectibles

Movers might take these, but many people simply feel better by bringing them along themselves.

Sentimental Items and Precious Memories

It’s a good idea to plan to make room in your personal vehicle for sentimental items and ones that hold precious memories. This way, any irreplaceable items are always with you just to be on the safe side.

Family heirlooms
Special gifts
Photographs, framed and unframed
Photo albums
Small antique items
Sentimental letters
Journals
Anything else irreplaceable or difficult to replace

If you have more oversized items, an abundance of sentimental, expensive items (e.g., antique furniture), or otherwise irreplaceable, talk to your mover about any specialty services they offer.

Simplified Relocation!

Are you ready to begin planning your upcoming move? Our highly skilled movers can safely transport your belongings to your new home.