If you are deciding when to move long distance, fall may be one of the smartest seasons to consider. National Van Lines data shows that fall (September through November) can provide cost savings of nearly 25%, along with more flexible logistics. This overlooked time of year might be the perfect fit for your long distance moving plans.
National Van Lines brings nearly 100 years of long distance moving experience to every relocation, including moves planned around seasonal timing. Here’s what our data says about making the most of a fall move.
How a Fall Move Can Lower Long Distance Moving Costs
Moving outside the summer rush period means you’ll avoid high-demand, peak-season pricing. The National Van Lines booked-move data from 2025 shows that peak-season moves averaged $9,450, compared with $7,754 for off-peak moves. That’s a 22% difference – and the fall season fits right into this lower-cost window.
It’s important to remember that your moving costs are determined by two major factors. Those factors are the weight of your shipment and the estimated dates you’ll reach your new home. By scheduling your move as soon as possible you’ll have a better choice of dates, and more chances to get a lower price. As soon as you know when you want to make your fall move, the MovePro team at National Van Lines is here to help. They’ll build a customized, free quote for you that will include factors like timing and weight.
“People moving in the fall usually have more time to ask questions before they book. They want to know how firm their date can be, what their options are if plans shift, and whether the price they are quoted is the price they will actually pay. It’s a different kind of conversation than the one we have in June, when everyone is seeing schedules that are a lot busier.”
—Danielle Perri, Director of Contact Center Sales Development
Even though fall usually offers more scheduling flexibility than summer, it’s still best to book your move as soon as you have a real move date in mind. That gives you the widest choice of pick-up windows and more time to work through details like shipment weight and timing with your MovePro coordinator. Use that extra time to ask questions before you book. Ask whether your quote is locked once issued, and what happens if your date needs to shift by a few days.
What to Consider When Moving Long Distance in Fall
When you’re planning a move in the fall you’ll have some unique factors to consider, including the following.
- When you’re moving in October or November, you’re going to be experiencing daylight saving time in many regions of the country. This means shortened daylight hours that can affect loading and unloading.
- Depending on where you are moving to or from, early-season weather (rain in some regions, an early cold snap or snow in others) can also affect timing. And if you’re driving your own vehicle to your new home, you’ll want to be aware of the kind of weather you might experience on the road.
As you work with your MovePro coordinator, ask about how to plan for your specific route. You can have a conversation about typical weather patterns, what to expect on the road, and how your crew will plan around shifting daylight. For example, if you’re moving from the East Coast to the West Coast, ask how you can best prepare for shifts in humidity and changes in geography. The more you ask now, the more prepared you’ll feel throughout the entire process.
Fall Overlaps With Open Enrollment for Many Employers
If you’re relocating for a new job or a transfer this fall, your moving timeline is probably about to collide with something nobody puts on a moving checklist – healthcare open enrollment. Because most employers run open enrollment between September and December (for coverage that starts in January), the weeks that you’re being asked to study healthcare offerings and lock in a full year of health coverage are the same weeks that you’ll spend packing, scheduling movers and forwarding mail.
Here’s the part that actually matters for people who are moving, and the part that most enrollment guides will skip. Health plans are local, and networks are built around ZIP codes. So if you enroll while still thinking like a resident of your old city, you could pick a plan that was perfect with your “old doctor’s office,” but turns out to be very thin on in-network providers at your new location hundreds of miles away. Same premium, same employer, but a very different experience once your household is unpacked.
Before you choose, look up your new address in the plan’s provider directory and explore the physicians of all types that your family actually uses.
There are a few other places where a move can quietly change the math of moving costs.
- Timing – A job-related move and a new job are both qualifying life events (QLE), so you will have a designated amount of time to report the QLE once it has occurred.
- Deductibles – Changing employers mid-year usually means your deductible resets. For instance, if you have a medical procedure already planned, knowing that before you move is much better than finding out after.
- Flexible Spending – Dependent care and healthcare FSA elections are hard to change once set. New schools, new childcare and new commutes all shift those numbers.
- Relocation Packages – Most employer-paid moving benefits are treated as taxable income, which can affect your withholding and your take-home pay in the same season you’re absorbing deposits and travel costs.
When you sit down to update your address with the post office, your bank, your insurer and the DMV, add “verify plan network at new address” to that same list. Since you’re already involved in the paperwork, use the momentum.
And when the questions become specific to your situation, your HR or benefits team will be the right resource to access. They should be very knowledgeable about your plan’s “fine print” when you need clarification. And to see when enrollment typically occurs for employers in your new home state, then check out this guide from Gusto that breaks down the different date ranges.
Make the Most of a Fall Long Distance Move
No matter if you’re moving for work, school or personal reasons, fall is a great time of year to make that move. First of all, it’s easier to get lower prices, and while there are some changes you’ll want to keep in mind (like hours of daylight and healthcare open enrollment), you now have the knowledge to be totally prepared for what makes a fall move unique.
Ready to start planning your own fall move? Call 800-323-1962 or get a free personalized quote from National Van Lines today to see how our expertise can benefit your move.
