Should you be about to embark on a long distance removal, then it is a good idea that you are thinking about how to prepare yourself for the ordeal. Longer distance drives can be a nightmare in themselves, let along with the added stress of loading and unloading the house and vans at either end of it all! You will likely get a decent amount of information on such things form your removals company, but it is certainly wise to go in there with an open mind, and to be thinking in your own way about the process, so that you can contribute your own ideas to the planning table, and ensure that everything happens in an easy and efficient way. Remember, you likely chose your removals company for their wealth of experience and knowledge, so don’t be too stubborn on things that they are set on, but also, don’t let them trample all over the wellbeing of you and your family, as there will be things about your family that they are not aware of, just as you are less clued up on the removals industry!For a start, you need to think about the connotations of the drive, its length, and who it involves. If you are a perfectly fit family, with children who have been on long journeys before, then you know the drill, and it can be fairly stress free to do a long drive. However, if you have younger children, pets, or elderly relatives, the game is a different one. Depending on how dependent these individuals are, it is essential that you are able to plan in the requisite accommodative stop overs, breaks and supplies for them. Pets need food, walking and loo breaks, whereas children need the same, but with comfort and entertainment. Elderly relatives may well need a host of extra things, but each situation is different, and it is essential that these people and animals are at the forefront of your mind when you are planning the whole event. For particularly long journeys, you may find that you have to split the party up. The removals company will want to do the move as quickly as possible, and if they can, that means avoiding a night time stop over. In the event that you are able to prevent this, it will mean that your charges are less, but at the same time, the amount of stress that a long day can put on frailer members of the family may be too much. So, sometimes the best option is to ensure that the move gets done in the most efficient way, whilst the moving party are allowed to get their requisite rest. As a family, the main organizer should go ahead with the removals company and unload the vans at the other end, whilst the rest travel in a separate car and have a stop over at a bed and breakfast or a hotel. This will essentially mean that once the secondary part arrive, the house will be loaded into, and depending on how tired the leading party were, the unpacking may well have been started. This of course means that everyone gets to move in to a much more comfortable situation than they would have, which will work well for kids and elderly relatives. Essentially, you know your family, so be sure that you are not sacrificing their comfort for the sakes of having a quicker or more efficient removal.