Recommend me a good moving company for cross-country moves

[SweetHomeColorado]

I am moving from IL to CO and I'm looking for moving help. I want to hire a company to move my items for me since my car just won't cut it.

I checked PODS and they were over $2,000 a little more than I'm willing to spend.

Who do you recommend and what is their ballpark cost?

[Kilvert's Pagan]

IMHO, you won't get a moving company for less than that, because you're paying a moving company for labor, including someone to drive the load. Have you looked into renting a truck? You can tow your car behind it if logistics require it. Moving a full household cross country can cost 10k-20k or more depending upon the distance, weight, and how much packing the mover does for you. Never pay them to unpack, even if you did any/all of the rest.

[sugar and spice]

Another low-cost opton is U-pack (http://www.upack.com/), which is run by ABF. Basically, they park a truck in front of your old place, you pack it up, and a few days later said truck shows up in front of your new place, for you to unload. They also have an option where you can drop-off/pick-up at an ABF terminal, if you can't have a truck parked on your street all day. I used the terminal-to-termninal option for a NY->Chicago move, and I was very happy with it. This was in 2005, and the total cost was ~$500 to U-pack, and and extra $250 or so to move the stuff between terminals and apartments (local u-hauls and student labor). Obviously I wasn't moving a lot, but the shipment included (but was not limited to) my bed, a sofa, misc furniture, a TV, an oriental rug, and piles upon piles of boxes. They handle large moves too-- price is by volume, but you're packing so you can spend hours playing 3D-tetris if you want. It was far cheaper than any pro moving quote I got, I'd totally recommend it to someone who doesn't want to drive a truck x-country themselves. That being said, I think renting a truck is a great idea of you're up for it, I've heard a lot of people say they're not that hard to drive. I just didn't want to find out for myself.

[Airman Doors, USAF]

Mayflower worked out well for the Indianapolis Colts. :D

[According to Pliny]

I've always used Viking. No bad experiences.