Life is a journey and not a destination. As we run its course, most of us are faced with the prospect of moving on to new neighborhoods, and into new people's lives leaving behind with pangs of nostalgia people and places we have come to love for a long while. However, life has to be lived forward, not backwards, thus the best approach to living is coping.

Jason lost count as to the number of times, he and his wife Beth has moved in a couple of years. Their jobs brought them to various states, Dallas was the latest and the longest stay, but not for long. They are moving on to California in the next couple of weeks.

Couples and families like Jason and Beth often face the perennial problem of moving:

who moves the trunk?

Moving companies are many but finding the most reliable service is quite a challenge. By service, it means not just the moving per se, but the entire process of loading and unloading, and what happens in between.

Beth had scrapes on her oriental cabinet, which was given to her as a gift by Jason's mother on their 1st wedding anniversary; Beth also had to send in the carpenter to put back a table leg which broke – all these during their last move from Chicago to Dallas.

Now, moving to California need not be a nightmarish experience again, Beth promised herself. However, what exactly do reliable moving companies have to do to ensure safety of things they transport?

Long distance moving companies should use thick covers to avoid damages on furniture and appliances. Blankets and thick pads can be used, unwrapping only upon arrival at their specified destination.

Full service moving companies will not hesitate to invest in only the highest quality pads and covers to ensure protection and safety of your movables; doing so articulates their commitment to good service at all times. Sadly, this sentiment is not shared by other furniture movers or commercial moving companies, which give more focus on profit than customer's protection and satisfaction. These are people you should avoid when you intend to move, otherwise you will not just leave a community you once belonged to, but earn a whole lot more scrapes and dents on your precious possessions, as well.

Moving companies should have tools ready for disassembling furniture prior to moving them and re-assembling them when they reach their destination. Boxes of good quality should be available; nothing frustrates a homeowner but the knowledge that the moving company does not have these resources at hand.

Moving companies should provide for free moving boxes and these should be sturdy to really provide protection on the furniture during transport.

If possible, request your commercial mover to provide wide belts instead of ropes to rein in the boxes during transport. Belts do not scrape or cut, unlike ropes, which can rub against the surface of the box, onto the furniture.

Long distance moving companies should conduct general maintenance on their fleet, on regular basis, making sure repair is underway at once. This facilitates a smoother and faster transport operation, which will surely delight clients.

Trucks with low floors are encouraged among moving companies for easy handling of movables; loading and unloading of furniture can be troublesome if floors of transport trucks are elevated.

The internet is the best place to “shop” for moving services.

Free online moving quotes may be available too, on some websites.

For Jason and Beth, they may have learned their lessons on moving quite the hard way, but this time they know better so they expect that their move to California is another wonderful phase in their lives, starting with a worry and trouble-free moving experience with a reliable long distance moving company.