The Work Before the Move

Thanksgiving offered a welcome pause. Now December is here, and we are in the final weeks before our move. The days have taken on a clear purpose: prepare for two major transitions at once: the interstate move to Texas and the international journey that will follow. The work is practical and unglamorous, but it forms the unseen foundation that makes slow travel possible.

Before returning to boxes and logistics, we drove to Truckee, California one more time. A familiar coffee shop, a short walk through town, then on to Lake Tahoe’s east shore. The trail was quiet, settled into its winter rhythm. Sunlight moved across the water, and Sand Harbor felt still enough for our Christmas card photo, a small moment of ritual before the work resumed.

These final weeks have become a case study in practical logistics. We are sorting, selling, packing, and simplifying. The focus is clear: reduce what we own, refine what we carry, and prepare the systems that will support life abroad.

Move Readiness

We reserved our Penske truck with a 20 percent seasonal discount, total cost $2,250. We purchased an ABUS 37/55 Granit padlock for the rear door, along with moving blankets, bands, and a mattress storage bag. Instead of cardboard boxes, we switched to durable storage bins from Home Depot, practical for the move and useful for long-term storage in our 10x10 unit.

Gear and Travel Systems

We configured our Slate 7 travel router and VPN service for secure access in Airbnbs and public WiFi spots throughout our travels. We took advantage of holiday sales to purchase travel items such as AirPods Pro 3 for work and transit. We bought Cabeau airplane pillows for long flights, upgraded our Cotopaxi travel packs, and added a Ninja Blast Max portable blender to our travel kitchen setup. Apple AirTags are now attached to all luggage for tracking. We continue refining our vitamin and supplement stack for long-term travel needs.

Connectivity and Services

We moved from T-Mobile to Google Fi. Airalo eSIMs (referral code: SAM2228) will be activated in January. We changed our health insurance to a short-term plan for significant savings before transitioning to a global travel plan. We also cancelled recurring subscriptions and services that will not be useful abroad.

We added Priority Pass lounge access this week as well, included with our Venture X travel credit card. It is a modest upgrade that adds some predictability to airport days, giving us a reliable place to rest, work, or have a simple meal before or between flights.

Selling and Simplifying

We have continued selling or donating nearly everything that does not serve our next few years or justify its place in storage. The largest items we plan to keep are our bedroom set and living room sofa. In recent weeks we have eliminated patio furniture, potted plants, a television, sound bars, Sonos speakers, end tables, a chair, shelves, a vacuum cleaner, a desk, a PS4, books, and table lamps, among many other things.

Our criteria remain steady: monetary value, emotional value, practical value, weight, replaceability, and long-term usefulness. The aim is to keep our storage footprint to a 10x10 unit and nothing larger.

Coffee in Truckee, whether at Coffeebar or Dark Horse Coffee Roasters, remains one of our favorite cold-season rituals. A warm drink before the cold air of the Tahoe basin has its own rhythm, simple and steady. It is the kind of comforting routine we hope to re-create in new places over the next few years.

Costs This Week

Timing matters here. We were waiting on many of these purchases to take advantage of seasonal sales and to use funds from selling our household items.

Move-Related Expenses

• Penske truck reservation: $2,250 (incl. 20 percent seasonal discount)
• ABUS Granit padlock: $89
• Moving blankets and bands: $114
• Mattress storage bag: $19
• Storage bins (replacing cardboard): $70
Total: $2,542

Travel Gear

• AirPods Pro 3 (two): $440
• Cabeau airplane pillows (two): $60
• Cotopaxi Allpa 35L travel pack upgrades (two): $338
• Ninja Blast Max blender: $70
• Apple AirTags (four-pack): $63
Total: $971

Systems and Services

• Google Fi activation: $40 (increasing to $80 once Airalo eSIMs are added)
• Health insurance transition: approximately $1,275 per month in savings with Pivot Health compared to our previous COBRA coverage. Costs are not expected to increase for our international plan.

These expenses are mostly front-loaded preparations, one-time purchases that will serve us for the coming years abroad. The insurance change alone offsets a significant part of these upfront costs in the first few months.

Lake Tahoe & Truckee (CA)

Before the pace picks up, we lingered in the places that have shaped our time here: the lake, the towns, and the everyday rituals that helped this season feel like home.

See More visual stories in our Instagram highlights »

Next week is our final full week in Reno. We will address the last layers of preparation before moving week arrives.

• Continue packing, selling, and donating with increased urgency
• Reserve our storage unit in Texas
• Secure moving insurance for the truck and belongings
• Hire moving help for loading day

If time permits, we hope to step briefly back into the season and attend a local tree-lighting event before the last stretch of packing begins.

Reno has become the quiet backdrop to a major transition, and these final weeks feel both full and steady. The practical work of downsizing, securing systems, and preparing logistics is not glamorous, but it is the necessary foundation for what comes next.

In case you missed it, we recently finished the film from our California Central Coast trip. It captures our days along Highway 1, the meals we enjoyed, the views that stayed with us, and the easy rhythm of that long weekend.

Thank you for following along during this in-between period as we share our process and document the stages leading up to our journey. The next few issues will remain close to the practical work of transition before a new chapter begins.

Until next week,
S&S

Some Great Place
Living local in a global world