By its very nature, moving is a transition. It represents saying goodbye to a place that is known and opening yourself up for a new experience. That excitement multiplies when you’re also transitioning from one stage of life to another—which is exactly what Dannica Hill did when she left the state where she was raised in search of a new adventure across the country.
Recently, Dannica, her boyfriend, Vince, and their 7-year-old son, Jack, hoped that leaving California would open the door to new opportunities. After making that decision together, everything else seemed to fall into place: Dannica’s company offered to help her relocate to the Nashville, Tennessee, area, and Penske Truck Rental allowed the family to plan the logistics of the relocation in a way that worked for them. Still, after spending their lives on the West Coast, Dannica says she felt a mixture of emotions leading up to the move.
“Through the anxiety of all the ‘what ifs’ came the excitement of possibilities,” says Dannica. “A new town, new places to explore, new people to meet, new everything—but with my very favorite people.”
With a smooth move behind them and plenty of opportunities ahead of them, Dannica shared more about her experience. Fair warning: This may very well be the inspiration you need to make an exciting change of your own!
What inspired you to take on a cross-country move?
The location was happenstance, as it kind of just worked out with my employer. The distance, however, was intended. After being in the same place for 30 years, I needed something and somewhere entirely different. I needed a place where I could find adventure in my backyard again!
What advantages came along with making this move?
This move allowed my boyfriend, my son, and me to reach a big milestone together: This is the first time we’ve all lived together! Which is just as exciting as the move itself. Even with stable, good-paying jobs, we were never able to afford the lifestyle and home we wanted to provide for our son and ourselves in California because it’s so expensive. As a result, we had to live with our separate families.
Now, the three of us can enjoy all the little things we like to do as a family in our own home. We can balance lifestyle expenses, like eating out and catching an occasional movie, with paying for a home together. Having the three of us under one roof makes the family bond that much closer. My heart could not be fuller.
How did you manage the logistics of a cross-country move with Penske?
A DIY move was an easy choice: Using portable storage or having people I don’t know be responsible for all my stuff was not for me. Going the DIY route with Penske Truck Rental gave us peace of mind, since we were able to pack and move our own things in a clean, safe truck. Because we were traveling more than 3,000 miles, we split up into two vehicles: Vince drove the truck with our belongings while I followed in a car with our black lab/terrier mix, Jenny, along for the ride. Our son, Jack, was able to stay with family back in California, which allowed us to focus on the move before he joined us in Tennessee.
After a ton of research, we decided on Penske because of their free unlimited miles on one-way rentals. We didn’t have to pay by the mile, so we had the flexibility to take detours when we wanted and not worry about meticulously tracking the routes we needed to take. We wanted this wiggle room for adventure—because that’s what our move was all about.
What memories did you make while en route?
There was a stop near Williams, Arizona, where it was late and snowing as we pulled over to stay at a roadside motel. There was no fast food, so we ended up eating a rotisserie chicken with our fingers, which is laughable now. When we woke up, it was like we were in a winter wonderland. There was even a roadside diner that I swear was the inspiration for the setting from one of the animated movies my son loves! I will say, just driving across the country gives you a great deal of perspective and allows you to see places you normally wouldn’t.
What advice do you have for anyone else considering a DIY move?
Have a loose plan, but go with the flow. We made zero hotel reservations before we left. Together we mapped out three “good, better, best” routes and where we wanted to stop each night. Once we hit the road, we would use an app during our lunch breaks to find hotels for later that night. Along with the unlimited miles from Penske, this gave us the flexibility to adjust our route or how long we were driving each day.
We were grateful we had the foresight to prepare for emergencies when the tire on my personal car blew out. Thankfully, we were able to fix it quickly, but it reinforced the importance of packing blankets, food, and extra gear in the vehicle. I would also say to fill up your tank every time you stop or whenever you reach half a tank of gas. It gave us peace of mind to know that our Penske truck was covered by Penske’s roadside assistance too.
What do you appreciate about your new home state?
There’s so much rich history and music culture here that it almost brings you to your knees. I grew up on ’90s country music, so living in Tennessee feels a bit like coming home. The community we live in even has an amazing park named after one of my favorite singers! And, as a fun coincidence, raccoons are my favorite animal, and they are the state animal.
Now that you’ve made this transition, what comes next?
For now, we’re just really enjoying life in our new hometown. There’s no shortage of music, laughter, and activity here. You can find open land, and it’s beautiful, and the community is diverse, growing, and more welcoming than any other place I’ve been.
Looking forward, I can’t see any reason why we wouldn’t stay in middle Tennessee. And, if not, I’ll definitely use Penske to get me to the next destination.
