Saying farewell to your old home

The final days before you leave for your new home are often the most chaotic. However, if you're planning to move, it can be a cathartic experience to say goodbye to your hometown one last time. That means more than just notifying your DMV of an address change or forwarding your mail. Your farewells should be about memories - both remembering them and making new ones. Here are just a few ways to go about doing that. 

Host a party

Before moving, you'll want to say goodbye to all of your friends. Throw yourself a going-away party - to see old faces one last time, but also to give friends an opportunity to say their goodbyes as well. Even if you plan on seeing them in the future, it's still a significant change in your relationships to be moving to a new city or state.

Go on a walkabout

When relocating, one of the best ways to get to know a new town is to take strolls through its streets. Unlike a car or a taxi, walking puts you in a prime position to enjoy the sights and sounds at a leisurely pace. The same, intimate approach works well when saying goodbye to an old city. Reflect on the memories you've made there and the details that made it special, from the people to the architecture.

Take a tour

Walkabouts can be relaxing, but a really fun activity is taking an official tour of your old hometown. People often avoid tourist traps and destinations when they've lived somewhere long enough, but It could be interesting to see how the town presents itself compared to how you've come to know it.You may even learn something new.

Make last trips to favorite haunts

If you've lived in a certain place for a significant amount of time, you're bound to have acquired favorite restaurants, cafes and other destinations. Make a point of hitting up those old haunts one last time, especially if they are local establishments that you're not bound to find in your new hometown. If you don't want to throw a party, agreeing to meet with friends or family while out on the town can be a great way to share in these spots one last time.

Do one thing you've always wanted

Just because you're moving doesn't mean you can't make new memories. There's always that one restaurant you always wanted to go to but it was just too far out of your price range or always booked. Before skipping out of town make sure you go there, and make a point of enjoying it. If you're unfulfilled ambition was to visit a local park or see a particular art museum, then go for it now. You may not have the chance in the future, so its best that you gather ye rosebuds while ye may.

Do one thing that's highly recommended

Apart from the activity that you've always wanted to do, chances are that there's at least one thing that friends, family, newspapers or other locals have hailed as a must for any locals. Maybe it's having a crab feast in Maryland or skiing at Wyoming's Jackson Hole. Whatever it is, even if you've never been particularly interested in before, plan on doing it and see what you've been missing.

Get a keepsake

You may be bringing plenty of your old belongings with you to your next home. However, make sure that you get at least some form of memorabilia to remember the town. Maybe it's a mug from a local coffee shop or ticket stubs from a baseball game at the town's stadium. It couldn't even just be a series of photographs. It doesn't matter how big or small the keepsake is, so long as you have one that can conjure up old memories. At the end of the day, all of these activities are just a way of making something to take with you before saying goodbye one last time.