Moving? Here’s some advice on saying goodbye before you move from the book “How to Survive a Move” (Hundreds of Heads Books, www.hundredsofheads.com, $13.95), straight from people who’ve done it:

“I wrote a little note to each of my good friends when I was leaving town, telling them how much their friendship had meant to me and reminiscing over some fun memories. It was a bit of work, but it meant so much more than just sending out mass Christmas cards. I think it really inspired some of my friends to be better about keeping in touch and visiting.”

“Saying goodbye is always harder than you think, especially if you drag it out. We haven’t sold our old apartment yet and we still have enough furniture there to spend the night. We keep going back to the old neighborhood, getting nostalgic. We go to our favorite restaurants with friends who ask us, ‘Did you move yet?’ ”

“In the Army, you have duty-free status, which means there’s no tax on liquor. Plus, you can’t ship booze home with you. So, when I was transferred back to the U.S. from Egypt, I had two choices: Pass my old alcohol down to a new arrival, or have an excellent going away party. I chose the latter, and some people got together with the remnants of my tequila, rum and vodka—one lady even made 100 Jell-O shots with each type of alcohol! The attitude is, if you bought it, you might as well have a good time with it. Plus, you can contribute to your own going-away party, so others don’t have to foot the entire bill.”

“I put together a slide show of our time in Boston before we left—it’s pretty easy with digital photos—and had it running in the background of our goodbye party. Pretty soon, we were all gathered around watching and laughing over all the great memories.”

Sean H., New York, 12 moves

“Know that for every friend you have to leave behind, you will make two new friends if you allow yourself to be open. I left over thirty years’ worth of friends when I came down to San Antonio but I decided that I was going to open myself up to what people can give. Even while we were looking for houses, I made nice friends; it was like they were trying to make a gift of San Antonio to us.”

“Create ‘We’ve Moved’ postcards on your computer with your new address, home phone, and cell number and send it out a few days before you move so your friends and family will get used to it and you won’t lose any mail. Enjoy your new home!”

Hundreds of Heads Books’ survival guides offer the wisdom of the masses by assembling the experiences and advice of hundreds of people who have gone through life’s biggest challenges and have insight to share.