<p>I'll be flying to college in the fall. (I may never drive there) How do people in my situtation bring their belongings to college? I don't need a lot so I can bring a lot on a plane trip if they allow 2 bags... How about some opinions? :-)</p>
<p>Yeah I actually have the same situation, I'm from New York and going to college in Florida. I think I might drive down though because freshman are allowed to park. If I were you I would bring what is possible with 2 bags of luggage then ship the rest by UPS or if your parents visit you, you could get them to bring down the items that you don't need immediatly.</p>
<p>I flew to college. If one of your parents comes with you and each passenger is allowed two bags apiece, then you can probably fill one of theirs with your stuff, so you have three cases full of your junk right there. The rest of the stuff (bedding, lamps, etc.) I shipped via DHL (or UPS). They'll do it for pretty cheap, and it gets delivered straight to your dorm.</p>
<p>buy the heaviest stuff when you get there (mini fridge, microwaves, cd players, etc)</p>
<p>how would you bring it back though?</p>
<p>ship it...</p>
<p>Hope you don't mind a parents perspective here - been there - doing this also.</p>
<p>There are actually many options for the long distance flying student. Up for some ideas??............</p>
<p>Take with you the personal/very important stuff - 2 bags are usually allowed per person (plus your carry-on) on the airlines - extra bags will usually cost you $40-70 per bag - depending on the weight. Best to use luggage that stores inside each other - or duffle type bags - easier to store when you get there - can also be used for storage in your dorm too - like summer stuff in winter - under the bed or.......... Try to have at least a sheet set and towel in your luggage too - in case there might be a time lapse when you get to the school.</p>
<p>Ship by UPS or other carrier - it is inexpensive and easy to do - is delivered right to you or near to you at your school. **if you use UPS - you can set up an on-line account - is paid out of a checking account/credit card - you can pack the box at home - print your shipping labels - and drop them at an official UPS place - Staples is a good one. At school - you can do the same in your dorm - and take to the nearest shipping place - all set to go. Very easy to do. We ship stuff back and forth all the time. Try to ship your stuff about 3-7 days before YOU leave - depending on how long it takes stuff to get to where YOU will be.</p>
<p>Stuff you need - purchase what you need to get near the school - it is usually pretty easy to do - just allow for this in your budget - but if you MUST have that special something - pack it up and ship it.</p>
<p>What to do with it for breaks/summer?? - we have found a great solution - we rent a small storage (fenced in - always locked type) unit near the school for the summer - $30-35/mo - and leave what we want til the next year - packed in plastic bins lined with large trash bags - pretty inexpensive option - cheaper than lugging or shipping it all home again and then again back to school. We paid for 2 months at a time - easier than monthly.</p>
<p>Believe it or not - we moved our son home from college when he graduated by shipping most of his stuff by UPS - 13 boxes - $210!!! Sure beat the expense of renting a truck to get it all home - no way it would fit in the car either. We packed it - shipped it - and received it the day we got home. He was 750 miles away. Our daughter is 800 miles away - just makes life alot easier - and we ship stuff all the time - both ways.</p>
<p>Hope this helps!!</p>
<p>Thanks for all the suggestions. I think I can take most of my essential stuff on the plane and I suppose I'll ship the rest.</p>
<p>we did a lot of the same stuff that Jeep mom did.</p>
<p>Depending on where yo go to school, you can order stuff at Bed, Bath and beyond online and pick it up at the location near your school.</p>
<p>In addition, as we got closer to the school year and ordered stuff we had things delivered directly to the school (bring a heavy duty luggage carrier and pick it up at the school post office. Some online stores have free delivery if you spend a certain amount of money. Daughter goes to school in NH where there is no sales tax or sales tax that is less than the tax where you live (add that to things that you can have delivered for free, nice piece of change remains in your pocket) </p>
<p>UPS will deliver a trunk as long as you have it locked. we purchased a trunk with wheels packed all linens (sheets, towels, etc) shipped the trunk via ups, picked it up at the school's mail facility on move in day. Placed it at the end of bed, put a cushion on it - seating. </p>
<p>Find out if the school has storage facilities and consider paying the money to have things like fridge, microwave and other big stuff put into storage for 3 months (ends up being cheaper and less headaches than lugging stuff back and forth).</p>
<p>In most cases, Fedex Ground is running 30% under UPS. I ship a lot of heavy stuff.</p>
<p>The main things I brought over was clothes. Just about every other thing (fan, minifridge, toiletries, coat hangers, even computers, etc.) can be taken care of once you're at college. It just doesn't make sense to buy cheap, everyday stuff and then lug it cross country. For the summer, students usually put their stuff in storage. If they live close to their school, they have the luxury of having their parents come and pick up their stuff for them.</p>
<p>many colleges have places where you can store stuff over the summer, so you hopefully won't have to take as much home in the spring.</p>
<p>My friend rented a van and drove to college with all of her belongings. She didn't pay that much since it was a U-Haul and she saw her possessions make it to her college with no worries.</p>