<p>Now that the acceptances are coming in, one part of the equation involves what's involved in going to college cross country. I've heard this addressed in terms of travel costs, but what about getting moved in and dealing with one's stuff during the summers?</p>
<p>When I went to college, it was 3 hours away and we could load the car and drive there and unpack from the car. But if a college is thousands of miles away, I don't know how much sense it makes to drive.</p>
<p>What do people do? Do you ship clothes, etc. and then fly out? What about the summers?</p>
<p>Any information would be most appreciated. Thanks in advance.</p>
<p>My daughter did ship two boxes to her school. We (husband and I) also flew out with her, and took two large suitcases with her clothes. The rest of the essentials we bought locally (and she's in a small town). Over the summer, she will store most of her winter clothes and larger items in a rental storage unit she's going to share with friends, but her college does also offer some free over the summer storage space. She's planning to ship home one small box of things that she'll need over the summer, and will bring the rest in her suitcase. </p>
<p>I think it's important to remember that space is very limited in most dorm rooms, so really you don't need to bring as much as you might think. (As my daughter discovered. She actually put things BACK into our suitcases for us to take home with us, and brought more home over Christmas break.) </p>
<p>The logistics of going to college cross-country aren't really a major issue, just takes some planning and thinking ahead. Remember, there are Targets and Wal-Marts everywhere, so almost all of the dorm room essentials can be bought upon arrival.</p>
<p>Do a search on this forum -- there have been many, many discussions on this subject, complete with invaluable 'been-there-done-that' advice & anecdotes.</p>
<p>we did the same as Carolyn.Flew with S and took two or three extra bags, sent probably two boxes ahead.
Rented a larger size car so we could haul a mini fridge and TV from the stores.We did the scan at home,pick up at location option that Bed Bath and Beyond has but in retrospect I didnt need to, his small city has a full array of stores that were well stocked.In another location with less choice of stores you might want to consider this to guarantee your choice of bedding,etc.
If you can do a search,there are some valuable threads on this topic in past years that will help you plan and not be nervous about the cross country move in.
S will also share a storage room with other kids over the summer.It gets easier with each year,freshman move in is the worst!</p>
<p>I asked this question last year when I was in your shoes, and I got some great answers. My actual question was something about "how to fly to college". If you search that, it is a great source (sorry I am a link dummy).
We ended up ground shipping Fed Ex for a VERY reasonable sum those things that could not go into my daughter's suitcases and mine. Then when we got up there, we spent a day at BB and Beyond, courtesy of a university shuttle service. It worked out fine, I thought, and I am kind of a whimp about stuff like moving.
Coming home in the Spring is still up in the air, but we are hoping that a friend in a surrounding state or county may have some garage space. I had planned to use CollegeBoxes or some such, until I read some of the stories on here from people whose things either did not turn up or turned up half way through the semester.
The only logistical issues really have been airline travel. With all the change fees these days, there seems to be so little flexibility with planning. Also, after Spring Break, my daughter's flight was cancelled for the Winter Storm, but at least she made it back on Sunday (she had started back on Friday). Many people did not get in until Tuesday night or Wednesday. She had to take an alternate airline to get back, and the original line generously refunded 1/4 of her ticket.</p>
<p>We too bought a bunch of stuff at Bed Bath and Beyond when we got there. (Start saving their coupons now, and also from their competitors- they never expire). We did ship some stuff, like her winter clothes and boots. I have shipped her numerous things over the course of the year and wish we had bought stock in UPS.</p>
<p>We have not made a final decision about summer storage yet. I too am scared off by stories about College Boxes, so I have been looking into local self storage places that will also send a small truck and store things for you.</p>
<p>Be flexible about flight plans. You may find for instance that an airport that is further away that is served by Southwest will have much cheaper fares than the one that is close by. My D is in Allentown, but flies in and out of Philly, Newark, JFK, as well as the local airport.</p>
<p>It's a pain and you can only throw money at the problem to get it solved.</p>
<p>S1 has done a variety of things--incl storage (tooo $$$), keep at friend's house (turned out to be just as $$$$ and inconvienient when S1 was hired as a staffer from his internship and decided to stay) and ship to Gramma's (best bet). This summer, I am hoping he can cram his gear into one of the closets in his apt and deadbolt it--leaving the apt the the subletter.</p>
<p>Somehow we are going to have to estimate costs and include it in the COA. </p>
<p>We only have so much money to throw at the problem!!</p>
<p>At least in one case, we have friends and family in the area, so if this ends up as her college, we can probably prevail upon them for some summer storage help.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Try to make sure if they are across the country they are still near to several major airports:). That way your fares will be lower, travel time less, and options in case of weather increased</p></li>
<li><p>Ship a bunch of stuff you know they will need that is not too big, i.e. tools, picture frames, EC quipment like pointe shoes, ground Fedex or UPS or whatever. Get boxes and bubble wrap from UHaul at a good price.</p></li>
<li><p>Pack the rest of personal stuff into suitcases. Usually one really big one, one suiter-size, and one o'night duffle type will be useful now and going forward. L.L. Bean makes good stuff you can have monogrammed, not too expensive and comes in pink if you have a pink-loving D:).</p></li>
<li><p>Before you go, locate the nearest BB&Beyond, Target, Walmart, Costco etc. When you get there - this assumes you go for dropoff and rent a car - drive out to said place and purchase that stuff that is too cheap and too bulky to ship, i.e. cleaning supplies, mops, shower caddies, the doormat you didn't know you needed etc.</p></li>
<li><p>If you can see their room online and they are in touch with the roomate, order stuff like lamps/rugs/tvs online and have them shipped to the school to be there during the time you are there.</p></li>
<li><p>Assume the kid will need some extra $$$ for those first days of realizing what they need, whether you give it to them or they earn it.</p></li>
<li><p>Bring your handkerchief and prepare to have your eyes, at the very least, well up. It helps to have things you have to assemble to keep you from crying so much you embarass your kid.</p></li>
<li><p>Make sure their cellphone will work on the campus they are going to.</p></li>
<li><p>Make sure you have signed up for IM and know how to use it.</p></li>
<li><p>Summer storage is sometimes provided by the school.</p></li>
<li><p>Get a puppy or prepare to get to know your other kids better. Or your spouse.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>small comment to alumother's excellent post -- check out where Southwest flies bcos the airfares will be cheaper, and you can possibly avoid a "major" airport. (Took S to LAX yesterday -- checked in online, so he only had to check bags which only took a few minutes. Security line at the major airport was 50+ minutes, however.)</p>
<p>This turned out to be a lot easier than I thought it would be. We packed two medium-sized boxes using Space bags (I learned this tip from CC; they are the bags that you fill and then vacuum out the air). We were able to pack a featherbed, quilt, sheets, towels, clothing, and other accessories into those two boxes. We sent them to her dorm a week before her arrival and marked them "Hold for __". She then flew out by herself (her choice) with a rolling suitcase (also packed with Space bags) and a carry on. For her first trip, she took a cab to the University, but she now takes the bus and has become a savvy traveler. We do use Southwest exclusively, and I keep "Ding" on my desktop to keep tabs on any special deals. I have sent her halfway across the country for $54 roundtrip, and you can't beat that.</p>
<p>I have to agree with Alummother that getting a puppy is a great idea. We adopted a rescue dog and two kittens the summer before D left for college. They are keeping us busy, and we enjoy doting on our new furry children. But honestly, with IM, email and cell phones, it just doesn't seem like D is that far away. One final tip: I downloaded one of the campus webcams and added it to my "favorites". Each day, as I have my morning coffee, I go to the live picture, check to see if the sun is shining, and watch students heading to their classes. It's almost like being there!</p>
<p>We did the move cross country with four suitcases (two for DD, two for me), one backpack, a computer bag, and an instrument case. We looked like the Beverly Hillbillies without the rocking chair. Once there we bought the bulky stuff...mattress pad, pillow, printer. (one suitcase was linens only on the way out...towels, blankets, sheets). For the summer DD will store three large rubbermaid bins somewhere...and the rest will come home in two suitcases.</p>
<p>Another plus of Southwest is they allow 3 checked bags. Plus 1 carryone and "personal" item.</p>
<p>For boy who is not a clothes horse...1 parent and 1 child, 8 bags + 2 personal items (Laptop was one of these personal items) was more than enough to bring everything.</p>
<p>Most students will take a laptop....unlike students from 5+ years ago who had bulky CRT's, CPU's etc. And...most of our kids music is on an Ipod...so they don't even bring a stereo system or record collection! (Do they even know what a record is?)</p>
<p>For Summer storage he plans on finding a local friend...or renting a storage unit with a group of others. Shipping the extra stuff back and forth to home via UPS ground or Fedex ground might be even less expensive than the storage unit.....</p>
<p>(You'll need to install Active X to see this, but it's a great campus scene. Some day, I'll call D and ask her to go to the library and wave to me. And she'll say, "Get a life, Mom")</p>
<p>My daughter flew by herself (we would have gone but couldn't) to college and over the last 3 1/2 years has alternated driving and flying home for breaks. For Spring break she flew home and drove back. She's @16 hours away. Her college actually has storage areas for students but I've never heard of another college with that set-up. </p>
<p>When she comes home after graduation this Spring our family of four will fly out with each of us carrying a large empty suitcase besides our regular one bag each. The plan is to fill our suitcases with her bulky stuff. Everything else will have to fit in her car or be given away. She's going to drive back a week later. Apparently, the give away is an annual senior event.</p>
<p>I'm not sure what we'll do with my son's stuff this Spring. We talked about the possibility of him and a friend or two renting a storage place nearby. He can probably fit it all in his car but I don't know where we would put it here.</p>
<p>Another webcam lurker here who almost fell off her chair when she actually spotted S. I quickly callled him.</p>
<p>M: Hey, what are you wearing? Is it that striped blue shirt and khaki shorts?
S: Mom, when did you turn into an obscene phone caller?</p>
<p>We also did a combo of 2 suitcases per person and buying the bulky stuff there. It really was pretty easy to manage but being a worrier, I was nervous until we had everything. Just make lists, one for here, one for there. If you do plan on shipping stuff, check with the school to see when they will start to accept shipments. S#2's school would not accept anything until date the student moved in. Shared storage worked out great for the summer.</p>
<p>I have a very precious page I printed of a webcam shot of three young men (freshman year) standing in front of the webcam holding a banner which read, 'Happy Mother's Day, Mom'!
All three mothers were called at the same time and told to go to their computers. Their sons were waving :) One was mine!</p>