<p>I completely missed the part about the younger sibling being on the autism spectrum. Sorry about that. I can see where actually seeing his older sister in her new “space” would be really important.</p>
<p>So, back to finding the minivan!</p>
<p>You’d be surprised at how much stuff you can get there. Go early enough to shop and get everything for supplies and room there. Do grocery store or drug store, Target, whatever. There is a LOT at BB&B that you can pre-order and have ready to pick up when you get there. It’s still fun because you go to a BB&B near you and use their little ordering gun to put things on the list. When you get to school you don’t even have to buy it all if you don’t want. You can ship other clothes later. Everyone else in the car gets 1 small duffel. We moved DD 1500 miles by airplane. You don’t need to shop for everything from home. Even if you have to rent something a little larger than the Corolla, it is not as much as a minivan. Don’t forget taxes and fees can add up to 25% or more additional cost.</p>
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<p>September and October are very nice, and not winter at all. Right now in Rochester is in the 90s. September it will be in the 60s, October in the 50s.</p>
<p>I would rent a car. If it’s a long drive you run the risk with an older car of a breakdown which would be an entirely different kind of hassle and expense. Transportation back and forth is always going to be a hurdle with kids going more than an hour or two away so good to factor that sort of cost into the big picture. If the distance is only a couple hours maybe bring the essentials this trip and bring the rest a month or so later if you really don’t want to rent a vehicle. Otherwise the advice to ship stuff is a valid one.</p>
<p>We’re bringing both younger brothers, in a Subaru Outback. Bigger than a Corolla but much smaller than a minivan. Whatever doesn’t fit isn’t coming 
The 4 of us will bring 1 small bag of non-bulky items 
Right now he’s at camp for 2 months with 2 duffel bags and 1 set of plastic drawers, which filled half of the back of the car. He doesn’t need <em>that</em> much more stuff for school: laptop & printer, down comforter (squishes pretty substantially), laundry hamper and detergent, etc., some dressier and warmer clothes. He has stuff at camp he won’t bring to school, such as most of the 6 (!) towels, 2nd set of linens, etc. If we’re providing the mini-fridge, we’ll either buy it there or have it shipped via Amazon Prime. Same if he feels he needs storage bins, etc. which he may as well assess once he gets there. Use flexible containers (garbage bags) for non-fragile items, to help them fit into the car more easily. (If you’re bringing plastic bins, stack them all together and put most of the stuff in other flexible containers.) We’ll bring his winter outerwear and ski stuff if he wants it when we go for parents’ weekend in October.</p>
<p>With the exception of boots, winter clothing is bulky but not terribly heavy so much better shipped. And if she doesn’t own it yet, much better purchased in Rochester. She certainly won’t need it for a couple of months. Storage containers should be purchased on site, since you won’t know beforehand what sorts will be needed. No point in schlepping a mini-fridge. Everything else should fit in a car’s trunk, unless you’re bringing a large musical instrument and/or certain kinds of athletic gear.</p>
<p>If you rent, Costco & AAA give discounts on Enterprise rentals. Also, do not rent from a site at an airport because you will have to pay a ton of extra taxes and fees. When we rented for a spring college tour, I found Enterprise to be cheaper than the other national companies. I think they gave us a bigger car than I had reserved and paid for, so it was even more of a bargain! The extra we paid due to reduced gas mileage was okay since we ran into snow, so we welcomed having a larger heavier vehicle.</p>
<p>One thing to be aware of with Enterprise: their policy or lack thereof on roadside assistance. I can’t remember the details but it is an extra $4/day or something.</p>
<p>I agree with get there a day earlier with as large a rental car as you are comfortable paying for, and shop while you are there at Target, BBB, etc. I am flying cross country with my son, just the two of us, and I expect to fill no more than three 30" rolling duffels, two carryons and two back packs between the two of us. The rest will be shipped via Amazon (room fan, staplers, bed rest, bed desk, bulletin board etc.) and Walgreens for personal care items other than the trial size toiletries we’ll be taking.</p>
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That price is way high. I just did a spot check with Avis and you can get a Ford Escape type of SUV with unlimited miles for $227 (around $290 after taxes/fees) or a minivan for $321. These prices were for the San Diego airport since I don’t know where you’re located. Assuming he’ll be in a dorm, if you can’t fit it all in an Escape sized SUV, even with people in 3 of the seats, you’re bringing too much stuff. Don’t forget that more stuff can be brought there later if you’ll be retrieving him for Thanksgiving or winter break or he can take some stuff with him later if he flies.</p>
<p>Check on rental prices some more and check the cost of a few rental car companies (including Avis - they’re usually priced decently) and check the neighborhood locations in addition to the airport locations.</p>
<p>Lots of good ideas here but I wanted to make sure you saw the suggestion about the space bags. Even if you do ship the winter clothes, or take them on a later trip, put pillows, linens, towels and clothes into space bags and vacuum pack them. You’ll be amazed at how much less space they will take up in the car.</p>
<p>And remember, all that stuff has to fit into 1/2 of a dorm room, along with a bed, dresser, and desk!</p>
<p>My son went to college on an airplane with a backpack and a tenor sax and a checked bag. I think there was a second big bag checked in by my husband. He also had dorm gear stashed at a relative’s nearby condo (bed in a bag, pillow, bag of assorted toiletries). The dorm gear had been purchase in July BB&B and CVS, but others could do the same on arrival day.</p>
<p>Wow, we had to take two vehicles. CR-V and a very small pickup truck. Her chunky beach cruise bike, computer and printer and all her clothes on hangers draped over. The rest went in the Honda with the back seat folded down. I like to have plenty of room to see out, so it wasn’t packed in very high. 3 hour drive.</p>
<p>Travel light. (Topper alert )
H dropped our kid at the airport curb. S traveled alone with his laptop and one carry on-- no checked bags. (The kid lives like a monk. . .)
We mailed a couple boxes with bedding and winter clothes/coat. </p>
<p>Simplify. Don’t think of it as “moving,” think of it as “going on a trip.”</p>
<p>We drove 5 hours in a 4-door mid-size sedan with D plus we 2 parents, with overnight bag for us, and had no trouble fitting all D’s stuff in the trunk and half the back seat. Another child in the car would have been a challenge, but we would have simply shipped more items (only shipped her winter stuff.) OP can ship her D’s winter clothes and gear, the second set of sheets and towels (if any) and bulky comforter or bedspread, even most of her warm weather clothes–it can all be sent off in advance and be waiting when they arrive, and at less cost than renting a van.</p>
<p>Also suggest OP reads the “Things you sent to college that were never used” thread for a reality check!</p>
<p>I also remember walking through the dorm on move in day and I overheard a pair of bewildered parents looking at their daughter (while there was a HUGE pile of clothes on the bed) -and asking - WHERE are we going to put all this stuff. </p>
<p>Remember dorm rooms - especially Freshman dorms tend to be quite small with not much closet space.</p>
<p>At most colleges you don’t need a printer in the room (there are options to print in the dorm and/or library). BUT my son and others have found it very convenient to have one. </p>
<p>So we made an arrangement with roommate’s family that lived closer - they bought the printer, we bought the print cartridges and paper. </p>
<p>Remember… LESS IS MORE. Any “maybe” items that could be bought near campus or shipped from home should be left in a pile in the room at home.</p>
<p>DDs tend to want to take a lot of clothes and shoes. There is not that much space. Really work at whittling down until she gets there. We ended bringing back a lot at Parent’s weekend. She took others back with her at Fall break. Try to get the measure of all storage available to her and try it out at home.</p>
<p>THE TRAIN is a great option, if the location is right. On Amtrak, for instance, you can take 5 duffle bags on aboard, each up to 50 lbs, for free. Our son went to college by train, and we just alerted the college staff, asking how to get his stuff to campus. Since a handful of students were coming in by train, they sent a van. That was incredibly easy.</p>
<p>Out daughter went to college across country and when we packed, we did as other posters have suggested – some items went in boxes labeled “ship later.” One parent accompanied her to college, and we carried on critical things, like one set of sheets, a sleeping bag, a pillow, towel, change of clothes. I’m not kidding – she didn’t take much. We shipped the rest ground, and she bought some things cheaply at college.</p>
<p>One thing most incoming freshmen (and parents) don’t realize is that there’s a lot of lightly used/free stuff up for grabs or for cheap sale on and around the campus as one class leaves and another comes in. You really don’t need to take that much.</p>
<p>My D had a taste of “light living” last summer. She traveled with her father across the country for her summer session with no checked luggage. She stuffed all her clothes and bedding in her carry on and backpack, hand carried 1 pillow. Her father stuffed a fan in his carry on (I bought it 2nd hand so it can be left behind) and a laptop bag as his “purse”. Granted it’s summer so clothing is light but she also learned how little you need and everything else can be bought at school.</p>
<p>This time she is coming back to start her freshman year at the same college and I plan to:
- ship winter stuff later on once she decides what she really needs
- Amazon Prime everything else…</p>
<p>We both accompany her this time to drop her off and we’ll decide later whether checked luggage vs. shipping will be cheaper. I LOATHE travelling with checked luggage! We just came back from 17 day Europe trip with only carry-on sized suitcases even though they can be checked in for free. If needed, the checked luggage will be in boxes so we simply discard them once unpacked.</p>