<p>I am having a problem trying to figure out how to get my daughter to college in the fall. Her college is 2300 miles from home, a 37 hour drive west to east! Plus we dont know anyone out that way. My first thought was to rent an SUV (because we dont have a big enough vehicle to transport all her <em>stuff</em>) and have my husband drive there with her. Once situated, he could drop the rental vehicle off and then fly back home. Doing it this way we would have to factor in the rental fee, at least four nites in a hotel/motel, and a plane ticket back and gas of course. Unfortunately there is a huge drop off fee for renting a vehicle to travel one way. My next thought was to rent an SUV for two weeks and have my husband drive there AND back. But this would mean more nights in a hotel/motel and more money for gas but the rental is a tad bit cheaper since there is no drop off fee. I have not considered flying them both there and then flying my husband home. If I fly them both there, how do we get her <em>stuff</em> there? Take some on the plane and mail the rest? Does that cost a ton? Help! How do people do this? Im hoping there are parents out there who have been through this and have some wisdom on how to move a college student the cheapest way possible when the college is soooo far away.</p>
<p>Okay, I don’t know what all the “stuff” is that’s causing all this difficulty . . . but someone posted this in another thread and said it absolutely saved her life: [College</a> Boxes](<a href=“http://www.collegeboxes.com%5DCollege”>http://www.collegeboxes.com)</p>
<p>But, seriously, what has she got that’s so gosh-darned important that she can’t just replace it at a big box store (or a thrift store) when she gets there???</p>
<p>I would say that most things can be shipped out and bedding, etc can be purchased once out there. Between two suitcases each your D should be able to get most other belongings there without a problem. it is also possible the school has fridge/microwave sale or rental on campus. Although it isn’t always the best deal, some campuses even have bedding packages.</p>
<p>This is our first go round in sending a child to college so please excuse me since I am new to this and really don’t know what I’m doing or how to do it. Honestly I don’t know how much <em>stuff</em> she has but when I look at her college “what to bring” list, it looks so cumbersome. I’m assuming from your reply that college students then just pack their clothes and then buy everything else once they get there? Is that generally the cheapest way to go? </p>
<p>Thanks for your reply!!!</p>
<p>We’ve been through the “sending your kid off to college on the opposite coast” twice. All three of us flew and checked duffels (most of the stuff packed was her stuff). We flew back with a small suitcase which held our stuff. She stored the duffels under her bed.</p>
<p>Buy anything big or bulky at a Target or Walmart when you get there. That includes bedding, towels, lamps, extension cords, toiletries, whatever. Bring fall clothing (either buy winter clothing there or send it later in a UPS box). </p>
<p>And tell her to cull down her “stuff.” You don’t need a printer. Take a laptop, not a desk top. Remember that anything you bring, you’ll have to store at the end of the year…</p>
<p>" I’m assuming from your reply that college students then just pack their clothes and then buy everything else once they get there? Is that generally the cheapest way to go?"</p>
<p>Yup that’s the easiest and probably the hepest way too Where is she going to college ? Many colleges set up " Target runs" for new students the day after they get there. Or if you will be coming with her, you can place an order for supplies at a Bed, Bath and Beyond near you and have it ready to be picked up there. If she is moving to a cold weather climate from someplace warmer, she can wait until she starts college to buy cold weather clothes. Often kids want to get an idea of what others are wearing round campus. So all that she really needs to take with her can probably be packed in 2 suitcases , tops.</p>
<p>We also helped our kids go 2500 miles–from our home to their U. The ONLY way to get there was flying (can’t drive too far from HI). We each took one or two suitcases plus a carry on (in 2006, these were included in the price of your ticket). S had no trouble fitting his stuff in his two suitcases plus maybe two of the additional suitcases. We did buy him a printer and some bulky items from Target and Costco after we arrived (laundry detergent, kleenex, gatorade, etc.) Our kids dorm rooms were pretty small and having too much “stuff” makes the place even smaller. Our kids’ dorm had microwave & mini-fridge. S’s room mate bought a TV.</p>
<p>Even when they started charging for luggage, it is still a pretty good deal to pay only $25 or so to bring 50 pounds worth of stuff in a suitcase or box. Flying beats lots of time driving unless folks WANT to drive.</p>
<p>Oh wow! Thank you all so much for your advice! We were totally looking at this backwards. Sounds like flying is definitely the way to go. I will check on prices tomorrow!</p>
<p>My daughter had a fair amount of special “stuff” and also had what would have been a 23 hour drive. We shipped two boxes fed ex Ground to my hotel near campus, flew down together with her stuff in a duffel, a large suitcase, and a small suitcase (so she would have one of each at school), and then shopped in town for the remainder. Her roommate came from 20 hours away and she and her mom filled a car and drove together over about five days, sightseeing along the way. (We could have saved on shipping and bought bedding at Target but D was very attached to the bright, cheerful Pottery Barn bedding that had been on her bed at home.)</p>
<p>Advice from someone who has been there: Do not think of this as her “moving” to college. Think of it more as if she were “going to camp” for a fairly long session. In retrospect, I am 100% sure my daughter brought too much stuff from home to her freshman year dorm. That was easy to recognize this now that we have had to move the stuff she came with and the stuff she acquired 23 hours home after her graduation!</p>
<p>Less stuff in the room will help to make the dorm room easier to keep clean as well.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>It’s hard to believe all the “stuff” kids will accummulate in college. We started each with a modest amount of “stuff,” including one or two towels, one or two sets of bedding, one or two pots/pans (when living in an apartment), and a few dishes and silverware. The other summer, the two kids filled up that largest storage room with just their “stuff.” S realized it was too much and sold some of the bulkier things on Craigslist–large tvs with tubes, desk, books, and much, much more. D has not purged as much, so has been having to figure out what to do with all her stuff by herself (it does complicate summer storage and moving from place to place, which many students do every summer and fall).</p>
<p>In retrospect, I’m glad I kept to minimal acquisitions when I was in college & grad school (4 apple boxes which I flew with from HI to the west coast and back every fall & summer).</p>
<p>The absolute cheapest way is to fly the kid out by herself. While nice, parents really are not required. And nowadays stores ship, which is a big improvement over my day.</p>
<p>Find out your child’s mailbox number and shipping address at school. Find out what the school’s policy is on holding packages before move in day (many schools will only allow packages to be shipped 2 weeks max, before move in date0. Anything that can be ordered on line and shipped directly to the school, do that.</p>
<p>Anything in your home that needs to be shipped, get labels/boxes at the UPS store. Go on line and put in for a pick up (UPS will pick the boxes up at your house). They will even ship a trunk as long as the trunk is locked (did this to ship linens and stuff and trunk was able to stay at the foot of the bed).</p>
<p>As far as luggage, you can almost pack a body in the XL ll bean duffle bags (you can even opt for the rolling duffels).</p>
<p>If you aren’t a member of Amazon Prime, join now. If your college will hold packages for you, you can purchase tons of stuff on Amazon (bedding, storage bins, even lots of groceries) and have it delivered right to the school for free two-day shipping. You can also purchase many of your child’s textbooks on Amazon (new and used) and have them delivered right to the school.</p>
<p>We did what sybbie suggests. The colleges gave the kids their mailbox number at some point in the summer and we shipped a couple boxes which the college held until move-in day. Plus the normal post-first week “mom can you send me” request. </p>
<p>Get used to plane costs and become a savvy plane ticket shopper is my advice. You’re going to need to get them home at Christmas 4x and probably at least one summer. That transportation ‘budget" included in COA can fluctuate wildly. We’ve made couple trips to the kids’ colleges including the first drop off but we don’t personally pick them off and drop them off at all the intervals. It’s one of the trade-offs of sending kids far away…most colleges are still regional enough in their student bodies that there are places for them at Thanksgiving and after the first time to do airport pickups etc…at least that was our experience.</p>
<p>Agree that kids do not need all the “stuff” on the suggestion lists. Sheets, towels, clothes, electronics (laptops/phones) and toiletries. A pillow if they have a “special one” and enough cash to pick up anything else they need. S1 brought not much with him. S2, I think, packed up his entire bedroom so it also depends on the kid.</p>
<p>I would think flying out there is the cheapest and easiest. If Southwest serves both your home airport and your arrival airport, they give you two bags per ticketed passenger for free. </p>
<p>For us, what worked great is a something that Bed, Bath and Beyond does. You go to your local BBB and pick out what your child needs and then it is waiting for you when you get to the location nearest the school. You don’t pay until you pick up so you can make changes and you can use the coupons (start collecting them now – despite the expiration date, they don’t’ expire.)</p>
<p>My son’s U made it very hard to ship things before he was in the dorm. He went knowing no one and thus, we felt like one of us needed to be there to help get all the necessities etc.</p>
<p>Check the specific requirements for bags on southwest. When daughter flew 3000+ miles there was a certain weight and size. We used 20x20x20 cardboard boxes bought at Office Depot/Max for $4. Packed them up, weighed them and used instead of luggage. Tape up the sides and good to go. Even paying extra baggage fee was cheaper than shipping, due to the zones of USPS and UPS.</p>
<p>3 of us flew so we took enough boxes. 2 of us flew home with carry-ons, only stayed 2-3 days, used hotwire for the hotel and the hotel shuttle for getting around so didn’t need the rental car either. Again used southwest most of her trips. But a few times hotwire, priceline and expedia were cheaper.</p>
<p>Have fun!</p>
<p>Kat</p>
<p>My D is on the opposite coast (the cold one). She was a transfer student her 1st year and did not live in dorms. I went with her the 1st year, so I went to a thrift store and bought the largest suitcase that met the airline measurement requirements, for $8. We used that plus another we already had to pack all of her stuff while staying under 50# each. We each checked one bag since I think it was $25 or $35 for the 1st bag. I took my stuff in a carry-on and also packed more of hers in that. When we arrived, we dumped my 2nd hand suitcase at a thrift store there since she had no room to store both suitcases; no loss at only $8. When we arrived, we ran to Target to get sheets, towels, etc. We found with all of our kids that one set of sheets is enough-usually a 2nd set never gets opened. They usually wash them (probably not as frequently as at home) and then put them right back on. We also went to a thrift store to get her share of kitchen stuff- really inexpensive alternative-and she also picked up some quirky apt. decorations.</p>
<p>When she started packing, she probably had twice as much stuff as she ended up with. I told her she could only take what would fit in her 2 suitcases, so she started culling and finally got it down. She did not take any cold weather outerware, as CA stuff is not warm enough for the east coast. My D is a HUGE clothes addict (she works at Anthropologie) and if she can get her possessions down to 2 suitcases, pretty much anyone can! I can not emphasize enough not to take too much “stuff”; most of it will never see the light of day! Pretty much, just clothing, maybe a couple of pictures(w/o frames), shoes…</p>
<p>If you do have to rent a car, check out rentals thru Costco, or try bidding on one on Priceline. I also bid on my hotel and rarely pay over $50. My D’s school is not near a major airport and it is very expensive to fly directly to their airport. It is usually cheaper for more than one person to fly into a large airport and rent a car to drive to campus a couple of hours away. When she is by herself, she flies directly to school. Check out several nearby airports as flight prices can vary significantly. Also, be sure to book her flights home for any major holidays (Christmas, Thankgiving, et,) WAY in advance to get decent prices. Our D stays there for Thanksgiving and usually spring break- there is always something going on, or she can find someone to spend them with. this year, 6 of them who were staying for Thanksgiving put together a little feast.f</p>
<p>Good luck; it’s and adventure!</p>
<p>Please don’t pay for Amazon Prime. Your student can joing Amazon student which is basically a free year of Amazon Prime and get the 2 day free shipping. All you need is a valid college email account (and as long as you know the password, the whole family can use it…good for textbooks also).</p>
<p>Edited to add: Also have you daughter join the facebook group for her college class. She may find some great advice there about places to stay, transportation, etc.</p>
<p>Amazon Student account is now only free for 6 months, but still worth it.</p>
<p>Just did the reverse. Son graduated. I spent an extra day there after graduation and we packed up what junk we felt could be sent back via mail, and mailed the stuff. Came to about $300. Wasn’t worth it, but it was what he wanted.</p>
<p>When he went there, we bought most of the necessities there. Not really that much a dorm room needs. He brought a few things from home with him, and during the course of the year, I sent things via mail like his winter coat and things, Christmas gifts via mail that he could not fit his his carry on bag or in ours. Send the light stuff like clothes via mail and stuff the heavy things in the carry on bag.</p>
<p>We have, with the other kids, who did not pick colleges across the country, rented a car one way. It’s a good deal since we would rent to get to college, packing the car with the stuff, use the car while at the college and then the parent would dump the car at the airport and come home on a one way air ticket. This way DH has taken only one day to drop off our son at college with his stuff and is not exhausted since he got to fly home. Savings on hotel and for the two plane tickets going to the school more than offset whatever the one way drop off fee was. Driving 7 hours in our car, both ways would have been double the gas and tolls, double the time and a hotel bill. plus the work energy involved. The reverse can be done for pick up. However, for the cross country kid, we stored his stuff–$25 a month for the summer each year.</p>