How to move a child to college the cheapest way possible

<p>Agree with everyone else! Fly!
Southwest if it serves your cities; son, hubby, and I each took 2 bags. We left 2 with our kid and brought rest back.<br>
We shipped other things as soon as college allowed and gave us address - which was early August. Was there waiting for him; these were things he had at home that he specifically wanted, a box of textbooks in particular.
We used BB&B, choosing things at home and picking up there - very convenient. Also rented a car on that end so could make last-minute runs to Staples or wherever.</p>

<p>Agree with poster who recommended keeping track of flights - have already booked flight back in September and will be bugging him soon about whether he’s coming home for extended semester break in Oct. Thanksgiving very difficult. At his school winter break is only time dorms are closed so that one is easy and as soon as Southwest opens those dates, will grab his ticket.</p>

<p>It works. All best!</p>

<p>So, what do students do with all their stuff over the summer? I am hearing mixed things about some kids coming home for summer, some traveling, but I thought that a lot of dorms closed down over summer.</p>

<p>Some schools do offer summer storage (assuming your student is staying in dorms the following year). Otherwise, you find off-campus storage. You can get together with other students and split the cost of a storage unit. Or you find family friends who can house your stuff. Or, use a company like College Boxes, which picks up your stuff, stores it, and then delivers it to the new dorm room in the fall.</p>

<p>Make copies of everything!!! Drivers license, passport (make sure she has one before she leaves) </p>

<p>We moved two girls to the east coast. Shipped stuff ahead, sorted clothes between give away, sell, and send when it gets cold</p>

<p>It’s so much easier and cheaper to order and have shipped out, often at that time of year shipping is free if you spend a certain amount. </p>

<p>The flat rate boxes from post office have been great. Mom, can you send…andd I always threw in extra stuff like shampooes, new socks and the like</p>

<p>We flew duffle bags, but measure before you get to airport, even half pound over will cost more then you have to rearrange, my husband ended up with extra shoes in his pockets going thru security.</p>

<p>Best thing to do is lookmfor stores near college now to plan.</p>

<p>And another bit of advice which is very helpful…</p>

<p>You are going to get a card with a move in time for the college. Ignore it. As we had to take a cab from airport one time and a cab from hotel another time, we just went to college asap. Our check in times both times were afternoons, but as we landed early after a red eye and had to check out of hotel second time, we just went for it. School didn’t mind at all, because the car would not be there. Cabs just dropped us at dorm and left.</p>

<p>Also if school has any kind of program like Fordhams urban plunge and you can move in early m it’s worth it.</p>

<p>OP
Our student moved to school in 4 duffle bags. That included all clothes, towels, bedding etc. Flew in with those bags and a backpack which had the laptop in it. We rented a car locally and picked up some things at BB&B (which we had pre-arranged through pack/ship/pickup service). Desk lamp, standing torch lamp, duvet, rug and fridge</p>

<p>Dorm rooms are generally really small. And kids tend to overpack. I bet if your DD picked her top 7 fav t shirts, top 7 fav tops, etc etc.,…and jeans, and cut back on shoes etc–She will be able to manage fine. This is the time to clean out and purge! Leave some things home for when she is back on break so she can fly with only a carry-on.</p>

<p>Also the nick-naks and old highschool stuff doesn’t cut it in a college room so there isn’t much of that necessary–except a pick of mom/dad. :)</p>

<p>Also consider google maps and see which big box stores, pharmacies, etc are nearby. The kids all become self sufficient in getting their shampoo, laundry soap etc…no need to pack any of that.</p>

<p>At the end of the year, our student was able to handle Everthing (including college memorabilia etc) in the alloted 5 boxes for storage and threw out the rug because it was so dusty from never having been vacuumed etc. </p>

<p>K1 flew home with just 2 duffles and a backpack. </p>

<p>Less is more…truly. The few bags/boxes - the better. </p>

<p>Another CC aprent recently told me about the BOXES of shoes and clothes her DD mailed back home that were never worn…the family shipped the stuff TWICE…once to college and once home.</p>

<p>My two boys drove back from college–took them 30 hours straight through, and cost about $300 in gasoline. But I flew the brother there to make the trip back which was another $300. And still another $300 for what did not fit in the car and was boxed and sent via mail.</p>

<p>The CHEAPEST way? Have one person fly with your D. You both take two big suitcases plus hand luggage (where you could have heavy stuff, like laptop and printer.) That should be enough to get your daughter started. She doesn’t need her whole 4-season wardrobe on move-in day, you can mail whatever she needs and take the rest over Thanksgiving/Xmas break while bringing back her summer clothes. </p>

<p>That’s how we moved our daughter, except there was 3 of us and we made a vacation out of it after dropping her off at school. Then we took the empty suitcases, put one inside the other, and brought them back.</p>

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<p>My D would be very envious…</p>

<p>Schools w int’l students usually have an int’l coordinator to assist with the logistics of getting these long-distance students to campus. You will have a lot of logistics issues in common, so I suggest you contact that coordinator your kid’s college: call/contact the school’s Admissions Office.</p>

<p>We flew, each of us had 1 backpack and one carryon. Bought everything (linens, shampoo etc.) there in one Target run. They really do not need a lot of stuff. Ordered a winter coat online and had it shipped to his school. If you are going to rent a car, keep watching the prices, unlike airfare you can cancel a reservation and rebook. We were able to get an SUV for around $20/day. For summer storage, he ended up renting a space off campus with a friend. Also check past years threads on moving, this was extremely helpful to us.</p>

<p>You might want to check out [Summer</a> Storage and International Shipping - Collegeboxes](<a href=“http://www.collegeboxes.com%5DSummer”>http://www.collegeboxes.com) . We got this referral from Stanford when it looked like our daughter might go there.</p>

<p>What we did was have daugheter take a llllllllllll clothes from bedroom and make piles. Jeans Tshirts etc…she picked favorites and we layed suitcases on floor. </p>

<p>One thing we did was not put all jeans or Tshirts in one suitcase but put a bit of each into each suitcase so if one went missing they wouldn’t be missing all the pants</p>

<p>Consider buying some space bags. Those are the bags that you fill up and then use your vacuum to remove all the air. It’s amazing how much my daughter could fit in a suitcase when everything was in the spacebag.</p>

<p>The space bags are nice but keep in mind that when you unpack the items will become full size again. Dorm rooms are not very big.</p>

<p>PACK LIGHT, and remember there are stores near the college. We did the SW move to the opposite coast. Four suitcases, a computer bag, an instrument case, and two backpacks. I put this on another thread…I’d you fly and rent a car, make sure the trunk opening is large enough that your bags will fit through. Tiny cars won’t work.</p>

<p>Order anything bulky for pick up at Bed Bat and Beyond near the college. </p>

<p>Less is more for this move.</p>

<p>The BEST part of having a kid on the opposite coast for college was that she did NOT bring stuff home for the summer and plop it in our living room. She stored most items in her college town and only brought home small, lightweight summer clothes, her computer, and those instrument!</p>

<p>I feel as though I have learned a TON from all of you and I appreciate it greatly! Flying is definitely the way to go for our circumstance. Thanks so much!!!</p>

<p>My daughter loves the samsonite tote a ton duffles. They are very strong, hold a great deal, go completely flat and small when unpacked, and fit a great deal. Bed bath and beyond and amazon should set u up… .could not believe the cost of shipping from home to school!</p>

<p>Fly out there, check a couple large suitcases with clothing and buy everything else when you get there.</p>

<p>One important thing that was very useful for us is to have our child bring for his/her main piece of luggage something that will fold nearly flat or compress in case storage is fairly minimal (our S had a rolling duffle). This saves a lot of space that your child may need for more frequently used gear. Another useful strategy is having suitcases that nest, so on the return trip, you can nest them all & bring them home, with your clothing in the innermost suitcase. No student needs to have a lot of empty suitcases to store in compact living quarters. An alternative is to get suitcases from a thrift shop for the trip out & then give them to the thrift shop after kiddo unpacks so they’re not taking up valuable space.</p>

<p>DO keep in mind that no matter how much clothing she WANTS to bring, it won’t all fit in her sure-to-be tiny dorm dresser and closet. 3 suitcases or boxes, max. Buy bedding there, or have it shipped there. That’s it. She’ll live, really!</p>

<p>Yea, most of our kiddos have had their own bedroom and are not used to sharing compact living space with a room mate–don’t have too much “stuff” add to adjustment challenges. There are washers & dryers in most dorms (even if the kids don’t use them as often as folks might want).</p>