<p>My daughter is attending school in Missouri and we live in Connecticut. As you know it is a 20 hour car drive, so my question is what's the best way to move in. Should we drive down in two cars with all my daughter luggage or would it be easier to fly down. I really need some opinions!</p>
<p>Do you really need two carloads of luggage? Can you ship some things in advance or after she gets there?</p>
<p>Southwest allows two free bags - if you can fly from Hartford to whichever airport is nearest the school and then rent a car, it will be pricier, but probably a lot faster.</p>
<p>I live in Nebraska, and my sister went to college in Boston, MA. A similar distance.</p>
<p>We drove all her stuff up there. It took 2 days.</p>
<p>One thing you can do to lighten the load is shop for large things like furniture and bedding at college instead of at home.</p>
<p>I just finished from the biannual family excursion (CT to MO and back). It’s a relatively low-stress drive as long as you take the southern route … I95, I78, I70. Just time your travel through NYC. 24-Hour Starbucks on the Pennsylvania Turnpike!</p>
<p>Personally I’d drive down for move-in, then rely on Southwest until Graduation rolls around. YMMV of course.</p>
<p>If you make use of the programs at store like BB&B, you can order many things in Connecticut and then pick them up in Missouri.</p>
<p>Our trip was 17 hours. We ended up renting a van and driving one vehicle. It was a good solution for us. Then our student went in with others to rent a storage unit over the summers, greatly simplifying move-ins and move-outs in subsequent years.</p>
<p>^I second the BB&B suggestion.</p>
<p>We drove all my stuff down in our minivan. Do a test pack with empty suitcases to see if you really need two cars. We got everything in one and we brought a bunch of stuff.</p>
<p>My S is going to school in Milwaukee, lives in Boston. H is flying out with S and all S’s clothes. Everything else will be picked up/bought in college town. We have ordered some stuff from BB&B, textbooks are being bought online and mailed directly to S’s school, decided to rent fridge/micro instead of buying because it was easiest (not necessarily cheapest) thing to do.</p>
<p>Two cars because D is bringing a car? Otherwise, you can get in ONE car more than you can pack in suitcases to take on the plane IMHO. Not sure why you need two cars.</p>
<p>Two years ago we drove D from Kansas to Massachusetts. We took a mini van. Remember everything you take has to fit in the dorm room! She has flown home & back ever since. We have also shipped things back and forth at breaks.</p>
<p>Daughter moved 1380 miles for college (near Cleveland Ohio to Austin, Texas) We flew down. We each checked two bags (a suitcase and a duffel) and we shipped two boxes fed ex ground. Picked up a few bulky things for the dorm room when we got there. Over the summer, she stored stuff near college. Each year she accumulated a bit more stuff. When she moved home this spring, she brought everything back to Ohio - My husband flew down and the two of them drove it all back it in a rental SUV. 22 hours. Father daughter bonding time.</p>
<p>Do you need 2 cars because you are thinking of packing items like a fridge, microwave, or TV? I would definitely not bring those items. If the school does not provide or offer microfridge rentals, I’d have your D buy these items with a roommate (perhaps each can buy one). We travel by car and have not taken those types of items. We can fit it all into one SUV and we have not used the BBB types of services (BBB is a distance from school son attends). We do have a roof cargo carrier, which helps a lot. We also use space bags, which are also a big help in reducing the volume.</p>
<p>Fly. It’s a big country out there, but there is a Target, Walmart, BB&B everywhere. If all else fails, there is always Amazon. We’ve bought D1 mattress and had it delivered in 24 hours. I could think of a lot better things to do than spending a week on the road.</p>
<p>If you don’t want to wait to purchase things ship some of it. I thought shipping would be really expensive but my husband talked to somebody that ships stuff from Boston to Nashville every year and she told him it really isn’t that expensive. UPS has an estimator on its website. We only have a 5 hour drive but I prefer not to take 2 vehicles since I will most likely be in no condition to drive after leaving her. I am getting all of my daughters bulkier stuff like pillows, mattress pad, mattress foam cover, towels, and bedding together and shipping them this week. For us UPS ground is $24 for a 50 pound box.</p>
<p>I love the test pack idea and the space bags. Good luck deciding what to do.</p>
<p>We had an 800 mile drive and took our SUV with a soft car-top carrier lashed to the roof (it held all the soft items, ie bedding, clothes, etc).</p>
<p>We only made the actualy drive over the 4 years she was there a couple of times. She did summer storage until she moved into a close-campus apartment so was able to keep her things there year round.</p>
<p>I liked having the car with us but I wouldn’t want to do it after each school year!</p>
<p>One lesson we learned, make sure to leave room in your vehicle for ALL who are traveling!
As it turned out, H flew into the college town to help with the move in. Good thing, too, as there was NO ROOM for 3 people in that SUV! (He drove back with me so was nice to share that time together and reflect on the fact that our oldest was nearly all grown up.)</p>
<p>It’s amazing how much you can stuff into a soft cartop carrier- even for shorter moves. Also in nooks and crannies- I was the official packer, H and S would say nothing more will fit and I would find a way with room to spare.</p>
<p>Any recommendations for a soft car top carrier that is waterproof?</p>
<p>^ No, but here are a few places to start. But considering that you have a one-time use, you might check with your neighbors before buy a new one. JMHO of course.</p>
<p>[Roof</a> Top Cargo Bags Starting at $34.99](<a href=“http://www.discountramps.com/roof-bag-box.htm]Roof”>Roof Bags & Boxes — Car Top Carriers | Discount Ramps)
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[Amazon.com:</a> cartop carriers](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=cartop+carriers&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=4341623609&ref=pd_sl_13wwtzn9ml_b]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=cartop+carriers&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=4341623609&ref=pd_sl_13wwtzn9ml_b)</p>
<p>Bed Bath and Beyond and some stores have a system that you can order at one store (nearest to you) and pick it up at the store nearest to the college. They have things called dorm in a bag. If you were planning to buying some of the stuff and then moving it over, you might consider picking it up near the school (or buying it there) and just fly over. </p>
<p>If all the stuff is already owned and you are not planning to buy much, driving might be better. Just a thought</p>
<p>Our drive from Montana to South Bend is 24 hours. I am shipping several boxes of things to the UPS store in South Bend to free up some room in the car. They will be there waiting for us when we get there.</p>
<p>BTW, the items that are selected at your hometown BB&B for pick up at the college-town BB&B do not need to be paid for until you pick them up. Best, as far as I am concerned: you do NOT need to buy it all. If you discover, after seeing the dorm room, that some of the items are not necessary, you don’t buy them. </p>
<p>Very simple.</p>
<p>(No, I am NOT employed by BB&B! I just think they have a great business model for serving the college-bound crowd.)</p>