<p>We also took the flying/rental car route and are planning to do the same with #3 this summer. Make sure you rent a big enough car-no compacts! My youngest did a year at a prep school, so we already have the stuff to furnish his room and may ship a footlocker full of stuff. I am sure we will have to replace a few awkward shaped items, but it beats driving 1500 miles with a packed car and nervous family.</p>
<p>I think grandma would enjoy Parents Weekend much more than move-in. Move-ins are very taxing and do not always bring out the best in people. We have had good experiences so far, but have seen many other families having melt downs. My parents have accompanied us to the kids' first Parent's Weekends and had a blast. By then, your d will be comfortable in her surroundings and be able to give grandma a great view of her new life.</p>
<p>Thumper's d had no choice, but don't ever check any electronics or valuables; they tend to "walk away".</p>
<p>Regarding rental cars - reserve now. The big ones disappear quickly for move in days. </p>
<p>Don't take extra people on move in days, particularly freshmen. It may seem nice but those days are chaotic, a lot of work and stress. Worrying about older or much younger ones does not help. For S1-3 I did not even go since DH was more important for the physical move in and there was not enough room for 5 to go with S1 and his stuff. I said goodbye at the driveway and stayed with all the younger ones. Parent's weekend is much nicer, or even some other random weekend after they have settled in.</p>
<p>My kids only use online dictionaries. The only books I'd bring are ones with sentimental value and/or comfort reading. I don't think my son has had much time for pleasure reading this year, but he did get a library card at the local library. (Admittedly part of an assignment in a course that all the Carnegie Mellon first year computer science kids have to take that is designed among other things to get them to explore Pittsburgh a little bit.)</p>
<p>seconding or thirding the opinion NOT to bring Grandma to move in. Besides the chaos,theres heat and humidity,lots of objects to keep track of,tempers on edge, lists to make,store runs to complete,stairs to climb,etc.Last thing you want to do is also keep track of a somewhat frail older person who may trip over objects, need a bathroom,get dehydrated,need shade,etc.
Its not conducive to dragging Grandma or little kids along. Book a nice elongated time for her tacked onto Parents Weekend to accompany you and visit her relatives. Thats when the campus is catering to the visitors needs.
If she insists on accompanying you on this trip,drop her at the relatives before going to the campus.</p>
<p>We did a long distance college last year. We ordered stuff to be shipped there--the Company Store for sheets takes a while, so order a bit earlier if you do that. We also took the family on a vacation before leaving ds at his college. It was great! We flew and rented a car. But things have really changed with regard to flying and baggage. When ds came home this summer he brought everything because he is thinking of transferring. He was charged $235 at the check in for overweight and extra baggage! He shipped two packages--1 large box and a ski bag by fedex ground and that was $85. But, when my dd checked shipping rates a couple of years ago Fed ex ground was the least expensive.
Good luck with this!</p>
<p>I have a question about ordering items from BBB or LNT and then picking them up at the location nearest the school: how far in advance did you place your order? Do they fill the order with inventory from that particular store's location? I am thinking they may be out of stock of many items by the end of summer because it's a popular store near a university. </p>
<p>We will be flying from Portland OR to Washington DC area and are planning to order through Linens n Things since it's the closest store to the campus.</p>
<p>Oregonian mom,
I think Linens and Things might be declaring bankruptcy. Make sure you check on possible store closures in your hometown and at your college destination before ordering. I have the same question about how far in advance to order things. I'm going to check at BBB this week.</p>
<p>We ordered linens and other supplies from Penneys and had them devlivered to the local in-store catalog pick-up. I waited for the late summer sales, probably late July/early August as shipping took no more than 10 days to 2 weeks. But they will only hold your order for 10 days past delivery. Price and selection were excellent.</p>
<p>Once son moved-in and wanted a chair, I placed the order online from his dorm room (WalMart) and had the chair delivered directly to his box address at the college. We did this a couple of times during the year, when he needed things like more dress clothes, propietary facial cleanser, etc.</p>
<p>At the end of the year, he had to parcel out his belongings...electronics went home with a friend by car; linens and sofa were stored in an off-campus garage; a couple of boxes were shipped UPS before finals; then he had to pay excess luggage charges on all of the stuff he took on the plane with him. The only caualty was that he inadvertantly packed his ipod in with the server components...and so it's spending the summer in Oregon.</p>
<p>BB & B fills the order from their inventory unless they don't have it, then the store you order from sends it to them. They pick and pack when your order is sent so they have time to get it for you. </p>
<p>The way it works is that you go around your store with a "gun" and scan items you want - just like a wedding registry. Then they send that list to the other store. Since the one you were shopping had it for you to scan, if the other store doesn't you know it can be sent. You don't pay the shipping. I think we did it about a month in advance. Can't remember. You give them the pick up date. When we got there we had changed our mind on some things, they just restocked them, no charge. You don't pay for anything until you check it out of the store at destination. </p>
<p>LNT was not nearly as convenient and we didn't have to worry about shipping things into the school.</p>
<p>Singersmom,
do you know if it has to be a firm pickup date from BBB? For example, can you pick up a day early or a day late? We haven't quite narrowed down our day of arrival yet. Do you pay for your items when you scan them or when you pick them up?</p>
<p>this is a good thread. we will be driving from ky to maine (about 18 hours) within the next few months and i am very afraid of the long trip! i was wondering what things i would need to take with me, buy there, and just leave home (we will have a f150 king ranch).</p>
<p>We have two children on the opposite coast for college. Both have been "delivered" via air to start each year. For the first year, we did what others have said-capitalized on allowable baggage (parents packing VERY light), rented a car (actually an SUV for space) and picked up bulky items and basic supplies when we got there. We arrived with a pretty detailed "ground plan", maps and store locations ready to go. We utilized duffle bags as much as we could for ease of storing or stowing for the return flight. </p>
<p>One child is in a colder climate, so needs lots more stuff. While I might buy things for myself thru Lands End, you won't find many college kids wearing that brand. Even my nonconformist eldest child who has an appreciation for saving a dollar whenever possible has conceeded and wears North Face now; the brand most seen on young people these days to the best of my knowledge. It's durable stuff. As for boots and such, you might want to wait to see what the college kids actually seem to be using before you buy stuff that your child might not be caught dead wearing. (But maybe that's just how it works in my house!)</p>
<p>It's an emotional time-taking Grandma might only increase the stress, especially if she's a bit fragile. If it's not a financial burden, planning to take Grandma for a visit around Parents' Weekend might be a much better approach, with a lot less strain on you!!</p>
<p>prefect, you pay when you pick up. That's the best part. If you change your mind you have not paid for anything yet. I don't really remember about the dates. We had a specific move in date and we knew we had to be done by noon that day. So we knew we would have to pick up the day before. I did not check on varying the dates. They are so easy to deal with, just check with the store nearest you.</p>
<p>Agreed...BBand B ordering is easy and efficient. The make sure that what you ordered will be at the store where you plan to pick it up. The nice thing is that you pay when you get there so if you change your mind, you aren't stuck with stuff you don't want. I'm not sure they send it from the store where you order...it doesn't make sense to me that they would ship from CT (where we ordered ) to CA when there are hundreds of BB andB stores in CA. But it didn't matter to me where the "stuff" came from...it was there when we got there to pick it up. We ordered about three weeks before we left.</p>
<p>We are moving S2 from IL to upstate NY this fall. Large musical instruments (need their own tickets) and cold weather clothing make flying not feasible. H & I are going to rent a van and drive him out (under 14 hrs as per MapQuest). Main problem for us is we live in rural area and have to drive 2 hrs to nearest large airport to rent a van with unlimited mileage. Have decided to leave car there and drop off van/pick up car directly on way home. </p>
<p>Great ideas about BB&B and Penneys pickup and ordering online from WalMart to be delivered to his box. </p>
<p>We all enjoy road trips and want to enjoy spending last few days alone with S and few distractions. Thinking about getting GPS with van for shopping/dining in new locale.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the input. I am now of the mind to leave my mom behind for the move in. I would like to be able to focus completely on my D and with my mom along, that really won't be possible. The trip will be emotional for my H, D and me at move in time. The later trip with my mom will be emotional in a different way- since I am a Princeton alum, my mom has her own memories of my time there as well as dealing with visiting elderly relatives, knowing that it may be the last time she sees them. The "waltz down memory lane" will be better at some other time since I want my daughter to feel like this is her experience, not reliving mine. </p>
<p>Re: BB and B or JC Penney- were you able to take advantage of the sales they always run in August even if you are sending ahead a list? </p>
<p>I have never heard of North Face, but I will check into it. For boots and shoes, it is probably best to let her buy there since that will require trying on for fit, more so that a coat.</p>
<p>I am moving my son from Oregon to Massachusetts. We'll have to fly, of course. I an curious why people have mentioned renting a larger car. What items are so bulky that they require a larger car? From what I can read, all the necessary furniture my son will need is already in the dorm rooms. He's not going to be having a television set or anything like that. The school rents out micro/fridge units. (I don't think we'd buy one anyway, but even if we did it would fit in a compact car.) So what do you use the extra car space for? ...just want to make sure I'm not missing something here. ;)</p>
<p>He won't be able to take much since we'll each just get one checked bag and our carry ons, but I can take virtually nothing and he can use almost all the space in my bags.</p>
<p>We'll buy linens, etc. there. (No BB&B even remotely near us, so the Penney's tip is very helpful!)</p>
<p>He's a guy, so his minimal wardrobe of jeans, shorts, t-shirts, and sweats won't take up much room. He doesn't use much in the way of clothing... and I figure the less he takes they less is going to be permamently living on the floor of his dorm room. The only packing space hogs are a leather jacket and a heavy coat. Those I may send out by post after he moves in.</p>
<p>We live in Connecticut; Son attends college in Arizona. We each checked the max two bags; two extra large duffle bags (carefully packed to hit the 50 lb max.) and two 26" regular suitcases. All of my stuff for the 4 days fit in about 1/2 of one of the suitcases; his clothes and stuff took up the rest. Electronics and juggling equipment were in our carry ons (I carried on of his along with my purse). For the trip home, I took both suitcases because there was nowhere to store them in the dorm.</p>
<p>We rented a compact car (one step up from the bottom economy) and had plenty of room for the 2 hour drive from airport to hotel/college town. We did have to make two trips on move-in day in order to deliver the stuff from home and then pick-up and deliver the JC Penneys order. The previous day we had shopped Target and WalMart for everything else (our hotel room was packed with bags!). Luckily all these stores were within 10 mile of campus (unluckily, it was about 100 degrees out). We did not have any large items as my son's roomate brought the tv, stereo, game system, etc.</p>
<p>Going to school in AZ, son only took warm weather clothes in August. When he went back after Thanksgiving and after Christmas, he took jackets and heavier things.</p>
<p>Pip: I did wait until the back-to-school sales at Penneys and got excellent prices on everything he needed. The only reason I didn't buy those things at Target/WalMart/Penneys in the college town was that I was afraid that things like extra-long sheets might be in short supply, especially in "boy" colors. If we had changed our minds, we could have returned on the spot (but been responsible for the original shipping charges; although if I recall, we may have also used a free shipping incentive code).</p>
<p>Thanks for this thread. I feel like I'm obsessing about this stuff to avoid thinking about the fact that my S is leaving--but that doesn't mean I'm going to quit. We're flying, then driving the last two hours to his school, so the shopping tips are helpful. When we get there, we wanted something more than a hotel room, so we've reserved a guest cottage through VRBO. It has a washer-dryer, so we can wash those new sheets, towels, and boxers. Family weekend at his school is the third week in September, so we'll be going back just a month after move-in (airfare = heart attack) and we can bring what he's missing.</p>