<p>The first year D1 went in with some friends (foreign students who were going home for the summer). They jointly rented a unit for the summer, it was quite cheap. Since then she has boxed her stuff and put it in her boyfriend’s basement (he lives a couple hours from their campus) every summer. Not sure what to do with her stuff at the end of this year, as she has not landed a job yet. She hopes to be back on the east coast with a job soon, but no telling. We are talking about having her box her stuff, ready to ship for the bf to take to his parent’s house. If she needs it shipped somewhere, it will be all packaged for them to do that if necessary.</p>
<p>When our kiddo graduated, we were very clear. It ALL had to fit into six suitcases…out free allotment on Southwest. She sold or gave away what she did not need and the rest fit into the bags we brought.</p>
<p>Great advice, I will look into these options ~ thank you kindly</p>
<p>Do the companies that provide the boxes and summer storage via drop off and pick up provide insurance coverage on items? Some of you mentioned damage or a missing box.</p>
<p>Some companies might provide insurance, but since your daughter’s stuff should already be covered by insurance, either through your homeowners or renters, that probably extends to storage (and would likely be cheaper).</p>
<p>S will be storing his stuff in his fraternity house. I think they also provide storage ( for non members) for a fee.</p>
<p>Cheaper for me to fly with two big suitcases (thank you, Southwest!) to fill with DS’s stuff than to box/ship. He will store books, etc., at a facility near his school but all else coming home - in part b/c needs those x-long sheets for a summer program and in part b/c I don’t trust him to wash everything before storing!</p>
<p>My D wasn’t thousands of miles away, only hundreds–but she was a kid with “stuff”. We found that renting a storage unit near the college was an easy and fairly inexpensive way to store belongings for the summer. First year, my D shared the unit with a roommate–second year there were three girls who shared the unit, so the cost of it went down.</p>