<p>I'm a freshman this year and am my family is trying to decide what to do with my stuff over summer break. We live in the midwest so it would take at least a day of driving nonstop to drive out there (longer with breaks to eat/sleep/etc.), so it would take a lot of time and gas money for my family to come get me. I have too much to fly my things home, so that isn't really an option. What would you recommend: driving, finding a storage locker near campus (any suggestions), or trying to ship everything home in the mail (for people who've done this, was it really expensive?). </p>
<p>Most of my daughter’s friends who live far away have used a combination of things - put some boxes in storage and shipped some stuff home (I assume the stuff they wanted to use over the summer). On move out day the storage companies actually have people on campus with boxes, etc. collecting stuff to store. If you do one of the summer storage packages they will have restrictions on when they pick up and when in the fall they drop off again - but they do try to work with the school’s move out/move in dates.</p>
<p>Maybe rent a uhaul van from an area outside boston like framingham or natick which is off the mass pike. Sometimes you might be able to work a deal to get a free rental of vehicle to move the stuff.</p>
<p>Plus you can get back with the commuter rail… Someone else might chime in and give you a better location where the commuter rail, storage facility are closer. over the next week or so Ill try to keep my eyes open for some names. maybe you can team up and share a storage place.</p>
<p>When I have a bunch of stuff, I take Amtrak back and forth (also to the midwest). You can check 3 bags/boxes up to 50 pounds each and two carry-ons. (And by carry-on, I mean full-sized suitcase, not the airline limits.) With the Student Advantage card (if you got that), it’s also 15% off.</p>
<p>There are also a lot of storage places that will take your stuff for the summer, like Kiddie mentioned. My boyfriend has generally taken this option in the past without too much trouble. This would probably be a lot easier than trying to get a storage locker on your own.</p>
<p>Alternatively, see if you can send some stuff to the basement of a friend who lives fairly nearby. (Currently, my stuff is spread out across Massachusetts. I’m just assuming it will all show up when I get back to campus on Friday. )</p>
<p>We live 1800 miles from Boston so driving wasn’t an option. Daughter shared a storage unit with 2 friends. They packed everything & took a taxi to storage unit. It wasn’t a pleasant experience but it was the cheapest alternative. (I don’t remember the storage unit but I called all the facilities in March and identified the place that was running the best deal.)</p>
<p>Your dorm/college might even have storage units on campus/ in your dorm that you can use during the summer. Normally these are free and convenient. I would look into these.</p>
<p>we are also in the Midwest - and since we did not know anyone in the Boston area and S has Aspergers and I did not know what he would be able to coordinate on his own at the end of his first yr - we just decided early on to use one of the storage companies that picked up his boxes from his dorm and then dropped them off again in the fall. Pricier but definitely the easiest for us at the time! By the end of his second yr, he and a few roommates were able to store their things at a friend’s parents’ home (I think they rented a small Uhaul). I don’t recall which company we used but here is a link to a storage service run by UPS Store that provides similar service, just to give you an idea on prices.</p>
<p>Sharing a storage unit sounds like the most economical way to go. Prices vary. It may even be worth $300 to get your own storage unit. Pay in advance. Buy a good lock.</p>
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