Reply to Move in day - stay one night or two?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]We are staying 3 nights. Don’t expect to see my kid after we drop him off at his room. But we are driving 20 hours each way. So, the extra night is for much needed rest before turning around and heading back.  [/quote]

If it's a 20 hour drive, why not just fly?[/quote]

With the contents of a heavily packed car? [/quote]

You don’t need to drive everything there. Our son went to a school that was 10 hours away. We flew there and checked large duffle bags. It was free on Southwest. Airport was 15 minutes from school.

Rented a car. Had dorm bedding shipped to school that we order from a college dorm outfit place. You could also order items on Amazon and have it shipped to a locker in the college town. There were a few items that he still needed, so we made a Target run with the rented car.

Easy peasy. [/quote]
+1. Have done this for multiple children including twins whose schools were 11 and 17 hours away in opposite directions from our home. Going to do it again next month for next younger kid, school is about 16 hours away. I will fly with him and rent a car.

It boils down to three lists: (1) things we bring from home (4 duffles max, plus student's rolling carryon; one duffle holds all the washed bedding), (2) things we buy there at Target (fly in a day early for shopping, knowing exactly which items are available at which Targets, often further from the college because college Target will be out of stock), and (3) things we order on Amazon to be shipped to hotel (probably foam mattress pad and one or two other things). A little organization goes a long way.

To be clear, this response is for the PP driving 20 hours, not OP who is only driving 2 hours.[/quote]

Did this cost more than driving? How much for three people? What if bringing things from home is less expensive than buying all new, even from Target?
[/quote]
Depends on how cheap you need to be. A third person would cost more (another plane ticket). In part the difference would depend on how many hotel nights and in how many rooms. Compare to what time flights are available in the morning. 2 or 3 people can split the driving on a 16 hour trip and do it in one day would avoid a night each way in a hotel, though you are still getting a hotel at the destination for at least one night, probably two, and that is a lot of driving. More sane driving, one hotel night halfway there and one hotel night halfway back.

Best you price it out yourself for your particular circumstances and preferences. Include the cost of gas.

We do mostly take stuff from home on the plane in duffles, two per person for parent and student (note that Southwest will no longer have free bags). Probably spent a couple hundred dollars at Target, etc. We are full paying 95k/yr, so this is not a big deal. Different financial situations call for different approaches.[/quote]

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