Moving (ugh)

I`ve already hired the shipping company, got the packing vboxes, and paid* for the packing package. So the movers will sort out the packing, storage in warehouse, shipping to Hong Kong. I also paid* for the movement of our stuff from the port in Hong Kong to our new place. All customs bureaucracy fees are included in the price.

*The wifes employment included relocation costs after she handed in her resignation. One of the benefits of ex-pat packages.

New England to Evanston...not sure how we are going to do it. Might go with PODs or something since if we sell our house we have to get our furniture out and that could happen before we move into our place in Evanston.

Considering the distance involved(SF to AA), I am planning to sell my furniture when I move. What I cant sell, I will donate or call 1-800-GOT-JUNK. The major problem for me is the car.

Hey NC, I've got to worry about my car too.

Any suggestions for dependable auto movers? Also how much stuff can I stuff in the boot when shipping it?

Why are these important?

Well, my car is old and technically can be gotten rid of..however I am seriously considering hanging on to it and paying the moving cost (almost 10% of car's value) hoping I'll be able to recover most of it in other ways (by saving on car rental upon arrival, some moving cost, some airfare and peace of mind)

Am I being practical?

You will still likely have to rent a car once you arrive. Theoretically, let's say that you ship your car from the West Coast tomorrow morning (Thursday) and fly to the East Coast tomorrow night. It will take a minimum of 7 days, most likely 10 days for your car to arrive on the East Coast. You will have to either get a rental or go without a car for the time that you are waiting for your car to arrive. The other option would be to let go of your car on the West Coast about 7-10 days in advance of the day you plan to fly over. You have to have alternate transportation available to you in one location or the other in order to avoid car rental.

Shipping a car is a huge hassle and quite expensive. I'm aiming for mostly city schools (except for UCLA), so I'm hoping I can just sell my car and be done with it before I go off to school.

terp, I did think about selling my car. But, it was bought only recently (new : 1.5 years ago) and selling it would mean a big loss.

I am trying to see if I can find someone interested in a road trip. Would be a fun way to move the car cross-country. If anyone's interested in a road-trip from CA to Chicago/Detroit, let me know. The worst case is spending around 2k to move the car using UPS or some such vendor.

So, what is everyone doing with their cars?

one of the reasons why I chose Haas over Kellogg.

Even then, the move was a PAIN in the arse. I can't imagine if I had to move across the country, or even to LA. It also took 2 more days to clean out my condo, finding random crap in nooks and crannies... ugh!

I just hired some movers who spent 10 hours moving most of my stuff. The rest I did with mini trips in my car. I threw out probably 1/3 to 1/2 of my stuff, and I still got so much junk. The furniture did take up a lot of space and time though, so definitely sell those if you can.

Alright here's the thing...

1) I'm moving from a city to a college town (LA to Durham) not the other way around. So....choice will be limited given the budgetary constraints.
2) I am actually getting it moved to my sister's in Ohio where I'll be spending 2 weeks with family & friends. I'll then be driving from OH to Durham..stopping on the way at DC for a day.

And yeah..thankfully..I've got friends who'll be happy to drive me around here during the 7-10 day move

So..shipping the car saves me..
a) Some UPS shipping costs since I'll be filling up the boot with stuff.
b) Car Rental/Airfare from Ohio-DC and DC-Durham

NC..I was thinking about a cross country drive myself..but I need to be working at least till 30 days before school. That, combined with a 4-5 day cross-country drive (2000+ miles in my case) would've left me with too little time to get that 2 week vacation and settle down in Durham. I always wanted to do one...sigh

Have 2 cars- most likely keeping both of them as my wife might have a long commute to work. Its about a 3-4 hour drive from Cincy to AA, so not too bad.

The other stuff- getting some movers I guess.

Now that I've rented out my condo (woohooo!) and moved back in with my parents for 3 months (the girls are going to love that), all my boxes are already packed. I rented my condo out furnished, so I do not have that many boxes. Therefore, my Dad and I have decided that we are just going to throw what I have into a Suburban (rental, since I am selling my SUV, no need for it in NYC) and drive up the coast. I've never done that drive, but I'm pretty pumped for it! NYC, here I come!

I'm selling all my furniture as my place at bschool comes furnished which I am super happy about. No furniture to buy is a great thing. I've decided that whatever cannot fit in my jetta does not get to come. I am not looking forward to the drive, but oh well. What can you do.

Note for people shipping cars, typically they dont allow you to put stuff inside it or in the trunk. I have had friends have to pop the trunk and prove nothing was in there. No clue why, probably something to do with weight balance of the cars. Enclosed carriers are going to protect your car but cost a heck of a lot more money. Shipping a car is pretty easy but its not really a money saving idea. You may want to just take a week vacation and drive there, see some of the country while you are at it.