PhD/PsyD Moving Cross Country?

[eeaaagggllee]

Hi everyone,

I'll be moving for internship in about a month and a half and have been trying to figure out the logistics of moving. I've never moved cross country -- my trip is about 3k miles and I don't really have much to move outside of what can fit in a car. I've been looking at cost (financial/emotional/mental) of either driving to my site or flying and just shipping my car. I have a honda thats about 170k miles, the primary reason for looking at shipping my car is my worry about the wear and tear accumulated when driving that far (I don't want my car to breakdown during the drive or when I get to my site, though my mechanic says the car is likely to survive >250k miles).

I guess my question is, for those who moved cross country (>2k mi), what was the experience like? Looking back, with the cost of gas, possible hotels for stopovers and meals, is the cost comparable to shipping your car?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[PsyDr]

I've shipped cars in several different ways. Driving is always cheaper in every way possible.

by 18 wheeler a toyota was around $800-1000. By train, it was around $800. I know some people that have shipped by private truck and by plane. It is astronomical.

There are also a million hassles with shipping: contacting a person. Being there when the 18 wheeler shows up (hint: they won't drive in residential areas, which makes picking it up and accepting delivery awful), washing the car which has had every bug and speck of dirt thrown into it for a thousand miles, coordinating delivery with a truck driver who has 9 million places to be and no real schedule, etc.

I would recommend buying the $80 AAA membership that will cover your costs if you break down in the middle of no where. Most insurance riders have something like it, but they charge you once the tow truck shows up. AMEX also has some similar benefits.

 

[Justanothergrad]

When I moved I was very much in your situation, including a honda, although mine was only at 100k miles. I sold off my furniture and packed the car full of things and moved with what I had to go with me. I enjoyed the drive and the experience on a personal note. It felt like a good transitional trip into my new phase of training and how many times do people get a chance to go on a roadtrips like that in their lives. My move was only about 1400 miles though. I camped one of those two nights and the other I reached out to friends who had moved across the country to crash with for a night.

 

[JB1108]

I just made the move of a little over 1k miles. My car also had 170k miles but had some problems that were going to be quite expensive to fix which did not seem worth it for me. I sold my car, sold my furniture, packed some suitcases, shipped a couple boxes, and flew to my new location. It was worth it for me because I was able to sell my car pretty quickly and bought a new one quickly as well.

Any time you are making a big move it can be stressful. My advice is, even if it feels like you do not have much to sell/get rid of, start early. I thought it was going to be quick and easy because I did not feel like I had much but when it came down to it there was soooo much to sort through.

 

[undertoad]

Personally, I would drive (with enough of a time cushion to buffer any possible delays). As others have said, shipping your car will be several hundred dollars, then you would need to buy a plane ticket. Depending on your fuel economy and how thrifty you are when traveling, driving would likely be cheaper. I think the drive could also be an experience, as long as you're up for it. I would love to make a cross country trip, though in my case it would involve three unhappy cats (who will meow the ENTIRE way).

 

[deleted343839]

I don't like driving, but I've driven >2K miles for moves three times. One of those times was in a moving van while towing a car behind (not fun, but logistically not the worst way to move a car - only if you have other stuff to bring along though).

If your car is in good working order and you can fit your stuff into it, I would just drive. Give yourself as much time as you can and map out some points of interest along the way to give yourself mental and physical breaks. If you can map a route that includes friends or family you can stay with, it's worth adding a few hours to your trip. Airbnb is another option that might be cheaper than a hotel.

 

[WisNeuro]

Also, save your receipts for everything. Those moving expenses are tax deductible, I believe.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

I've moved a few times (longest being ~1500mi). Driving will be the cheapest, as noted the fees to transport are at least $1k-$1500 and the delivery time can be quite variable. I used one of those UPack Cubes to move my furniture and then packed my car w. suitcases and a few random things. My best friend flew down to me and then went on a road trip. We did a bit of site seeing and tried to make it fun. Definitely have AAA and give yourself plenty of time. Once you finish up, secure your first job, etc…then you can get your employer to pay for real movers and expenses…until then…this is pretty cheap and you can claim it on your taxes.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

Agreed with the others--if at all possible, and especially in your case given the small amount of material to move, I'd get a AAA membership and drive it.

 

[soccercat]

I've done this move twice now and have sent my stuff via ABF both times. It's the cheapest route to take (just make sure you use a good moving company to load up the truck if you have enough stuff to choose that option over PODS). It may also be cheaper to hook a small trailer up to your car from u-haul if you're not taking that much stuff but too much to fit in the car.

As for the car, I know people who spent about 1.2K to ship their car others paid more. If you do the drive in 4-5 days and don't stay at expensive hotels it's cheaper to drive than to ship your car.

Save all your receipts, because as someone said you can claim it for tax purposes. Note, though, that if in the future you do not make enough to have taxable income you can't write it off. Luckily, though, at this point we should be making enough that won't be an issue.

 

[cara susanna]

Also, save your receipts for everything. Those moving expenses are tax deductible, I believe.

They are, yes! I got a pretty penny back this year because of moving expenses.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

I'll second ABF...I used them twice and they were great. They offered the best pricing and the staff were very nice.

 

[CogNeuroGuy]

We are moving in 4 weeks to Ft. Lauderdale from Dallas. We don't have too much stuff to pack. Mainly, our bed, night stands, dresser, 2 TV's, clothes, some frames, some junk in the closet, some stuff from the kitchen and that is about it. We are selling our (LG frontload) washer and dryer to my brother in law, the couch belongs to our former roommate. We are packing all of this up in 16ft. Penske rental truck and rented the car carrier trailer to pull my husband's car. I am leaving mine behind to have my parents sell it. Total, we spent $990 for the truck and trailer for 5 days. Our former roommate will be riding with me, my husband will fly out ahead of me to secure our apartment, and I am having our dog ride in the middle of the two bucket seats in the truck. Luckily, my husband works for Pizza Hut, so we are getting free boxes.

 

[LMK]

I've done this move twice now and have sent my stuff via ABF both times. It's the cheapest route to take (just make sure you use a good moving company to load up the truck if you have enough stuff to choose that option over PODS). It may also be cheaper to hook a small trailer up to your car from u-haul if you're not taking that much stuff but too much to fit in the car.

As for the car, I know people who spent about 1.2K to ship their car others paid more. If you do the drive in 4-5 days and don't stay at expensive hotels it's cheaper to drive than to ship your car.

Save all your receipts, because as someone said you can claim it for tax purposes. Note, though, that if in the future you do not make enough to have taxable income you can't write it off. Luckily, though, at this point we should be making enough that won't be an issue.

I think it depends on how much you have and how far you're going. I moved 1500 miles last year for postdoc and PODS and ABF were significantly more expensive than it was for me to rent a 22' Penske and a car trailer and trailer my car. I stayed one night in a hotel half way. The truck and trailer and gas were 1/3 cheaper than any other option.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

I think it depends on how much you have and how far you're going. I moved 1500 miles last year for postdoc and PODS and ABF were significantly more expensive than it was for me to rent a 22' Penske and a car trailer and trailer my car. I stayed one night in a hotel half way. The truck and trailer and gas were 1/3 cheaper than any other option.

A Penske truck was cheaper for me as well (1100 or so mile move). The downside, of course, was that I had to drive a Penske truck with a car trailer (rather than just my own car) 1100 miles. In all, I think it was a few hundred dollars cheaper than PODS and similar services, and saved me from having to negotiate a time to have the unit picked up and dropped off.

I then used that money to hire a couple folks to help me unload the truck once I got to my destination.

 

[WisNeuro]

I am moving about 1600 miles soon and have been pricing things out. At the moment, it looks like the ABF pod thingy is my cheapest option. I think I can get the truck a couple hundred cheaper, but that doesn't include the gas or the trailer for my vehicle. Going to call and see if I can haggle though. Although, at this point, a few hundred dollars is well worth the convenience of not having to drive a 16ft+ truck 1600 miles.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

I am moving about 1600 miles soon and have been pricing things out. At the moment, it looks like the ABF pod thingy is my cheapest option. I think I can get the truck a couple hundred cheaper, but that doesn't include the gas or the trailer for my vehicle. Going to call and see if I can haggle though. Although, at this point, a few hundred dollars is well worth the convenience of not having to drive a 16ft+ truck 1600 miles.

Agreed. I made a few stops along the way and turned the drive into a mini-vacation; otherwise, having someone else handle the moving of my stuff would've been much-preferred.

 

[WisNeuro]

Agreed. I made a few stops along the way and turned the drive into a mini-vacation; otherwise, having someone else handle the moving of my stuff would've been much-preferred.

I'm planning on doing a mini-vacation too, actually. But it's more of a camping and hiking here and there, so I'd rather just have my car, a backpack, and a tent.

 

[transplant1290]

Same situation,
Chose to sell my car, bought a new one in the new location and am shipping my stuff via We MOVE U. Quote was$1100 a bit concerned about when it will make it there...

 

[psychrat]

I shipped my car when I moved from the east coast to the west coast several years ago and it was 800. It was much cheaper than driving it after figuring in the price of gas, hotels, and food. I hired movers when I moved out west and did a pod when I moved back east again, and definitely preferred the movers.