Cross country moving

Veterinary Science Graduate Certificate from UofI
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WhtsThFrequency said:
:thumbup: Definitely. I love listening to Stephen Fry read the Harry Potter books, with his pompous British accent and all his character voices. If anyone is an HP fan (hell, I'm not even really one and I enjoyed it immensely), I guarantee you'll love it.
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Have you heard the Jim Dale recordings? That's how I was introduced to Harry Potter. He's an absolute genius. I think he has the Guinness world record for most number of different voices. Something over 100 for all the different characters in HP.
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Regarding hotels, I've found that it's better to book in advance (usually cheaper, don't have to search for a good place/pet friendly place when all you want to do is sleep, etc.), but I know some people who prefer being able to stop whenever they feel done for the day and find a hotel then. I'd suggest booking in advance if you've got pets, though. And check with hotels about their exact pet policy. It seems to vary dramatically from place to place. When we were moving my SO's ball python, we ran into everything from "a snake? we don't even charge a pet fee for that" to "we only take DOGS here" to "uh, I'll have to check with my manager, I think we only take furry things..." to "well, I guess if it's not venemous..."

And the pet fees we heard about were anything from $10 to $100, depending on the hotel. Some of them were per pet, some were per room.
 
washbucket said:
Regarding hotels, I've found that it's better to book in advance (usually cheaper, don't have to search for a good place/pet friendly place when all you want to do is sleep, etc.), but I know some people who prefer being able to stop whenever they feel done for the day and find a hotel then. I'd suggest booking in advance if you've got pets, though. And check with hotels about their exact pet policy. It seems to vary dramatically from place to place. When we were moving my SO's ball python, we ran into everything from "a snake? we don't even charge a pet fee for that" to "we only take DOGS here" to "uh, I'll have to check with my manager, I think we only take furry things..." to "well, I guess if it's not venemous..."

And the pet fees we heard about were anything from $10 to $100, depending on the hotel. Some of them were per pet, some were per room.
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Motel 6 generally doesn't charge anything. They usually don't even ask when I check in and I never tell them. That is my dumpy motel of choice for traveling - very cheap. If all I am doing is sleeping there until I drive again, I don't care much what the place looks like

I don't tell them anything other than dog, though. I've had dog, cat, fish, and snake all in a room before and didn't tell them jack :laugh:
 
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WhtsThFrequency said:
Motel 6 generally doesn't charge anything. They usually don't even ask when I check in and I never tell them. That is my dumpy motel of choice for traveling - very cheap. If all I am doing is sleeping there until I drive again, I don't care much what the place looks like

I don't tell them anything other than dog, though. I've had dog, cat, fish, and snake all in a room before and didn't tell them jack :laugh:
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Red Roof Inns are also all pet friendly with no pet fee and pretty inexpensive. I've stayed in a couple and never had any trouble. Haven't stayed with the dog yet, though.
 
As for audiobooks - if you are huge nerds like my husband and I, Tim Weiner's (unabridged) Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA and Enemies: A History of the FBI are both super good and great for long trips. I think they're both around 20 hours long and available on audible.com. I love listening to enormous books I probably wouldn't read otherwise (Legacy of Ashes is 800+ pages...).

And unrelated but a good car trip snack - carrot sticks or baby carrots. The crunching keeps you awake and you can eat a million without feeling bad.
 
Another staying-awake tip--albums or musicals you know all the words to! Phantom of the Opera and Hairspray are always good for at least 2.5 hours for me because I just HAVE to sing along.
 
tropictuco said:
Another staying-awake tip--albums or musicals you know all the words to! Phantom of the Opera and Hairspray are always good for at least 2.5 hours for me because I just HAVE to sing along.
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:thumbup::thumbup:

musicals and standup are the best for long road trips :)
 
washbucket said:
Regarding hotels, I've found that it's better to book in advance (usually cheaper, don't have to search for a good place/pet friendly place when all you want to do is sleep, etc.), but I know some people who prefer being able to stop whenever they feel done for the day and find a hotel then. I'd suggest booking in advance if you've got pets, though. And check with hotels about their exact pet policy. It seems to vary dramatically from place to place. When we were moving my SO's ball python, we ran into everything from "a snake? we don't even charge a pet fee for that" to "we only take DOGS here" to "uh, I'll have to check with my manager, I think we only take furry things..." to "well, I guess if it's not venemous..."

And the pet fees we heard about were anything from $10 to $100, depending on the hotel. Some of them were per pet, some were per room.
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i like laquinta in the west. no pet fee, free breakfast. not so dumpy.
 
StartingoverVet said:
i like laquinta in the west. no pet fee, free breakfast. not so dumpy.
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It depends. Some of them do charge pet fees, but I think it's a local decision. We stayed in a few on our way over to NC.
 
jjohnston said:
I've never stayed in a hotel that charged me a pet fee. Because I never tell them I have pets :D
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:D

That can be awfully hard to get away with at many hotels (especially nicer ones)... but can't say I haven't done it...


MrsSOV loves to test the limits of where we can take our dogs.. And then when they question her she is like "says who? Where is written? Show me? "

It is a little funnier when you know her, as she seems like the last person who would get in people's face like that. She gets people flustered and sometimes they back off, because really, who has written policies handy.
 
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Leg 1 of my trip was a success with kitty Xanax. However, it does wear off after 8 hours, and he wasn't happy that I drugged and kidnapped him when he came to. He meowed all night long at the hotel last night. Haha!
 
FutureDO22 said:
Leg 1 of my trip was a success with kitty Xanax. However, it does wear off after 8 hours, and he wasn't happy that I drugged and kidnapped him when he came to. He meowed all night long at the hotel last night. Haha!
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My cat did that every night of our x-country trip. Made sleep difficult. When we take her to new places the first night is all meowing, usually second night at a particular place she settles in. Too bad we only spend one night at each place.
 
StartingoverVet said:
My cat did that every night of our x-country trip. Made sleep difficult. When we take her to new places the first night is all meowing, usually second night at a particular place she settles in. Too bad we only spend one night at each place.
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I made a 2 AM trip for earplugs last night. Haha! I found him this morning under the covers right next to me.
 
Oh! Earplugs! Good thinking! Just a set for me, though, because my dad is quite literally deaf.

Although I could probably make the cats-in-car thing work, even with a remote thermometer I would be too anxious about their safety to think straight. Cats in cab it is...I think Penske's trucks have two bucket seats, so I should be able to fit two cats in stacked crates there between them (I hope). Third cat will either be flown out or driven out when the mister joins me at the end of the summer. Although I may be able to stack 3...I'd just need a smaller carrier than the soft-sided kitty palace I currently have as a third carrier.
 
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I stayed at La Quinta's last summer when moving from MA to OK for school and traveling with 3 cats. I think they technically limit you to 1 pet, but we just ignored it. I drove my car with my cats and my dad drove the truck with all my stuff. My father would go check us in and get the keys, I'd drive around to the side entrance nearest our room, and sneak all the cats and a litterbox up whichever back stairwell we had access to! We were restricted to takeout because I couldn't leave the cats alone - my deaf cat howls like a banshee when I leave him behind in a strange place (exhibit A: any time he came to work at the clinic with me) so either one of us would run out, or pick up something in a drive-thru on our way in.

Kitties weren't drugged for the trip, and the first day was hellacious. One of the girls peed in her (fabric) carrier, which she has never ever done even on distance trips and it soaked through the side into the OTHER girl's fabric carrier, so both of them got new carriers at a convenient PetSmart our first night. The deaf cat screamed for 2 straight hours and rubbed his nose raw trying to break out of the carrier until I gave up and let him out in the car. We went through a giant bag of calming chews and half a bottle of Feliway spray (which helped but I still had moments where I just wanted to Benadryl all 3 cats!)

None of my cats will pee in the litterbox at rest stops. Ever. I usually let everyone out at least once or twice a day (one at a time!) and give them the chance but they just won't do it. Some people's cats will, so I would have a litterbox available but don't count on it.

For whomever it was transporting several cats alone with a Penske truck: you SHOULD have room for three small-ish carriers in the truck cab with you, but you might want to go see it ahead of time to check. I would not leave my cats in the car if I was towing it - I'd be terrified of them overheating back there without constant monitoring.
 
When I was moving back to OK from CA, I brought my two dogs (~50# each) and my cat. They rode in the floor of the U-haul van. I got the smaller one by getting rid of most of my stuff and towed my car behind. A word of warning about the floor: Be sure to get thick blankets and if it is hot, crank the AC turned towards the feet. It gets incredibly hot from the road for the dogs on the floor. I don't remember what crappy motel I stayed at, but I just said I had two dogs and didn't mention my kitty. Luckily, as long as the dogs are in sight, he is calm.

Lots of stopping to get gas, so I walked the dogs each time and let them drink some water. I put kitty in a carrier when we stopped but let him out during driving as he just laid with the dogs.

I would never leave them in the towed car either, Whyever. Way too many things could go wrong.
 
Whyevernot55 said:
We went through a giant bag of calming chews and half a bottle of Feliway spray (which helped but I still had moments where I just wanted to Benadryl all 3 cats!)
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Just a side note on the benadryl - if you do decide to go that route (after talking it over with a vet of course) make sure to test it before you have a long car trip! Sometimes it can have the opposite effect and make your pets go hyper crazy.

Example: My parent's 55# lab used to get really excited in the car and would make these little happy whine excited noises and NOT STOP FOR HOURS. It was enough to drive us crazy, so we talked to the vet who told us to try benadryl. Basically, she went from little whines to full on barks and tail wagging hard into the side of her plastic kennel. So much for that plan!
 
We made it safely to NC with our cat! Second day he hardly even made a peep the whole trip he was so quiet! I definitely recommend Xanax for long trips! I honestly think he would have had a heart attack without the medication because it was such a long trip, and he gets so worked up even on short car trips.
 
Last summer, my wife and I moved from our apt in Sacramento, CA to my parents' place in WV until our apartment in Blacksburg was ready to go. 1 dog, 1 cat, and everything we owned that was worth keeping shoved into a 3-door Hyundai Accent (we sent a few USPS flat-rate boxes out ahead of time, putting things that were heavy - if it fit, it shipped!). Everything else that we owned we either sold or gave away. It's amazing how many clothes you can fit into a vehicle if you use those vacuum-sealing SpaceBags!

We kept a few disposable litterboxes for our cat, although those were mainly for the motels we stayed in (a mix of Motel 6 and Super 8's). We actually used a cat harness and leash and took him out with the dog when we stopped every ~3 hours or so on the drive. He figured out what to do pretty quickly by watching the dog. The cat stayed in a carrier while we drove, the dog sat on my wife's lap.

Kept plenty of water for us, the animals, car, etc. I think it was that trip that we fell in love with water flavorings (mainly the MIO energy ones). Easy and cheap for the amount of drink you get out of it.

Also, depending on which direction you drive/time of day... sunscreen is a good idea.

Pic is of our overstuffed Accent:

602418_10100320435940603_134210829_n.jpg
 
BlackDog17 said:
My move is complicated by the fact that I need to cross the Canadian border. I need to get my student visa at the border (and judging by the list of paperwork I need in order to do so, it's going to take a while) and apparently I also need to turn in an itemized list of everything I'm bringing with me, including serial numbers and approximate values of anything big. :rolleyes:

I'm also bringing my cat, so I'll need a signed statement from his vet to give to border patrol saying that he's been vaccinated for rabies.
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Good news!:
Getting your student visa takes about 15mins if you have your papers and it isn't busy.
They have yet to ask me for a list or serial numbers or anything.
They have yet to even ask for my dog's rabies certificate in the six+ times I've crossed the border.

So don't fret about it too much :)
 
hygebeorht said:
So apparently Peperoncini is a Time Lord, or just really good at Tetris.

In seriousness, I am impressed.
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:laugh: I did the same thing when I moved 6 hours down south. Packed all that really mattered to me into my car, put the 3 cats in the front seat and off I went! I had a medium dog crate for the two sisters, and then one regular cat carrier on top of that for my grumpypants.

The car was so well packed, the back end was about a low as it could go without dragging on the road. :laugh:
 
I decided to buy a bed when I get there. My current one goes to my brother because it will be too big for my room. Really limiting myself on furniture
 
wolfspeaker said:
:laugh: I did the same thing when I moved 6 hours down south. Packed all that really mattered to me into my car, put the 3 cats in the front seat and off I went! I had a medium dog crate for the two sisters, and then one regular cat carrier on top of that for my grumpypants.

The car was so well packed, the back end was about a low as it could go without dragging on the road. :laugh:
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I am uber impressed with people who can do this! I love my furniture too much to completely start over.
 
felinelvr44 said:
I am uber impressed with people who can do this! I love my furniture too much to completely start over.
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I do too, now! I have a very nice entertainment center and dining room table, and am getting a sectional this year. They will be moving with me in 4 years. But back then, all I had was mismatched goodwill furniture that I didn't give a crap about.
 
I still have mismatched goodwill furniture that I don't give a crap about. All told it cost me less than $250 total. But when one is driving a 16' van anyway, might as well save the hassle of having to re-furnish a house.

Actually I guess I do love my desk :3
 
wolfspeaker said:
I do too, now! I have a very nice entertainment center and dining room table, and am getting a sectional this year. They will be moving with me in 4 years. But back then, all I had was mismatched goodwill furniture that I didn't give a crap about.
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My guilty pleasure is collecting mid-century furniture so that's all coming with me. The ugly hand-me-down bedroom furniture is going on craigslist and if it doesn't sell my husband jokes that he wants to push it off our 8th story balcony. :laugh:
 
My entire apartment was furnished for free by finding deals on Craigslist, friends, etc. I HATE my bedroom furniture, but my living room stuff is awesome. Sofa sleeper, recliner, two beautiful dining table sets. No one sees my bedroom so I just choose not to care. I take a little too much pride in the fact it was all free :oops:
But the furniture in my fiancé and I's house... now THAT's a different story :)
 
that redhead said:
Good news!:
Getting your student visa takes about 15mins if you have your papers and it isn't busy.
They have yet to ask me for a list or serial numbers or anything.
They have yet to even ask for my dog's rabies certificate in the six+ times I've crossed the border.

So don't fret about it too much :)
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That's good to know! I'll probably make the list anyway just in case . . . I really don't want to have to open all of my boxes at the border for them to check. :scared:

But I'm glad to hear the student visa part doesn't take long. I was worried about being stuck at the border for hours!
 
felinelvr44 said:
My guilty pleasure is collecting mid-century furniture so that's all coming with me. The ugly hand-me-down bedroom furniture is going on craigslist and if it doesn't sell my husband jokes that he wants to push it off our 8th story balcony. :laugh:
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Much of my furniture is handmade heirlooms from my grandfather's days as a woodworker. Some of that stuff has moved a LOT of times with me. I also have a collection of those crummy cheap WalMart bookshelves that I end up leaving behind everywhere! :laugh:
 
Did some rental truck research... Budget Rentals are about $100 cheaper than a UHaul! And they give you unlimited miles!! Looks like ill be reserving one for my big move to Mizzou.
 
Kpowell14 said:
Did some rental truck research... Budget Rentals are about $100 cheaper than a UHaul! And they give you unlimited miles!! Looks like ill be reserving one for my big move to Mizzou.
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Oh, sweet!! Good to know :)
 
I called around to Budget/UHaul/Penske. Penske has unlimited miles too, and newer trucks. Also, they had the best price for me by far. Ask for student discounts everywhere you call, and if you have AAA, for the love of god, get that discount.

Call around, get quotes, and ask for a deal.
 
My dad and I went to check out moving trucks and trailers yesterday... We ended up reserving a 6x12 Uhaul trailer instead of a big truck.. The trailer is huge! And all of my stuff will definitely fit in there. And did I mention it was 1/2 the cost of a big truck and we will save on gas ! The big move is seeming more real every day. :scared: :scared:
 
hygebeorht said:
I called around to Budget/UHaul/Penske. Penske has unlimited miles too, and newer trucks. Also, they had the best price for me by far. Ask for student discounts everywhere you call, and if you have AAA, for the love of god, get that discount.

Call around, get quotes, and ask for a deal.
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It also helps to tell them you have a better quote from another company.

Penske came in $100 less than another company with a bigger truck when I used that.
 
Kpowell14 said:
My dad and I went to check out moving trucks and trailers yesterday... We ended up reserving a 6x12 Uhaul trailer instead of a big truck.. The trailer is huge! And all of my stuff will definitely fit in there. And did I mention it was 1/2 the cost of a big truck and we will save on gas ! The big move is seeming more real every day. :scared: :scared:
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I fit all my stuff in a 5x8 trailer, and I saved a ton of money moving! I sold all my furniture before the move though.
 
dyachei said:
It also helps to tell them you have a better quote from another company.

Penske came in $100 less than another company with a bigger truck when I used that.
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Yep, don't be afraid to tell them what you've gotten from other companies. I went back once I had a great Penske quote and asked U-Haul to match it. They wouldn't, and they didn't have Penske's other perks.

Honestly I wish we could do it with a smaller truck. No way will I be able to fill a 16' truck. But a smaller truck can't haul my beloved 300k+ mile car, and she ain't up to driving cross-country.
 
This probably belongs in the rant thread, but I just want to say that I hate the moving process. So stressful! So much to keep track of!
 
hygebeorht said:
This probably belongs in the rant thread, but I just want to say that I hate the moving process. So stressful! So much to keep track of!
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Agreed. Anyone know how soon one should turn on/off utilities? I'd really love to have internet at the new place within a day of moving and I don't know how much notice to give electricity and whatnot.

Edit: Some cuteness to temper the annoyances of moving: http://www.babble.com/pets/road-trip-adorable-photos-of-dogs-in-cars-2/woof/
 
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I already set up utilities and gave notice on the ones I have here. My landlord is going to go to the new place on Friday to make sure that the electricity and water are good to go.

You can just give utility providers the dates that you need things turned on/off. They are used to it.
 
felinelvr44 said:
Agreed. Anyone know how soon one should turn on/off utilities? I'd really love to have internet at the new place within a day of moving and I don't know how much notice to give electricity and whatnot.

Edit: Some cuteness to temper the annoyances of moving: http://www.babble.com/pets/road-trip-adorable-photos-of-dogs-in-cars-2/woof/
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Water, electric, etc you should be able to call the company and tell them what day you'd like service to start. I think cable/internet depends on what's already set up in the new place. I know at my last apartment I had to be there to let the cable guy in so he could check the lines and whatever, but the benefit of that was that he set up my modem and wireless router for me for no extra charge. If you have a good landlord, maybe they'd be willing to let the cable company in to do their thing so everything will be ready to go when you get there.
 
Bumping this because I don't want it to go to the second page.

Packed my first box last night. I don't move for two months but man do I love packing :)
 
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