My daughter and I have been very busy shopping for her dorm room for her first year of college. She is going out of state, halfway across the country. My husband and I will be driving her, and all her stuff, at the end of August.
We're planning on doing so in our Ford Escape, which is not exactly huge, but gets wonderful gas mileage since it's a hybrid. We don't want to have to pull a trailer because that's a bit of a pain when it comes to parking along the way...plus the extra weight would add to the already-astronomical price
of fuel.
My husband, Joe, just looked at everything we have purchased so far (which is all currently being stored on portable tables in our basement) and asked, "Are you two done shopping yet, because it looks like we're hitting the maximum storage space in the car."
We're almost done, but I told him that the current pile didn't include clothes/shoes (Amanda's, plus the clothing Joe and I need for the trip), toiletries, or cleaning supplies.
We decided that we'll buy the toiletries and cleaning supplies when we get there after the car is unloaded. But we did need to pack the clothes and shoes.
Joe then said, "We're going to have to pack the car before the trip (maybe this weekend) so we can see if we can fit everything we have. Don't forget, we have to be able to see out of the windows!"
Even though the thought of packing the car in July, unpacking the car, and then re-packing the car in August sounds like an exhausting thought, I know he's right.
That being said, we certainly don't want to wait until the day we have to leave for that trip to find out that we have a problem.
Sometimes, things have to be done twice (a practice run and then the real thing) to save time and frustration later.
To give us the best chance for success during the practice run...
- We purchased a waterproof rooftop cargo carrier. This will give us additional storage space.
- We purchased space-saver compression bags so anything cloth (clothes, jackets, comforter, etc.) can be compressed as much as possible so they don't require as much room as they would
normally.
- We removed a few items that I know our daughter won't need immediately when she gets there...winter jacket, boots, etc. Joe and I are visiting her (we're flying there) for Parents Weekend at the end of September, so we can bring these items then.
I'll keep you posted on this project. Wish us luck...we need it!
