Finally have a date to move!! (Anchorage, Whittier: hotels, trip , rent)

[CL99]

OK as a lot of you know that my husband and I were up there in January. Well being that I graduate from college in 62 days and counting we have finally set a date!! I think we are more excited about this than our wedding..LOL Anyways looks like the week of April 23.

The main question that has came up is... what is the best way to move up there?? We were thinking about selling everything and rebuying it, but we have just came to the point in our lives that we actually have decent furniture oh and bed.. Getting the big UHaul trailer is around $900, bad is my SUV will eat more gas, and more stressful drive. Plus we are worried how difficult it is going to be to go through customs??

Another option is to pay $4k and professionally ship all of our goods. Anyone has any opinnions on movers we have already talked to Continental Van Lines. Will it be worth the money and the headache?? That will take up most of our savings.

Thanks for the ideas!

Cynthia

[Manmountain]

Well, the alcan should be in great shape barring any bad weather.

Customs ; they may search your trailer hard , just open everything up and tell em look all ya want.

900$ for a uhaul one way to get all your stuff , isnt bad at all,

You have a month to sell all your stuff if you want and buy there.

$4,000 to ship a a bed and couches? dumb move unless its grandmas antiques worth $20,000. Your a young couple , $4000 is a lot of money for a young couple just starting out. You need $4000 at this point in your life a lot more than lamps and endtables.

Sounds like you may not want to part with a lot of belongings, ;

Id say go with the 900$ uhaul and sell what dosent fit, or sell or givaway a lot more and rent the smaller uhaul and tow it.

Dont let your posessions make your decisions for you. Cash is King in Alaska.

[Delaneyland]

Howdy CL, I moved my wife from AK to MN 4 years ago and it was quite a trip. I would suggest selling everything you think you'll not need, store what you think you might need, and take only the essentials. I ended up buying a 16' enclosed trailer in Anchorage (she had a LOT more stuff than she thought..) and driving the Al Can, entering through the POE near Harve, MT. We brought a number of firearms through (all long guns as handguns and loaded ammo are not allowed through CA) and I had all the paperwork ready when we hit the CA border. The experience we had was seamless going into CA and back into the US. I looked into a mover and the problem seemed to be they wait until they have a full truck so you really don't know when your stuff will arrive. We presently are considering moving back up there and I think the route I'll take this time is drive to Bellingham WA and take the ferry up. It really depends on how much stuff you have and how long you have to get there. I've driven there and back a few times and once you get west of Saskatchewan the scenery is something you'll never see elsewhere but if you're going up in April you won't find too many places (between cities) open until the tourist season opens. If you do decide to drive, I'd suggest entering CA through a larger POE as the smaller ones seem to be more difficult to get through without hassle. I entered once through Portal, ND at 1:30am and spent three hours watching the CA Customs tear apart my Surburban. If you're going to drive, take provisions and plan ahead, there are spots you won't find fuel or any services for a couple hundred miles. Another option is to wait till the tourist season begins, services are (more) available then. If you drive, buy a Milepost, its well worth thirty bucks.

[Rance]

I drove the Alcan last April and it was in great shape. I did hit a few blizzards just north of Edmonton. I wa shauling a truck load of stuff and pulling a trailer with a model T sedan also loaded with some antiques. All I ever had to do was show ID and the registration for my trailer. But be prepared to have them go through everything. Bring duct tape so you can re-seal boxes and whatnot if needed. Just make sure you have all your documentation (ID/passport, vehicle registrations) ready when you pull up to the window. Bring a camera and watch out for those darn bison! In April they are grazing in the ditches, which will be starting to show grassy areas due to melting snow.

*I went in and out of Portal on my trip and never spent more than 10 minutes there. Going south the border guard had lived in Whittier, so most time was spent BS'ing with him about Alaska. I had no trouble in April with hotels, fuel stops or eating. One place just into Canada even opened up at 1:00 AM and gave me a room for 75 bucks and the guy never even complained. I met awesome people through Canada and had just a picture perfect trip. Of course that model T on the trailer helped with starting many conversations through Canada. Met some terrific old timers at every fuel stop, and heard some great stories from the old days.

[CL99]

I have a Milepost both the 2007 and 06 issues. We would be entering through ND as it is the fastest route from KY plus we can stop overnight in IL to be with my parents. Really the only thing I don't want to get rid of is my 2 recliners, bed, big screen TV, movies, and clothes. When we got out of the Navy in November we got rid of so much and everything does fit in the Uhaul. Thats how we moved to my grandpas house. My other concern is pulling that much weight in my Xterra for that many miles. I rechecked the price for the uhaul it's $1200,and i do have a quote for $2100 for a prof. mover bonded/ins... We can wait we already have a place to live with a family friend. If needed I guess I would get rid of every thing, but i don't want to When would the tourist season begin... I could probably last here till end of May and finish my schooling with out moving around.. i'm taking my last 2 classes online. I am up for a possible federal job in AK, so some of this does weigh in on that too. Keep the ideas and opinions rolling in

Cynthia

[KWBoyd]

Keep in mind that furniture prices in Alaska are insane. When my husband and I redid our living room three years ago we went to Seattle to buy the furniture and shipped it up with Linden. It saved us a LOT of money to buy there instead of local. Just sayin'...

[CL99]

So they will take everything out of the trailer and search.. do they repack it in or do we.. because last time there wasn't an inch to spare and nothing moved around.

[CL99]

I do plan on taking my time on the trip and enjoying it. Week to 2 weeks, I have 2 dogs and a cat that will be with us. Already have the vet documentation for that. Just concerned about hotels, but I do have the milepost which has helped so far with the planning and there are a lot of ads for the hotels.

[Rance]

Back in 1986 when the wife and I drove up from Arkansas...they unloaded my truck and went through every box. Some young kid all gung ho. My wife was 7 months pregnant and we were in a 1951 chevy pickup. That guy wnet through everything and unpacked every box. Hour and a half later he says he's done and spins around to walk off. There had been an older guard there talking with us about Alaska the whole time...and he made the kid repack our boxes, and repack them in the back of the truck. That youngster was pissed. The older guy just winked at me and smiled. It cost us a couple hours but it was worth the humility the kid went through from the older guy! Last April I only had to show ID and we were gone in a minute.

[Manmountain]

my 2 recliners, bed, big screen TV, movies, and clothes.'';;;; Your quote'';;;;;;

Is the uhaul the littlest one? ?

$900 more and have it shipped? not to bad a difference= your up to 2100$

Does your exterra have a 4 cylinder or 6?

Take sleeping bags and a tent in case you dont want or find a motel it for 14 nights=== thats 700$ minimum.

You only need gas. so carry 10 gallons in cans just in case.

I'd 900$ or cheaper rent a uhaul and call it good........