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Hi everyone. I am so glad I found this site! I have a dilemma about moving and unsure of best way to go about it. I am moving from TX to WA in December and need to plan the cost. I have a 9 year old son, 2 dogs (lab and mix breed who is slightly smaller). I am unsure best way to move looking at all the options. I am worried about how we will move dogs if we use a moving truck and drive/tow car ourselves and I am worried about cost to have someone drive moving truck for us and we drive car ourselves. I have a Mazda Tribute 2001 which has high mileage and I feel I would have to sell it for next to nothing so not sure what to do.
Options I'm considering:
1. Rent moving truck/car trailer and me, my son and 2 dogs drive the 2,000+ miles ourselves ($2500 for rental, gas - does not include, food, hotels etc)
2. Hire someone to move our things and we drive my car (expensive as dual gas and more to have someone drive truck)
3. Use Upack but this has worked out at $2776 and this is for "terminal to terminal" delivery whatever that means and would have extra costs to get me, son and animals to WA (drive or fly)
4. Rent truck and sell car for next to nothing (not sure if worth it)
5. Hire movers, sell car and fly (but may be unsafe for big dogs)
I don't know what to do and it is overwhelming to me. I am hoping someone can give me advice. I am hesitant to get rid of things as I made a big move from England 4 years ago and do not want to have to start over again getting new things. I will weed out things we don't really need or can be replaced cheaply but new sofas and beds etc it doesn't make sense to me to have to replace.
Any ideas on how to do this without losing my mind or wallet?
I would rule out #5 because you're right, flying can be dangerous for your dogs - and since you have other options, I wouldn't even consider that one. Plus, the cross-country drive will be fun with a 9-year-old. Seeing more of the country is a good thing!
I would also suggest you think hard before deciding to tow a car behind the truck. Just driving the truck will be different enough - then add in towing a vehicle behind? Will you be going over any mountain ranges? Have you ever driven a truck, pulling a trailer, going down a grade? It can be challenging, and scary. And know that the truck will use more gas if you tow something behind it.
If you love your high-mileage 2001 Mazda, then keep it! But if not, I might sell it. I keep hearing how good used cars are in short supply right now, so you might get more than you expect for it?
I have a relative who moved from Southern California to Seattle last year, and they towed a vehicle behind the moving truck - something they had done in the past, and so felt comfortable doing - but going over the mountain ranges was so tough, they are now saying never again. It was a scary drive. Your route from Texas may be better or worse - I don't know - but I would definitely suggest doing the research on the roads, and the elevation changes, if you decide to tow your car.
Another option would be to leave the car behind, and come back for it in a few weeks?
air travel with big dogs is aboslutly safe given the dogs are healthy, properly kenneld you use an airline thats got a good reputation with pets...
honeslty im currently in a similar situation, no kids but more pets planning a 1000 mile move, i looked into uhaul, budget, and all those truck rental places and priced them up, i took the price of the truck, plus the estimated gas milege (most sites will tell you how many mpg an emtpy truck will get, itll be much lower full and much lower than that if you tow a vehicle ontop...)
i then added on a couple of hours of labor on the other end to help unpack the big stuff...
i then prices parkrats, pods and a couple like that, and your right, the cost is quite prohibitive...especially ocnsidering they wont deliver the pod to some areas especially rural so i would then have to hire a truck on the other end and a couple of bodies to help me move everyhting to get it form the terminal to the house...
i then priced around some general moving company estimates both pack myself and have them pack/unpack...and you knwo wht i found?
it will actually work out about the same price to have a moving company put my stuff in the van, move it and unpack it on the other end for me as it would for me to hire the van and do it all myself...
so definatly dont assume a moving company will be more expensive, shop around and get some moving company estimates and see if it might be worht doing it that way.
my plan is to pack all the critters, some clothes, and imediate needs into my car, and have a moving company handle the rest...ill pack the boxes and they can move it to the truck to the house and into the house lol.
least you only have the 2 dogs, ive got 2 dogs, 2 cats, 2 keets and a macaw to move...
If you aren't used to driving in potentially bad December weather over mountain passes in a rental truck towing a car I would take that one off your list. Personally I think moves are stressful enough without having to sell one car, fly to a new place with kid and dogs, rent a car, buy a new car, get insurance, registration, blah, blah, blah. If you feel your car is still in good shape, have a mechanic check it over, have good tires and get a AAA membership.
December isn't a busy moving month so I would call the major moving companies, have them come out and give you a free quote. When I move I pack everything myself, but I've moved a lot and have never had anything break. I used to just pack things like clothes and linens, then have the movers pack dishes, glasses and art work. The can do quotes where you pack it all, they pack it all or they do a partial pack.
One thing to note if you do hire a moving company, be sure that the semi truck can get into the street where you live now and the one you are moving to. We had to use a smaller truck shuttle at our last house and it was an extra $800.
Thank you for all the replies. I think flying the dogs is out of the question as during December it is too cold and airline won't allow it if temp is 45 degrees or below in the areas traveling. The other thought is paying someone to move my things and drive my car and although it is much more expensive, it seems the only way to get my dogs to our new destination. I will be driving in winter the thought of towing a car AND driving a 20' or bigger truck does not sound nice at all!! I am going to call moving companies and see what they say. I thought of selling the car but then how do my dogs get to Spokane? I just need to win the lottery to make this move now!
I would save up every penny you can now to have the extra cushion for your move. It's better to eat pasta for the next 6 months and have extra money then to find yourself in a new place and in huge debt.
If your move is for a job and it's completed by December 31st you'll be able to write it off on your taxes.
If you believe it's safe to fly with big dogs PacificFlights, that's great. But I'm sure you've heard of cases where things went wrong, and while I don't have dogs, I've always had cats, I would just never drop my pet off at the gate, and let the airline handle it from there. I would MUCH prefer to drive my pet across the country.
Different stroked for different folks, but since the Original Poster had already expressed concern about it, clearly it's something she has trouble with too.
If you believe it's safe to fly with big dogs PacificFlights, that's great. But I'm sure you've heard of cases where things went wrong, and while I don't have dogs, I've always had cats, I would just never drop my pet off at the gate, and let the airline handle it from there. I would MUCH prefer to drive my pet across the country.
Different stroked for different folks, but since the Original Poster had already expressed concern about it, clearly it's something she has trouble with too.
I've driven two pets 1200 miles with no problem. I did get a sedative from the Vet for the trip. I also drove three pets 400 miles without a hitch and no sedation (two dogs and a cat! The cat slept the whole way). I would sure drive my pets somewhere before I'd fly them. Too much can go wrong, and this comes from someone who flew her two puppies from Iowa to Phoenix. Fortunately, the person on the other end knew what she was doing and does it for a living so my pups arrived just fine. They got "special handling" from the airlines. HOWEVER, even with the special handling, I found them in their crate in the baggage claim area alone.
I would not take a chance flying the pet. It's too stressful for the dog, particularly a big one. Also, you can't count on the employees to do what they are supposed to should the jet be diverted or cancelled. It's just too risky unless you absolutely have to.
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