Moving East to West w/ 3 kids, 2 dogs, 2 cats. HELP. (job, Uhaul, fuel)

[Flamingomo]

So it looks as though we will finally be making our move this summer to CA. I just have no idea where to start. My husband has a job lined up, so that is not the problem. Here are some questions and my situation, I hope you can all answer for me or at least direct me to the right place:

We wanted to drive cross country and take Route 66 and see some of the sights along the way and have a nice family vacation. We have a large SUV, but not sure how to go about this with our Great Dane, a small dog and two cats in tow, along with my three children. We planned on renting a small UHaul to bring our suitcases, etc. There is a large space in the back of the SUV where the dogs can be, but not sure where to put the cats during the move. We thought about renting an RV for the trip but these are really expensive to just do a one way trip. Any suggestions in that area would be appreciated. Also if you have any suggestions where to stay/eat/sightsee along the route would be appreciated.

A good friend of ours has offered to drive our stuff cross country for us and we will pay for his flight back. Can anyone suggest the cheapest rental company for such a move? And where it would be safe for him to stop overnight so our truck would not get broken into. He would be getting there before us and a few friends will be meeting him there to help unload. We have awesome friends.

We would likely be looking for a month to month rental or at the very most a year, but has anyone ever rented anything sight unseen or just by photos? We will more than likey get a realtor but it will cost us a fortune to fly out as a family to house hunt and we would rather not have to endure another cost.

We currently own two SUV's and will be driving one and shipping one, but I was thinking it might save us money if we sold one and just bought another when we got there. I did get a good quote of $800 to ship the car, but I had read that CA taxes you alot on vehicles that are brought in from out of state and having to pay for both might be expensive. Besides my husband was looking to downsize to a more fuel efficient car since he will be driving about two hours round trip a couple times a week.

And in the meantime we need to sell our house, pack it up, clean it out and put some things in storage that we dont' really need right now. We are not bringing alot of our furniture with us as it has gotten worn over the past ten years and we figure that a smaller truck will save us money and then we can just get new stuff when we get there if we feel we need it. We have planned on leaving right after settlement since we will not have anywhere else to be anyway.

WHEW ... okay, that got alot longer than I expected. Thanks in advance for your help!

[sll3454]

Cats do not like family vacations. Get them to their new home and save the vacation for another time. If you get a hotel room and leave the cats in it while you explore, you still have the risk that the someone at the hotel will make the mistake of opening the door to clean. And, unless you decide to take an RV, there is no other safe way to take cats with you - you can't leave them in the car or take them to see the sights. If you do take an RV, you'll need to run the air conditioning for the cats while you are sightseeing.

Eat breakfast before you begin for the day, take food for lunch with you in the car, and get the cats into the hotel room before you go out for dinner. The cats can't be left in the car while you eat in a restaurant. The cats should be in their carriers the entire time they are in the car, and the kids need to understand they must not let them out. When you stop for gas and bathroom breaks, someone can stay with the car so the windows can be left partway down.

Check the hotel room for hidey-holes before you let the cats out. (Do your cats and dogs get along?) Don't let the kids open the door - only adults may open the door.

Better yet, take both cars. One parent can drive the kids and the dog; the other can take the cats (maybe one kid). Get two hotel rooms. Or let your friend take the cats.

Take I-40 or I-10, whichever will be shortest and fastest, and get it over with. It will be bad enough without the stress of a vacation.

[pooterposh]

Originally Posted by sll3454

Cats do not like family vacations. Get them to their new home and save the vacation for another time. If you get a hotel room and leave the cats in it while you explore, you still have the risk that the someone at the hotel will make the mistake of opening the door to clean. And, unless you decide to take an RV, there is no other safe way to take cats with you - you can't leave them in the car or take them to see the sights. If you do take an RV, you'll need to run the air conditioning for the cats while you are sightseeing.

Eat breakfast before you begin for the day, take food for lunch with you in the car, and get the cats into the hotel room before you go out for dinner. The cats can't be left in the car while you eat in a restaurant. The cats should be in their carriers the entire time they are in the car, and the kids need to understand they must not let them out. When you stop for gas and bathroom breaks, someone can stay with the car so the windows can be left partway down.

Check the hotel room for hidey-holes before you let the cats out. (Do your cats and dogs get along?) Don't let the kids open the door - only adults may open the door.

Better yet, take both cars. One parent can drive the kids and the dog; the other can take the cats (maybe one kid). Get two hotel rooms. Or let your friend take the cats.

Take I-40 or I-10, whichever will be shortest and fastest, and get it over with. It will be bad enough without the stress of a vacation.

I agree here. I have three cats and moved twice. Cats are sensitive and everything she says is true. Maybe your friend can take the cats and another friend can care for them until you get there. But mostly save the vacation for another time...you have a big responsibility here and the stress will already be the breaking point (1 husband, 3 kids, 2 dogs and 2 cats not including any PMSing going on about that time) and all crammed into an SUV. The only way to even consider the "vacation" part is to get the cats safely to their new location.

[DaniellaG]

I have had my car shipped many times and it is so important to make sure they are insured and it is up to date. I would have them fax you a copy of it. I have had problems where my car came damaged and even with them being insured they did not want to pay. 800 seems very cheap. I would also look on the Better Business to see if there are any major complaints.
I would not rent a place without seeing it. Much of what you see in pics in not what you will see in person so to speak. I moved to CA this summer and stayed in a hotel while I looked for a rental which I know will be harder with a family but if it all possible I would try. You can research before and make apts to view places.

[Flamingomo]

Thank you all so much!

Great idea about the cats going with our friend! I never thought about that! He has watched our animals plenty fo times when we ahve gone out of town and traveled with his as well, but it was just him and his wife as they have no children. That would be less stressful for all of us if we didn't need to find room for them as well. We weren't planning on eating in restaurants aside maybe for dinner, but we were going to leave the dog in the hotel when we did.

We still want to take Route 66 and see what is along there. I know friends of ours have just taken their dog on a leash with them while they explored the country. We don't plan on driving more than 10 hours per day with plenty of stops for bathroom breaks, stretching and letting the kids run off some steam. We are not under any time limits at all and we feel that taking our time would be alot less stressful than trying to rush and get there and make ourselves overly tired in the process.

Our cars have never been, nor ever will be, uninsured, but I never even thought about the company being insured being a problem. I never thought about damage done. I guess taking photos prior the shipping is a good idea. But still, we may sell it, which would help with some moving costs and then purchase a less expensive, more fuel effecient car once we got there.

Anymore tips would be greatly appreciated.

[Va-Cat]

Originally Posted by Flamingomo

Thank you all so much!

Great idea about the cats going with our friend! I never thought about that! He has watched our animals plenty fo times when we ahve gone out of town and traveled with his as well, but it was just him and his wife as they have no children. That would be less stressful for all of us if we didn't need to find room for them as well. We weren't planning on eating in restaurants aside maybe for dinner, but we were going to leave the dog in the hotel when we did.

We still want to take Route 66 and see what is along there. I know friends of ours have just taken their dog on a leash with them while they explored the country. We don't plan on driving more than 10 hours per day with plenty of stops for bathroom breaks, stretching and letting the kids run off some steam. We are not under any time limits at all and we feel that taking our time would be alot less stressful than trying to rush and get there and make ourselves overly tired in the process.

Our cars have never been, nor ever will be, uninsured, but I never even thought about the company being insured being a problem. I never thought about damage done. I guess taking photos prior the shipping is a good idea. But still, we may sell it, which would help with some moving costs and then purchase a less expensive, more fuel effecient car once we got there.

Anymore tips would be greatly appreciated.

You do know that most of the original Route 66 is gone right?

[msjack]

Do not rent a place without seeing it first! I did this and have regretted it from the day I moved in. Pictures can make things seem a lot nicer than they really are. I rented what I believed to be a nice house, since the pictures looked really good. Wow, was I wrong. They took all the pictures at the right angles and you can't see detail in pictures. If you do decide to do this, make sure you ask a lot of questions. Not only were the pictures deceiving, they painted the entire house a week before we moved in in awful, non neutral colors. Never thought to ask about that, as I thought we were getting what we saw. Awful experience. Thankfully, I'm moving in a few months and can't wait. Just be very cautious. Good luck!

[Flamingomo]

Originally Posted by Va-Cat

You do know that most of the original Route 66 is gone right?

What do you mean gone? It still shows up on the map as going from Chicago to California. Is it closed off or are parts shut down?

[Upstate Nancy]

I moved cross country with a dog and 3 cats--2 cats in 1 kennel and the other (prima donna) by herself, with the dog in another kennel. We drove only to dinner time and then got the animals in the room safe and sound, then ate ourselves. We seldom told the hotels, just brought them in--they were quiet and very good pets, but to have to figure out who takes pets and who doesn't was beyond my ability to manage with everything else going on. Just make sure they're secured in their kennels and hotel room door secured when you stop. They never pee'd till we got them in the room w/ their litter box out. We took the dog on a leash after we stopped, then fed her and got her settled in.

[PacificFlights]

Originally Posted by Flamingomo

What do you mean gone? It still shows up on the map as going from Chicago to California. Is it closed off or are parts shut down?

Parts of Old Route 66 has been absorbed into modern roads. If you follow the Route, you will see many sections that just bear the name Route 66 but maybe miles and miles of Interstate highways . Other sections have gone from the sleepy 2 lane rural route to some major 6 lane, traffic light infested, thourofare with Shopping centers, auto dealers, office buildings and WalMarts . Of course there are section where you better heed the "Next service X miles" signs .