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Old 03-26-2009, 01:32 AM
 
Location: Tucson, Arizona
1 posts, read 11,303 times
Reputation: 10

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I am new to this forum and have read many of the post over the past few days but am worried about the actual moving part...
I am in Tucson, Arizona and trying to figure out how to move to Anchorage hopefully in the summer. I do not want to nor can I afford to spend a small fortune on a moving company, I am uncomfortable with the idea of driving a Uhaul through Canada and Alaska and am pretty sure Uhaul would not appove either, and it is not an option to throw all my stuff away and buy new when I get there...
So does anyone know the best solution to how to get my belonging there for the least amount of trouble and money?
I have a vehicle that my teenage son and I will be driving with our cat and our dog. Yes, I know that we need to get passports and health papers for the dog and cat. It is just our belongings that are perplexing us...
The other thing was that I heard that I should drive a Uhaul to Washington then cargo it...wouldn't this be expensive as well?
Oh, yeah someone mentioned about Canadain insurance for my vehicle...is this something I can take care of with my insurance agent here before the trip?
Thank you in advance for any help you can offer, I really appreciate it
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Old 03-26-2009, 06:36 AM
 
Location: Colorado Springs, CO
218 posts, read 518,466 times
Reputation: 135
The cheapest I have found bar none has been ABF U-pack where you pack the truck yourself and they drive it up. It's still going to cost probably $4-5k for a one bedroom apartment. My quote from Columbus OH for a 2 bedroom leaving middle of June was $7k (for 10 linear feet of truck +/- $600 per additional linear foot). Most full service pack and move places were $10k+.

From what I've seen there really isn't a cheap way to do it, which is why a lot of people on these forums caution so strongly about making good plans before arriving and having a cushion of reserve cash to fall back on. If you can't hack the winters it's gonna be another $5k to get out.
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Old 03-26-2009, 02:35 PM
 
Location: Anchorage
25 posts, read 98,550 times
Reputation: 43
When I moved from GA to AK I just sold everything I had...except for a few precious items. It's cheaper and less hassle to get new beds, etc here. Plus there are a LOT of military folks who leave all the time and sell their stuff at a pretty good rate.

Good luck on the move and the decision.
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Old 03-26-2009, 03:13 PM
 
Location: Dangling from a mooses antlers
7,308 posts, read 14,687,636 times
Reputation: 6238
Load your stuff into a Uhaul. Drive up to Seattle. Go to one of the barge lines that goes to Anchorage. Send it the rest of the way on the barge. I like Northland Services. I use them a lot to ship stuff to Kethcikan. They have sailings all the way to Anchorage. Give them a call and they can fill you in on the details.

Northland Services
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Old 03-26-2009, 08:38 PM
 
Location: Navarre, FL
1 posts, read 11,267 times
Reputation: 11
We are also moving to Anchorage and waited too long to take the Alaskan Highway Ferry. We are now getting quotes from shipping services from Seattle to Anchorage. So far we have a quote of $4033 for a pick-up truck and enclosed trailer like a U Haul full. That quote is from Totum.
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Old 03-26-2009, 09:04 PM
 
1 posts, read 11,195 times
Reputation: 10
Try uship.com - I shipped two bedrooms, two cars + a BUNCH of other household & outdoor items from AK to MO for $7K total! I'm also shipping two pickups to Seattle fully packed to the brim for $1800. Commercial shippers - and even Uhaul prices - can't touch these prices!! You can list your shipment on uship.com for shippers to bid on. Most of the time they are bonded & insured - you can look at their info once they've bid & find out. You don't have to accept any of the bids, so it's a good way to gage how much you'll have to spend. I've used uship several times & have had really good experiences with the shippers. Best of luck to ya & enjoy AK!! I've been here 38 years - so it's time for me to get out for awhile
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Old 03-26-2009, 11:19 PM
 
145 posts, read 570,456 times
Reputation: 111
When we came up, we agonized over how to get our stuff here. I should say (sigh) that we SHOULD have left 90% of what we brought. Just sitting in the Connex. And, we sold/gave away tons of stuff before the move. In fact, if I'd come with the clothes on my back, I think overall it would have been cheaper and more practical.


BUT, after getting quotes from every type of conveyance, we bought a trailer. It worked out great as there was no great rush to unload the thing. And, believe me, after the drive we were in NO hurry to get out there and unload anything! When we did unload, we sold it for more than we paid for it.

If you think you could haul something, this might be a viable option.

Good luck with everything!

Deb
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Old 04-11-2009, 01:48 AM
 
40 posts, read 179,023 times
Reputation: 39
I have found that it is cheaper to move out of alaska then to move up here.
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Old 02-01-2010, 01:09 AM
 
31 posts, read 85,192 times
Reputation: 33
Quote:
Originally Posted by Meeghan View Post
I am new to this forum and have read many of the post over the past few days but am worried about the actual moving part...
I am in Tucson, Arizona and trying to figure out how to move to Anchorage hopefully in the summer. I do not want to nor can I afford to spend a small fortune on a moving company, I am uncomfortable with the idea of driving a Uhaul through Canada and Alaska and am pretty sure Uhaul would not appove either, and it is not an option to throw all my stuff away and buy new when I get there...
So does anyone know the best solution to how to get my belonging there for the least amount of trouble and money?
I have a vehicle that my teenage son and I will be driving with our cat and our dog. Yes, I know that we need to get passports and health papers for the dog and cat. It is just our belongings that are perplexing us...
The other thing was that I heard that I should drive a Uhaul to Washington then cargo it...wouldn't this be expensive as well?
Oh, yeah someone mentioned about Canadain insurance for my vehicle...is this something I can take care of with my insurance agent here before the trip?
Thank you in advance for any help you can offer, I really appreciate it
I drove through Canada and notified my insurance company that I would be and if they would cover me or not, they did and no extra fee. Also we drove a U-haul through Canada an they knew where we were going..in fact our trailer broke down in canada and we had to exchange it out for a new one, and the canadians were very nice and helped us. We dropped our trailer off at the uhaul near our new home in Alaska. So that is nothing to worry about. Furniture is more expensive here in AK..don't let people fool you..like they did me, I spent about $7000 to furnish my house!! I should have kept my old furniture that wasn't very old to begin with..and I didn't even go to the high end stores for that price....I went to Baileys furniture clearance store. The price to live here is outrageous and I wish I had never moved..i am going into debt faster that I know...never did that where we lived before...in fact I am leaving this frozen tundra as soon as the al can is safe to drive! re-think the move here seriously...the winters are long and hard and hell..people are not friendly...except in the summer...which is short. I wish i had never moved to this frozen hell.
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Old 02-01-2010, 01:49 AM
 
251 posts, read 679,956 times
Reputation: 61
People are not as friendly because to many people are moving up here and creating crowds, most alaskans dislike crowds and gridlocked traffic thats why we live in alaska. It now takes me like 25 min to drive 6 miles on the seward hwy from south anch to mid town in the morning, it never used to be that way 10-12 years ago. Now they have a huge over pass system at the palmer wasilla cut off because traffic is so bad.

As far as furnature you can look on craigslist when you get here which is way cheaper than any store for furnature. Anchorage is extremely expensive for the amenities that it has so you want to make sure you are comming up here with a very good job otherwise its not worth it.
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