NYC to Seattle/sightseeing/traveling with animal (Kirkland, Glacier: apartment, rentals)

[awleavingNYC]

Hi everyone. Thank you in advanced to anyone who can help me out!

I'm new to this. My husband and I are moving to Seattle from New York City in August, and we're just starting to research the move. While we're saving up for moving expenses, we are concerned with the price of moving.

Currently, we live in a small studio apartment, so we won't have much furniture to move. My brother in law is giving us an SUV, so we will drive that across country ourselves, doing a little sightseeing along the way. This is of course the ideal, and may not be the reality of moving.

1) What are our options for pack-ourselves/someone-else-moves type of move? since we live in the city, we can't have someone drop off a container. Would it be possible to have everything ready to load, and have someone come and pick it up? We'd be happy to hire laborers if that's necessary.

2) Anyone have an idea about how much this will cost us? If it's going to be super expensive, would it be more economically sound to drive the stuff across country ourselves and limit our sightseeing? If we do rent a uhaul-type vehicle, is it even possible to sightsee?

3) About the sightseeing (which is off-topic a bit, so i realize this might go unanswered): does anyone have experience with traveling with animals? We'll be moving with my small dog. And while we're staying with some family a few places a long the way, when we get towards the mountains, we'll be on our own out west. We want to spend a few days in some national parks (Yellowstone and Glacier). Does anyone have experience with traveling with pets in these areas? We know this would limit our time out of our vehicle. Or if it's possible to fine a kennel to watch the dog for a day or two on the outskirts?

I'm sure i'll have more questions as moving day grows closer. Thanks again!

[eastwesteastagain]

Originally Posted by awleavingNYC

3) About the sightseeing (which is off-topic a bit, so i realize this might go unanswered): does anyone have experience with traveling with animals? We'll be moving with my small dog. And while we're staying with some family a few places a long the way, when we get towards the mountains, we'll be on our own out west. We want to spend a few days in some national parks (Yellowstone and Glacier). Does anyone have experience with traveling with pets in these areas? We know this would limit our time out of our vehicle. Or if it's possible to fine a kennel to watch the dog for a day or two on the outskirts?

Hi awleavingNYC - welcome to Seattle from a fellow NYer! I don't think I'll be much help with #1 and #2 (we drove from NY to AL and from AL to WA, both times in a U-Haul type truck with multiple animals but on a pretty tight schedule , so no tourism for us!). U-Haul was the cheapest option for us at the time (5 yrs ago) - on the 4-day trip to WA we had 1 dog in the truck cab and 3 cats in a very large kitty-palace in the car. Having the pets with us definitely cut down on the mileage we were able to cover per day.

But as for accommodations - if you're a AAA member, you can plan your trip with TripTik and AAA will send you maps and specific guide books for the states you'll be traveling through. Each book has a list of hotels and whether they're pet friendly, if there's a charge for pet stay, etc. If you google "travel cross-country with dog" you can access a number of pet traveling message boards, including tips and past experiences with situations like yours. I would also check the nat'l park websites to see if they have any links to local resources for your dog (i.e., doggie daycare or a kennel). I have a vague memory of this info being available from times we took our dogs camping with us.

I'm actually in the middle of planning a cross-country move from WA to PA with now 2 dogs and 3 cats (and a baby!) - I'd be happy to share my findings with you as I continue to research - feel free to direct message me if you'd like.

[Ira500]

I did a cross country trip from Seattle to New Jersey and back a few months ago, with our grouchy old dog. A couple of very pet friendly lodging chains are Red Roof Inn and La Quinta...There are many hotels/motels which allow dogs, but a lot have exorbitant, non refundable dog fees. LaQuinta doesn't charge at all, they are all over the country, and most of them are pleasant and nice.

[awleavingNYC]

thanks for all the help thus far! we are so very grateful!

[implnner]

We are also planning a summer move fr NY (upstate) w/2 kids and 2 poodles. We are definitely planning on driving thru Yellowstone and making the most of our "cross-country jaunt" on the way.

KOA campgrounds are pet friendly. Of course, the pet does need to be contained. I had been planning on buying one of those SUV tents and using that, but my dad said that the further west, he would definitely not recommend that (due to bears).

Most KOA campgrounds offer kamping cabins. If you go onto the main KOA website, underr "Cabin Rentals and Accomodations", hit enter for the U.S. and it brings up a map with KOA locations. I checked a couple of states already, and found that the rates were no more expensive than a hotel. There are many across SD, a few right off of I-90.

I don't know how your pet is about being in the car for a long time, but I found a pill that helps: Happy Traveler. It works for about 4 hours at a time. Just enough to take the "edge" off. Also, when researching on the NPS website, I did read that you are not allowed to take your pets more than 100' off the road (not specific, but close). At Mt Rushmore, they do have a parking garage with shaded spots and a pet exercise area.

I hope this helps! I know I will plan everything to a "t", and then real life will hit along the way

[implnner]

I just found that the KOA website also has a "Plan Your Trip" function, which is kind of like a triptik w/KOA locations.

[ElektroDragon]

I moved a 1100sqft house from the Hudson Valley in NY to Kirkland last year. $8000 with United. Then drove for 5 days in the car with my wife and 2 cats on I-90 all the way over. An amazing experience. When I stopped at a rest area deep in the Cascades, IT FELT LIKE HOME, more than NY ever did.....

And yes, La Quinta is AWESOME for Pets.... stayed there amost exclusively. No pet charges or anything. Make sure you stop and see The Badlands (wow!), Mt Rushmore, and Devils Tower. I think I loved Wyoming and Montana the best, after WA of course.

[awleavingNYC]

i'm officially hooked on city-data! you posters have provided more information than i could ever find elsewhere! Thanks again!