My daughter will be starting college in Washington DC in August and we're trying to choose between driving down and flying. Please help us strategize our travel plans.

The cheapest flight, on Air Tran to BWI, allows quite a generous 3 pieces of checked luggage per person, which would take care of most of her stuff and I would probably ship the rest. Getting all that stuff from BWI to her dorm in DC would probably entail renting a car (I found a mid-size at Budget for under $50 for 2 days, cheaper than a cab).

If we drive down, that would take up the whole day before check-in (it's a 7 - 8 hour drive) and we'd have to rent a hotel room (dorm check in is 8AM-3PM) so it would cost about the same and probably be MUCH greater hassle factor. (Daughter does not drive, for medical reasons, so Mom would do all the driving both ways!)

So, whaddaya think -- should we fly/ship? She's the first family member to attend college so far from home, we're new at this, any experience/insights would be appreciated.

I would drive. In my experience the amount of stuff that you have to take to college with you expands exponentially in the last few weeks before departure - and a lot of it (TV, DVD player, microwave, etc) is really suitable for neither checking nor shipping.

The only "hardware" she's bringing is her laptop computer, which doubles as her DVD player. No microwave, etc. We do plan to provide a little TV, which we'll buy after arrival if we fly (they have discount stores in DC, too!); the roommate is providing a little fridge. The rooms are 10 by 12, there just isn't space for a lot of stuff.

This is a girl who can pack for 2 weeks in Hawaii or 3 weeks in Europe in her carryon (and not the 40-pound types that everyone likes to complain about). Since she's not accustomed to checking luggage at all, the concept of having SIX good-sized pieces available does seem generous, perhaps I'll have her do a dry run to see how realistic that is.

I agree - drive. I would also BEG, do whatever it takes, etc., to get a friend to come along for driving, helping and for company on the return trip.

p.s. - later in the year, looking into Amtrak.com for her trips home on break. You might even find a good "rail sale" on occasion (look for Miami - Boston)

We usually do trake the train to dc, and she has a big, early Christmas break, so we'll check that. But she prefers flying, and the current $130 RT fare is pretty good.

fly, absolutely! the traffic right before college starts along the east coast is awful!! I've made that drive several times. It can be solid bumper to bumper (sometimes slow, sometimes breakneck speed bumper to bumper) the entire way up and back. After a few years of that, my DC college student came up and back all on his own. Coming home, the kids can use shippers for the extra stuff (and they come home however they can.)

Always a challenge fitting everything a college bound kid needs - even in a mini van. Just keep in mind that once on their own, they tend to accumulate a lot of c...p - all of which takes up a lot more space than realistically exists. We've done the NY to Boston and thankfully only have one year left!!

You might consider, as many of my sons college friends have, storing some of those bulky items for the summer. My son stores his fridge for $50, while his roommate (Texas) stores his chair, bike, bedding, etc for a little more.

I know what the drive is from Boston to NY and am very familiar with NY to DC - if you can at all avoid the drive, do it! Good luck!

Unless you've bundled a bunch of other kids off to college before, I'm guessing that if you put her on the plane, you'll immediately wish you had another day or two with her before she's officially "away." Ship all you can, but: Drive. That last trip with her will be something you'll both remember EVEN IF it includes crappy traffic and money spent.

I may be wrong, but it sounded like you were all going to fly down together. If that is the case, saying goodbye is difficult enough without having an exhausting drive in addition to it.

From my own experience bringing them to school, helping them set up and then getting a bite to eat before retreating to a hotel for the night was helpful for us as the parents. Then, the next morning we would have breakfast together, take a walk with our college student who was anxious to get into the swing of things and then say goodbye - a short goodbye! Just remember, they will be happy to see you for parents weekend and even happier to come home in December!

Drive. (I have son who starts college in Sept.). Even my son, who thinks bringing toothpaste for his toothbrush on a weekend trip is overpacking, is starting to accumulate "stuff" that he must have for college. Far diffferent mindset for staying at college than a trip; you may be surprised at how much you actually have to haul.

I will be driving my son alone from Boston to Savannah (our daughter starts HS the same days and we think one of us should be home with her to deal with trauma and drama of starting HS). I am looking forward to the trip south as a rite of passage - the trip back north alone may have me a bit sad.

seetheworld, that's my experience with older sib. We had ten minutes to park the car, unload, and get out of the way for the next family -- if we wanted to, we could park in a distant university-owned garage and come back to help, and that was pretty much the college's only acknowledgment that the kids HAD parents.

BUT the college in DC has a two-day orientation with a specific schedule for parents! Meet the advisor, presentation for parents on how to help your child adjust, etc., etc. etc. It sounds very clingy and pamperish to me but I wouldn't put her on the plane by herself, so I'll go to the whole 2-day thing. One of the things she liked about this school was their caring atmosphere, so I'll go with the flow. But I really don't expect her to want to have dinner with ME on that second evening on campus, maybe not even the first!

We have distant relatives in the DC area who would probably let her store a few boxes at their place for summers.

Anonymous, distant relatives are a good thing - wish I had some in Boston! Is she your baby? My baby is leaving in September...boo hoo

Sometimes trial and error is the only way to figure something like this out. Whatever you do, she will be excited, a little nervous, but mostly excited. It sounds like the school has a nice weaning, I mean transitional program in place - and that is a good thing.

If you fly, you might also want to check out independence air (flyi.com) which is a new low-cost airline that flies Boston-Dulles (it's not really a new airline-- they used to fly under a contract with United).

I generally find Dulles an easier airport to deal with than BWI, but YMMV.

Thanks for the suggestion, Doh, though the one time we've flown into Dulles it seemed to take forever to get into the city. Anyway, I checked them out but found cheaper tickets on AirTran. Yes, we've decided to fly. My car and I just aren't up for the drive.

We're going to rent a car for 24 hours after we arrive -- go shopping for bulky stuff (pillows, TV, laundry baskets, etc.) on Wednesday afternoon and evening, and move in on Thursday AM. So my next question is this: where can I find a big varied collection of those "big box stores" (Home Depot, Bed Bath and Beyond, Target, Costco, etc.) all in one place, preferably near DC in MD?

At the intersection of Rt. 1 and the Beltway (College Park, MD), there is a Home Depot and Bed/Bath/Beyond together in the same shopping plaza (along with starbucks, restaurants, etc.)- JUST inside the beltway. From there 1/4 mile north on Rt. 1, JUST outside the beltway is an IKEA. Between these 3 big box stores you should be set. Very convienient and easy to get to.

Thanks for the tip, bardo, that's what we need.

My daughter has agreed to provide a mini-TV since her roommate is bringing a little fridge (the rooms are SMALL). Anyplace near there for basic electronics (like Best Buy, Costco)? We don't have IKEA where we live, she's totally psyched about the possibility of picking up a lamp or closet stuff there!

There's a Best Buy atop the Tenley Circle Metro Station on Wisconsin Avenue in NW DC. It is pretty close to AU, and not more than a few miles driving from GW and G'town.

Yes. From Ikea/Home Depot/BBB get back on the Beltway and go east for ONE exit to Rt. 201 South (Kenilworth Ave). Once on Rt. 201, stay to far right. Take Rt. 201 south for 1/4 mile to Rt. 193 west (Greenbelt Rd). Go west on 193 for 1/4 mile and there is a Target (and more) on your right. This is also called Beltway Plaza Mall. All and all about 2 miles from Ikea/Home Depot/BBB and very close to Beltway.

Meant to mention that IKEA will have just about everything (except TV - go to Target for that), including office suppies, linens, etc. Since you don't have one nearby, check out their website to get an idea of all they carry:
http://www.ikea-usa.com/

Re: Bed Bath & Beyond

Gather up all of those 20% off coupons that Bed Bath sends out. Tell your friends to save them for you.

You can use up to 12 coupons at a time (for 12 different items).

That can add up to big savings when filling up dorm room.