Quote:
Originally Posted by D
Mine was done a bit different than most ways...
When I did it, I pre-arranged working gigs (bartending at the time), packed everything in my car, and spent the next 3 months driving across the country.
I saved up a couple grand for emergencies, and lived off of the tips I made as I stopped in each major city along the 10.
Had all the paychecks sent to my new address, so that by the time I got there, I already had 3 months worth of 20-30 hour minimum wage weeks (along with about 3/4 of the 2 grand I had to start) waiting for me to help me get set up in my new place.
Arguably, the best trip of my life.
And I actually turned a profit off of it all. :-)
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Dude, that's awesome. I've done similar shit before, but always ended up out of pocket in the end. Not that I cared, because those trips are worth more than any price you can name, in most cases!
I've moved a few times, to understate what could be a book. It really depends on what you have and how much you're willing to do yourself.
I've moved a 1 bedroom from Florida to Milwaukee with a 26' uhaul and a car dolly and it cost me about a grand after equipment and boxes/gas/food. I did all the packing and loading myself.
I also moved a 2 bedroom from Chicago to Mississippi, and it cost about the same... but I lost $3k worth of saltwater aquarium on that trip, so the bottom line is arguable.
I guess, since you're asking the question here, it comes down to the bare-bones price.
Check the price of a uHaul, and then mapquest your trip. Cross-Country can mean a lot of things, but I'm going to assume you mean coast to coast.
San Diego CA to Charlotte NC is
2386 miles. If you can split the driving with a friend, great, otherwise you'll have to stop at hotels or coordinate your shifts with truckstops (showers!) and rest-stops (sleep!). driving a uHaul, towing a vehicle, and accounting for he inevitable road construction you will encounter along the way when driving cross country, you can plan on being on the road for at least 28 hours. (Mapquest says 35, but mapquest drives like old people fuck.)
Anyway, while you can drive more than 12 hours at a shift, it's fucking stupid when you're driving something that big, especially if you're towing a car. Don't do it. If you're new to cross country driving, in fact, stick to 10 or less. Not only is all your shit at risk - you're jepordizing small children and people's mothers when you start pushing yourself too far behind the wheel of something like that.
Just don't do it.
Sorry... back to the topic. If you are driving alone, and want to stay in hotels, you have two choices.
1, call ahead and get rates for the hotels you plan on staying at.
2, figure $75 a night average, assuming you are ok with staying at Shady Lane's.
I just realized I'm rambling here....
And I'm off for the night. I've got a ton more where that came from.
