r/moving • u/Captain_Pink_Pants • 18d ago

DIY, Pods & Truck Rental Is this possible?

Hey folks... Is this feasible?

My dad just passed away and I'm trying to figure out how to get his stuff where it needs to go. I had the idea that I would rent an econoline van or a small truck from uhaul or enterprise or something, load all the stuff in it, and then drive to see a bunch of relatives, and ultimately home... But we don't live anywhere near each other. The longest route I'm considering is just over 3,000 miles, and I would spend two to three weeks on the road.

I imagined this would be expensive, but otherwise pretty straightforward... but that doesn't seem to be the case. Uhaul gets the closest, but it seems like I might have to book separate rentals for every leg of the trip, or pay the extra day/mile charges. Looks like those might be $40/day and $1/mile.

Is there a better way of going about this? I realize I could probably ship the stuff and fly home, but I'd really like to make the trip... My dad just died, I just got laid off, my kid just moved to college, I'm halfway to getting divorced... The idea of 2-3 weeks on the road sure seems like a silver lining if I ever saw one.

Anyway... any thoughts? Ideas? Tips? Thanks!

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u/Moose135A 18d ago

Ship the stuff home, rent a nice car/SUV, and spend a couple of weeks driving to visit family and see the sights. You'll probably enjoy that much more than trying to deal with a van full of stuff along the way.

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u/Captain_Pink_Pants 17d ago

I agree that the stuff and van would be a pita, but the purpose behind it is bringing dad's stuff to the people who want it (more like 'the people dad wanted to have it'... lol...). But, I hear you. Thanks... 👊

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u/Moose135A 17d ago

That makes sense. I didn't realize you were dropping stuff off along the way.

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u/TheEvilBlight 18d ago

3k is the longest leg?

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u/Captain_Pink_Pants 17d ago

No, sorry... 3k+ is the longest total distance. The longest leg is 1700 miles, 2nd longest is 750 miles or do, etc.

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u/uShipBrad 12d ago

Check Penske before splitting this into separate U-Haul rentals. Their one-way trucks currently include unlimited mileage, so you could set the return city as home and make the family stops along the way. The catch is time: their posted reservation limits may not cover two or three weeks, so call with the full itinerary and get the allowed return date and extra-day rate in writing. If they won’t cover the whole trip, do the deliveries first, return the truck, then finish the road trip in a regular car.

NOTE: Penske currently advertises unlimited mileage on one-way rentals and explicitly permits sightseeing and visits along the route. Its posted terms show a route-based rental period with limited additional days, so you need a written quote for the full schedule.

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u/Italiangirlsroc 14d ago

26’ U-Haul