WI to CA travel with 2yr old

I'll chime in here about the gasoline situation. Normally, there are services every few miles on the freeways. Yes, they always tell you, "Next services, 35 miles", if that's the case. The longest place I can think of without services is between Green River, UT and Salina, UT, which is 108 miles. There are signs before Green River (heading west) and before Salina (heading east), to warn you.

My hubby and I always try to look for fuel when we get to about 1/2 tank. That way, if we need to wait until we're 1/4 tank down, we have a little leeway. We use several methods, most recently our gasbuddy app, to find nearby reasonable fuel. But I also use gasbuddy on our laptop, each night before, to get a good idea of where we can find decent priced fuel. (I dislike getting fuel one place, 20 gallons worth, and then find it 15c less per gallon 20 miles down the road!)


Donna

Thanks again everyone! You out my mind to ease more than I can express. Also, never heard of the gasbuddy app, I'll have to look into that!

Hello everyone,
I am new to this forum and had one previous thread that this community helped me with and you are all so encouraging, so here is another green horn question for everyone! My husband and I are moving from the Green Bay, WI area to Redding, CA at the end of August for a year for my husband's job. I will have a little one with us and need some advice on packing. First, I want to have some snacks for my kid and I need some Almond Milk since she does not deal with dairy well and finding that is harder than just stopping at gas stations and getting regular cow's milk. There are smaller containers of that which do not have to be refrigerated, and also other snacks (like apples, fruit sippers that come in a pouch, ect) that don't need refrigeration; however, not needing to stay cold and being ok in a hot car while we let my daughter run around ect. is different so I figure we might need a cooler. We have limited room and a cooler seems obnoxious to keep up with, plus would we just need to keep buying ice as we go to fill it? Any other easier ideas?
Also, on the limited space issue: what do you suggest as something we could use for extra storage? We will be using a Ford Expedition. Renting a trailer for both moving there and moving back after the year is over seems as expensive as just buying something (not to mention I have NEVER driven with a trailer) and when we get to our destination it adds another step in having to return it then rent one again before we leave. A good hard top luggage carrier seems very expensive. I saw some soft case luggage carriers that go on a platform on the back of the truck with seem like they would work, but I have no experience with any of these options. Thanks is advance for your help and advice :)

Moderator Note: Please keep all questions about this trip in the same thread.

I can't really answer the question regarding the platforms for the back of a truck or the soft-sided rooftop carriers, as our experience was with a hard-top roof carrier YEARS ago in the early 80s. But about the ice situation...

A couple of dollars a day for ice to keep your snacks and drinks cold isn't that big of an expense on a shorter trip. (It adds up if you were talking about a trip longer than a month.) Why not get the smallest cooler (which can be filled discreetly at the motel) and keep only the day's supply of the Almond Milk needed, and a few snacks, cold? Also, every larger town or any city should have a grocery store close to the freeway or to your motel. When we need a grocery store that's larger than a convenience store, we ask at the motel, where is the nearest supermarket or grocery store? I find it an adventure to shop at the local stores when I only need a few things. It's almost a disappointment to find a Super Wal-Mart or Super Target, as "they all look alike!" with the exception of the lower prices that I know to expect.

You're brave, to move that far for only a year. Even our military moves left us in one place for 2 years minimum.


Donna

Another app to get: hotels.com. VERY handy when you're looking for cheap digs for overnight. My husband has it for Android -- and when he upgrades to an iPhone, we'll get that and gasbuddy again. (I think I'm getting his old phone so that he can continue playing his game. I have a dumb phone now.)


Donna

I have a small cooler that I think would work well, thanks for the tips about the motel ice (I had forgotten about that fact). I know I am asking some silly questions, I am just stressed and wanting to make sure I am not missing something that could make things go smoother. Gasbuddy and hotels.com are now loading on my phone!
Sorry about posting in a different thread, I thought perhaps I was getting too off topic from my original question and making a new thread would make it easier. Thanks for the correction.

If it is only for a year, why not leave your stuff in storage and get some cheap stuff to see you through the year. You could easily utilise something like Craigslist or Goodwill stores. You'd probably spend as much as you would with the trailer etc., without all the hassle.

Although we never had to make a large move, even when we went camping for two or three weeks with our five children we never carried anything on top of or at the back of our VW Microbus (commonly called a Kombi). Tents, tarps, ropes etc was all packed under the seats. The rest was packed behind the back seat on top of the engine, secured with a net so it could not become missiles in a mishap. What did not fit, did not come.

Lifey

My daughter and her husband and their three children make regular international trips. One thing she does to prepare the children, now aged 8, 5 and 3, is with books and stories. She goes to the library and gets out book from the children's section, which deal with travel and with the places they plan to visit or the the things they plan to do. Even about the 14 hour plus flight.

These then become bedtime reading for months leading up to the departure. Even the youngest talks excitedly and with anticipation of the trip. Story time at home is handled likewise, with stories the parents have read or heard. I am sure you will find your daughter would be interested in age appropriate information about the forthcoming trip.

Lifey

There's an ongoing discussion about using ice or not on road trips -- that you might find helpful -- Personally, I've not used ice in over a decade -- but more on the topic here.

Of more importance -- here is a great, quick-reading article about what to put in your cooler when on road trips.... (contributed by Dennis Weaver).

And a general list of cooler tips contributed by Sofia Romano.

Mark

I found this when perusing articles....
Car Top/Back Carriers article.

I had forgotten it existed on this website.


Donna