3 Tips for Packing Up for the Summer

Finishing the semester and heading home for the summer is exciting — you’ll be looking forward to having a break from schoolwork and seeing your hometown friends. However, there are some chores to do before you go home, one of which is packing up for the summer. To make this process as smooth as possible, there are a few things you need to do.

1. Decide What to Take

If you’re living in dorms, you may need to take everything. An alternative is to find storage, either on campus (if this is something your school offers) or elsewhere. If you have friends in the same situation, you may be able to share a storage unit with them to save money. A final option is to ask a friend living in a student apartment to store some of your belongings over the summer.

If you live in off-campus housing, you should be able to leave everything you don’t need over the summer in your student apartment. However, this doesn’t mean you don’t need to do any planning. For one thing, you may have accumulated many things during the time you’ve been at college, meaning your total number of belongings will be much greater than when you arrived. For this reason, it’s important to start thinking about packing up for the summer ahead of time.

2. Consider How You’ll Be Going Home

To avoid problems, start making travel arrangements as early as possible. Several factors will influence how you’ll go home, including the transport available to you, the amount of things you need to bring, and the distance you’re travelling.

If you have your own car, this is the obvious choice. Even so, you’ll need to make some preparations, especially if you’re taking a long trip. For instance, you should clean out the car to ensure there’s enough space for everything. It’s also worth receiving an inspection to reduce the risk of a breakdown. If your car won’t be completely full, you may be able to offer another student a ride and split the cost of fuel to save money.

If you don’t have your own vehicle, your options may include asking your parents to pick you up or asking another student for a ride — again, the amount of belongings you each have will influence whether this is feasible. You may also like to consider public transport or flying (although this is only likely to be an option if you’re able to leave some of your possessions behind).

3. Make a To-Do List

Create a to-do list with all the tasks you need to complete before you leave. Bear in mind you’ll have a lot going on at the end of the semester, meaning you may need to start working through your list early. It’s best to write dates for when you want to complete the tasks on your to-do list to ensure you stay on track.

One important task to include is laundry. Once you’ve washed all your clothing and bedding, pack it — leaving out just what you need for your final week at college. Another task is to use up food. Make sure you consume, throw out, or give away anything perishable. The rest of your to-do list should consist of when you’ll pack each item or tackle a particular area of your apartment.

Packing up your belongings at the end of the semester only to return several weeks later and need to unpack again quickly becomes tiresome. Avoid the constant packing and unpacking of almost everything you own by moving into student apartments. Oshawa has premier student living at Foundry 1805. You can choose between various floor plans, with four, five, or six bedrooms. The lease is for three years, but you can opt out annually, meaning you’ll be able to stay here during your entire time at college. Contact us now for more information.