Pretty By The Bay

If the opportunity to take an extended trip presents itself, chances are that you’re not going to let the question of where to put your stuff while you’re away hold you back. You’ll schedule your trip and attend to this detail later. But if you happen to be leaving town for several months (or longer), either for work or play, you’re eventually going to have to deal with the conundrum of where to store your furniture, home goods, and personal items while you’re away. And the options available to you could depend not only on the amount (and size) of your household, but also on how much money you’re willing (or able) to spend on storage. So here are just a few options you might want to look into before you head off to parts unknown for the foreseeable future.

1. Your home. If you already own a home and you are able to continue making your mortgage payments when you travel, there’s no reason not to keep all of your stuff right where it is. But you should see if family and friends can check up on the place now and then in your absence, or you could install a smart-home alarm system that lets you control lights and electronics remotely via your smartphone so you can make it look like somebody is home. On the other hand, you might just rent the place out, complete with furnishings, as a way to cover expenses and keep your property occupied. You can lock up valuables and store unwanted furniture in the garage. Or if you have an apartment, consider subletting it for the duration of your trip.
2. Your parents’ home. If you can’t afford to keep your home or apartment while you’re away, you may find yourself stuck with a lot of stuff that needs to be stored. And a good option to cut costs may be to ask your parents (or other family members) to store them for you. If they don’t want you stuff cluttering up their garage you could install a simple and inexpensive shed on the property. This might require you to get rid of some things, but at least the important items will be waiting for you when you return.
3. Storage unit. Lacking accommodating parents, your next option is to pay for a storage unit. The nice thing about choosing this route is that you can often find deals where the first month is free and most facilities are willing to take payment up front (so you don’t have to worry about mailing checks every month). In addition, storage facilities tend to have on-site security in order to ensure that your valuable possessions aren’t lost to theft.
4. Pods. Another option you might look into, especially if you don’t have a ton of stuff to store, is pod storage. When you check pods rates you’ll find that they come in a wide range of sizes and prices so you can find the one that best suits your needs. In addition, the pod will be dropped off at your door, picked up when full, stored at a secure location until you return, and then delivered to your new address.
5. Take it with you. If you happen to be spending an extended amount of time in a single location, say a year or more, you might want to consider simply taking your stuff with you, or at least a portion of it. You might not want to transport large, heavy furniture overseas, but you could certainly pay to ship the items that you can’t live without and sell the rest off (or store it by other means to await your return).

Bertha Sanders