One of the problems students living in university accommodation have to deal with is the need to move all of their possessions out of their rooms at the end of every term – and then back in again a few weeks later.While this isn’t a new situation – it was the same for me when I was at university 10+ years ago – it isn’t getting any easier to solve.

There are two main problems:

• Where to put all the ‘stuff’
• How to transport it there

Students with their own cars have an advantage over those without – but having your own car isn’t necessarily a solution – many small cars are just too small, especially if two friends are travelling home together.

Instead, I’d like to suggest two possible solutions for struggling students. Neither of them cost the earth and both are safer and easier than a hugely overloaded car:

• Self Storage – Companies like Big Yellow operate affordable self storage units all over the UK (Big Yellow has 72 locations). You only pay for what you use and the minimum term is often just one week.
• Student van hire – although minimum age requirements can be a problem for students trying to hire a van, it may be possible for students heading to the same location to club together and hire a van between 2/3 people – only one of them needs to be old enough to drive it.

You can find out about one-way van hire here and find more details on student self storage and student van hire here.

Finally, in case you are transporting all of your belongings to and from university in a small car, here are a few tips from the IAM to help you keep things safe and legal:

• Pack belongings securely – loose objects can be distracting and if the driver needs to brake sharply unsecured items could fly forward and hit those sitting in front
• Where possible pack heavy items in the boot, and as low as possible
• Loading a car until it’s ready to burst can obstruct the already dangerous ‘blind spot’ view further, making the driver more vulnerable when changing lanes. Loads should be made as small as possible and positioned to enable a clear view. Students should take essentials on the first trip and ask their family to bring more items later if they don’t all fit in
• A long drive can lead to fatigue, so drivers should get plenty of rest beforehand. For the journey wear comfortable, loose clothing. The driving seat should be adjusted to a safe upright position and the heating/air-conditioning set to a cool – not cold – temperature. You should take a break at least every two hours, and driving at night should be avoided
• Having a full car will use more fuel; keep an eye on the fuel level to make sure you don’t suddenly run dry.  Running out of fuel on a motorway puts your safety at risk, and it will be very expensive to call out help to top you up
• Check tyre pressures before setting off. Tyres on a full and heavy car usually require higher pressure. The right pressures prevent unnecessary wear, excess fuel consumption and potentially dangerous blow-outs
• Driving on unfamiliar roads can be unnerving. Sat navs can help and enable the driver to re-route quickly and relatively easily, but can be expensive. It’s always best to plan the journey before hitting the road, using a map or online journey planner