Check with the school before you send items…our D’s U specifically indicated they would Not accept packages prior to move in date.
Hotel may be a great option.
I don’t know if anyone has specifically mentioned, but Bed, Bath, and Beyond lets you order bedding and pick it up at the store when you get to campus. So if there is one near campus, he could go there and pick it up (Uber or Lyft if it isn’t far). If shipping turns out to be a hassle and there is one not far from campus, that would be an option.
Definitely check with the university before sending as, as noted, some accept packages in advance (and can he pick them up at 8 or 9 pm at night?) and some don’t. Also, see what banks have ATMs actually on campus or very accessible when selecting a bank.
Thanks again for everyone’s input. U say to send things - bedding - a couple of weeks early and it will be put in the room for arrival. U also say he can stay in his room on the night before. (Internationals are meant to be there anyway but he will be missing this.) We will have to ship things - guitar, sports equipment - due to the via Portugal part - but this unfortunately cannot arrive before he does due to customs issue. He has to have arrived in the country before the goods do - so bedding that I may have thought to put in the shipping boxes will not be at the U before him.
@memmom2018 Thanks for the info re banks. I will talk to U about it but my little digging has brought up First TN as a good choice. Living in Memphis what would you suggest for weight of bedding? The rooms are air conditioned. It never gets that hot here in England to warrant A/c so we have thick for winter and light for summer. He wants to take - it will go in the shipping - a throw that he has had since a baby and we use in the car to be honest but he suddenly has become ‘sentimental’. It really isn’t that thick but would be good for sitting around a campfire to keep warm. Though again most of our nights sitting around a campfire are chilly - hence the campfire!
Something like this set would work well. Comforter and sheet set.
Be cautious about sending any bedding at all from the UK. Mattress sizes are slightly different so fitted sheets in particular don’t work well and British duvets (comforters) tend to be a bit too short and too wide for US beds.
A lightweight summer duvet should be fine, I’d set A/C around 70F (21C) so equivalent to a warm but not sultry UK night, although some people (like his roommate) may prefer slightly more or less.
You should be able to order from Amazon.com not the UK one. They will have the twin XL bedding (see link above). If that is what the school uses.
At least I (living in the US) can order from Amazon DE with a CC and have stuff shipped to my family in Germany for free.
Thanks @mommdc for the link. I have clicked on it and now, of course, have more questions. Do most kids/students sleep with a flat sheet and then the comforter on top, washing the flat sheet? In England we put what I think you would call the comforter (here we call it a duvet) in a cover (a duvet cover) and this is what is laundered. (My nephew - now 32 - when he went to uni here used the same duvet cover until reading week - November by turning the cover first of all, over, then inside out, then over and inside out! God knows what his bottom sheet was like!)
Fitted sheet on the bottom, kid lays on that, then covers with flat sheet and comforter on that. One of my kids asked for a lightweight blanket partway through her first year, which was easy to get through Prime. Encourage your kid to wash their sheets, at least every couple of weeks.
I have an oboe playing kid also. One thing your kiddo will NOT be allowed to carry on the plane is his reed making knives. He will need to check those.
@thumper1 Ahh I wish he had ‘reed making knives’. He is the most cack-handed person we know so liable to slice his thumb off if he were making his reeds. Hopefully this will change once he is away from the bank of Mum and Dad who pay for new reeds!!
Interesting challenge that he nothing can arrive before your S arrives in the states although that does make sense. Yes, if you could send it from Amazon.com rather than Amazon.uk I would think it would work (as mentioned above). An alternative is to see if he could send it to his roommate (assuming the roommate doesn’t mind) or he could ask the housing office for suggestions. And, if your son prefers to use a duvet without a top sheet (2 of my 3 have this preference), he may prefer cotton to other fabrics.
Yes it’s more typical here to use a flat (top) sheet as some comforters don’t have washable covers (they are more like a UK quilt) or are not 100% cotton. But you can easily find ones that will be fine without a flat sheet. We found bedding a lot more expensive in the US than in the UK.
you need to check on the boards for what kids say about the temps in the dorms. My daughter goes to school in Wyoming where it is often below zero so we thought she’s need some blankets and comforters. Nope, they keep the dorms very warm. Hot. Tropical. The kids would open the windows to let in an arctic draft (and a little snow) just to keep cool.
In Germany it is customary as well to use a fitted sheet to sleep on and then a comforter-cover (duvet cover) over the comforter for easy laundering. The sizes of the comforters/covers are somewhat standardized.
I have found it a lot more difficult to find duvet covers to fit a particular comforter in the US.
Duvet covers seem to be much more expensive in the US than what I am used to as well.
So most college bedding sets you see seem to have a printed or solid comforter, it is usually not too thick, so it could be washed if needed.
And then the sheet set.
While you can find some duvet covers in online stores, it might be easier to buy an inexpensive US bedding set to get him started
Amazon is your friend. We had things shipped to my daughter’s college address before she arrived with no issue. There is virtually nothing you can’t find there and if you search “college dorm basics” or the equivalent, a list of recommended items will likely pop up. Less is more initially.
Dorm beds are typically Twin XL (extra long) sized for linens. If you want 100% cotton, Bed Bath and Beyond will have the best selection and you can order on line and have your items shipped to campus.
Memphis is hot in the summer. My husband and I use a top sheet and very thin blanket year round. No comforter needed. We are hot natured though.
I wouldn’t worry to much as most kids get together and make a shopping run. Someone will have a car. It will be an adventure for all of them and your son will have a bonus…a British accent. Many girls are attracted to that…just saying. Memphis is hot and muggy in the summer and while it can get cold in the winter, it won’t get frigid.
You have all been so kind with your time and suggestions. I have followed some links - what is ‘microfibre’? The only microfibre we have in the uk is for dishcloths!!
If it were me and not an 18 year old boy I’d definitely go for the cotton. We use that at home - don’t even go near the 50% polycotton (hate it when I go to my mother’s) so even the sound of microfibre is off putting even without the dishcloth association.
Son is pretty good a laundry and I think I might persuade him to only have one set so he has to wash/dry and remake all on one day. The pictures on some of the school’s videos show the laundry room (free) full of jumbled up laundry. If he has to wash and reuse on one day he will have to keep an eye on it. What are your thoughts?
Microfiber is 100% polyester. I would NOT recommend as it doesnt breathe which is important for bedding. We have always stuck with 100% cotton bedding. With high humidity like we have in HI, breathsbikity od fabrics is very important.