How do we know that summer is right around the corner? The temperatures are getting warmer, the flowers are blooming, and the snowbirds are heading back north! Many have changed their routines to make the trip easier with snowbird car shipping.
What is a Snowbird?
A snowbird is a person who lives in the north but escapes the harsh winters by going south for the winter. Some stay in the south for up to five months avoiding any hint of winter altogether.
Snowbirds are usually north-south creatures, meaning that snowbirds from the Northwest tend to settle due south in Arizona, Nevada and California. Snowbirds from the Midwest usually go south to Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana. And for those from the Northeast, they head for Florida.
This means that snowbirds enjoy the best weather that both places have to offer throughout the year. But in order to do so, they need to travel long distances at least twice a year.
The Snowbird Road Trip Times Two
Snowbirds who flock to the south have quite a long trip if traveling by car. Many choose to drive their car since they know they’ll need a car during their extended stay in the south. Some even make that arduous trip south by themselves. Long stretches of driving is hard on anyone regardless of age, and even dangerous if there’s no relief driver.
And of course, what goes south must return north! At the end of the winter, snowbirds have to repeat the road trip to head back north. The first couple of years may not feel so bad, but year after year, mile after mile, it starts to take its toll.
Maybe you’ve considered going south for the winter but hesitated because you didn’t want to:
- Endure the physical exhaustion of a long road trip two times a year.
- Feel vulnerable on the road by yourself.
- Add extra mileage on your car every year.
If you’re a snowbird (or are considering becoming one soon), and looking for a better way to make the transition every year, we have the perfect solution for you. Being in the transport industry, we have helped many snowbirds enjoy their migration every year by advising them to:
Fly South for the Winter And Have Your Car Shipped
Let’s say you need to get back home from Florida to Michigan. Simply call us at Scott’s Auto Carrier and we will pick up your car in Florida and deliver it to you in Michigan! Then all you have to do is board the plane that takes you home in about two hours rather than two days of driving. Some snowbirds have even told us that they like to stay and enjoy an extra day or two in Florida instead of using those days for driving.
Although it’s not something we like to think about, but many snowbirds are older retirees that aren’t as healthy as they once were. Long road trips can challenge compromised health conditions and trigger medical emergencies that would otherwise not have happened.
Snowbird Car Shipping Doesn’t Cost Much More Than What You’re Already Spending
Before you even go there thinking that car shipping is too expensive, let’s take stock of what you’re already spending your hard-earned money on.
- When you drive your car, you have to buy gas to get you there.
- When you drive your car, you have to eat on the road for a couple of days.
- When you drive your car, you may need to stop for the night a couple of times.
- When you drive your car, you add wear and tear on your car which means you’ll buy tires more often, have more brake jobs done, get the oil changed more, etc. Those extra miles can set you up for more major repairs as parts wear out, and the extra mileage will also make your car less valuable if you plan to sell it or trade it in.
Check out this road trip cost calculator.
The money you spend on the road for gas, food and lodging, not to mention car repair and maintenance due to the additional mileage being put on your car, it really pays to consider…
The Snowbird Car Shipping Alternative
- Imagine not having to shell out all that money for several tanks of gas. (The average cost of gas on a trip from Orlando to Detroit is about $325 round-trip – approximately 100 gallons.)
- Imagine being served free snacks on a two hour flight rather than shelling out on average of about $7-$30 per person for gas station snacks and meals at restaurants easily accessed from the road (truck stops, fast food) for two days on the road.
- Imagine sleeping in your own bed after waking up just that morning in Florida – instead of in a roadside motel with lumpy beds, road noise, and that something or other in the bath tub that you won’t dare touch.
- Imagine waking refreshed the first day after you arrived home instead of having to take the next few days to recover from your road trip.
- Imagine your car staying more like new longer requiring less maintenance and repairs.
All this is possible when you ship your car home instead of driving it home.
