Our art business is growing, and i have received several invitations for shows that are far from Northern Ohio, and my home. Considering they are outdoor shows, it would mean i have to pack the tent, and supplies along with the art, and get it to the venue. Short of renting a small truck (our suv is aging, and i would not trust it on a cross country adventure) and driving there, I wonder what the best way would be to get the goods there, and myself there. I wonder how do you handle this? And do you have suggestions for the logistics of having everything arrive as you do? I have not ventured more than about 300 miles from home so far, so this is a bold leap. I have done some research on the cost of renting a pod, that is shipped via a trucking company, airfare, and the cost of renting a vehicle on the ground at the airport... vs renting a vehicle here and hauling it myself... And the costs are not so far off each other. I would value your feedback.
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I bought a trailer from harbor freight and I'm making it into a teardrop trailer that will be fully enclosed and will be able to haul all my equipment and paintings. A perfect enclosed trailer for around $1k. For the short term, I would suggest renting a van or truck. The pod idea sounds great until you realize how they get tossed around like a ups box. You will need to wrap and secure everything very well.
That's great if you don't plan to leave anything inside the trailer during the show. But having hard sides with a door that locks is a useful thing, especially if you carry back stock and need storage in the winter.
Harbor Freight sells a cheap, nice, 1,000 lb capacity trailer that you can even fold in half for storage for only $ 250. A sheet of plywood for the base and a tarp and some bungees and you are in business. I have loaded ATVs, snowmobiles, appliances and debris on this trailer and its held up fine. It will hold all of my display materials and some stock . I would not hesitate to use it for going to a show but I have not tried it since I have a van.
In order of popularity: white Ford or Chevy extended van, Sprinter van, truck and trailer, mini-van.
I drive a Tundra pickup and tow a 16' trailer. Big, yet effective. Poor gas mileage. But I put about 30,000 miles on the rig yearly. Personally, I would not ship a container. You'd have to load it four times, as opposed to twice. Some towns will be cost-prohibitive to ship freight to, and fly into.