Fueling the Journey to Alaska for Education

We made it to Alaska!!!! Thank you all so much for all of your help!!! It truly made a world of difference for me and my husband. With your help we were able to get campsites for most of our trip, additionally we got to see Badlands National Park, Grand Teton National Park, and Yellowstone National Park as part of a more scenic route. We would not have been able to make this move without the help of our friends and family and we want you all to know how much we appreciate your support! As an added bonus I was able to find a puppy for us in Alaska as a way to thank my husband for making such a big move to support my dreams of going to graduate school! Our new pup, Sirius Black Holleran is a 4.5 month old Malamute - Husky - Belgian Malinois mix. We made it to Alaska, got Internet, a full tank of gas, and enough food to last until our first paychecks in Alaska, and I wouldn't have been able to do all of this without your help... As we don't require anymore help I'll be ending this GoFundMe on Monday of next week. I'm only keeping it open a few more days incase anyone wants to help us spoil our new pup. We already got him food, bowls, some treats, a bed, and two toys. We want to get him a chew type toy and a puzzle treat toy. This will be my last update on GoFundMe, I really can't believe 19 donors - made up of our friends, colleges, classmates, and family helped raise $975 in support of our move to Alaska!!! We also received so much emotional and aspirational support from so many people its been truly heart warming and inspirational!

We picked up the U-Haul Trailer today and are beginning to pack our lives into it. We are planning on packing all day today and tomorrow and leaving Monday morning 08/12/2024 to begin our move to Anchorage Alaska! All of your help has been so amazing for us, giving us the extra needed funds to do many things we needed to prepare like booking campsites to sleep at along the way, buying moving supplies, getting the U-haul trailer, and getting the hitch attached to our vehicle. I can't thank everyone whos donated and shown your support for our big move enough, it means the world to us and really gave us the confidence to go through with this big move!!! It looks like we should have enough to make it to Alaska and get an apartment. Any further donations will ensure that we do have enough and it will make the trip less stressful. Your donating will also go towards improving possible meals on the trip, and after moving in, as we'll likely be living off of raman soup and canned ravioli until I get my student financial aid refund which should be a week or two after moving in. Lastly donations will help get toys & supplies for a surprise at the end of our journey! Donating just $5 makes the trip a little easier and less stressful for us. Thank you!!!

Hi everyone, I can really use some help following my dreams to seek a MS in Applied Geological Sciences Degree at the University of Alaska, Anchorage! We got a hitch attachment [with the help of this gofundme] & plan rent a UHAL cargo trailer to pack our lives into. Then my husband and I will journey across the United States & Canada, from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to an apartment in Anchorage, Alaska. It's an 83 hour drive, or 3 days and 11 hours of non-stop driving, totalling at least 4,875 miles! However, we will take 10 days to make this journey, only stopping at campgrounds to sleep in a tent along the way - to save money. At the moment I do not think we will be able to save enough before our departure to afford getting a hitch attachment, renting the UHAL cargo trailer, Campground stays, gas to get there, and paying first months rent + security deposit. Let alone if we make it there, consideration of survival money needed for food until our first paychecks in Alaska, if only for ramen & can ravioli! I didn't realize how expensive the journey from Pennsylvania to Alaska is going to be, if I had I probably wouldn't have taken another field geology class this summer. I just got caught up taking every opportunity to advance my field knowledge as possible. Any amount you can donate will get us a little closer to Alaska! I can't put in words the lifetime of gratitude I'll have for any contributions made, as I sadly do not think I'll make it to Grad School without a little help...

U-HAUL Cargo Trailer: $1137

U-HAUL Hitch & Install $680

Average Rent in Anchorage, Alaska: $1200

Average Security Deposit: $1200

Gas: $1400 (rough estimate)

Camping: $40 Avg/Night * 11 Nights = $440

Total Moving Costs: $6,057+ Food Money

$5 = 1 Gallon of Gas Closer to Alaska!

$10 = 2 Gallons of Gas Closer to Alaska

$25 = 5 Gallons Gas Closer to Alaska

$40 = Campsite for a night!

$50 = Full Tank of Gas!

$120 = Hotel stay in Canada, or just gas & food for our journey.

I set the goal to $1400 because I believe it's the minimum amount we'll need to feel confident that we'll be able to make it to Alaska by August 22nd, but it'll still be cutting it close and surviving on as little as possible.

I'm so excited to get to show my husband some of the State & National Parks I visited while taking my summer geology course last year! This would take full advantage of the National Parks pass my professor gifted to me during this years summer course! Below you can see our planned routes & daily activities.

I realized it's really hard to see, so the planned stops in the include: Devil's Lake State Park Wisconsin, Sioux Falls South Dakota, Badlands National Park, Grand Teton National Park, and Yellowstone National Park!

What's the most romantic thing someones ever done for you? Today, my husband, Chad Holleran, sold his first ever new car, the Jeep Renegade he named after on of his favorite artists "Florence" The Machine. He absolutely loved his Renegade, but after 8 years we really needed something that was more fuel efficient & could actually make it to Anchorage, Alaska pulling a uhal trailer behind us. I'm proud of him for keeping his Renegade in such good condition for over 8 years. But more importantly, it means so much to me that he was willing to get a new car just help make my dreams of going to graduate school come true!!! We've had so many amazing adventures in Florence The Machine, it was hard to say goodbye to that bright orange Renegade. However, we're both super excited for all the adventures that lie ahead in our new Black Jeep Compass, I've dubbed "Venom". We've still got a lot of costs ahead of us and now 2 new car payments due before we drive from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Anchorage, Alaska. Also gas to get there, rent, security deposit, getting a uhal trailer, etc. So we can definitely use some help from anyone who's willing. Please consider donating just $5. If enough of our friends do this it could make a huge difference for us. If we're not friends and you're friends with someone else who's shared this, feel free to add me on Facebook or Instagram Andrew_Holleran to see updates as we get ready to move in August and our journey to Alaska and even our time in Alaska afterwards! We greatly appreciate any help or sharing this post. I really hope some of you consider sending just $5, every dollar gets us a littler closer to Alaska! Love ya all and thanks for reading & sharing. ~Andrew

Got the U-haul trailer and are beginning to pack up our lives! We leave in less than 35 hours!

Day 1 Monday 08/12/2024: Say goodbye to our family and leave home early in the morning. Drive to Devil's Lake State Park, Wisconsin and tent camp. Total driving distance 728 miles

Day 2 Tuesday 08/13/2024: Wake up and hike around Devil's Lake. Drive to Falls Park, Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Walk around the water falls. 399 Miles.

Tent camp at Sioux Falls KOA Journey

Day 3 Wednesday 08/14/2024: Drive to Badlands National Park, drive around the park, walk a few boardwalk trails. 276 Miles + Driving around park

Stop by Wall Drug, to show Chad this mystical place. 29 Miles

Drive to Deadwood / Black Hills KOA Holiday to tent camp. 95 Miles

Day 4 Thursday 08/15/2024: Maybe make a stop somewhere in Black Hills area. Otherwise drive to Rendezvous Park in Wyoming, hike around lake. 498 Miles

Stop in Jackson Wyoming, then on to our campsites at Gros Ventre Campground, Grand Teton National Park to tent camp with our friends living in Yellowstone! 18 Miles

Day 5 Friday 08/16/2024: Drive north and enter Yellowstone National Park though south entrance. Continue onward to Grant Village Lake House Restaurant for lunch, to show Chad where I worked & lived for a summer many years ago! 77 Miles

Continue north while making scenic stops in Yellowstone until we get to Mammoth Campground, near north entrance to tent camp for the night. 73 Miles

Day 6 Saturday 08/17/2024: Exit Yellowstone National Park via north entrance. Continue north through Montana and cross into Canada! Tent camp at Drumheller / Dinosaur Trail KOA Holiday. 559 Miles

Day 7 Sunday 08/18/2024: Continue Northwest through Canada. Due to current forest fire conditions only the longer route is available through Alberta to Alaska. Stop to tent camp at Grande Prairie KOA Journey, Alberta, Canada. 462 Miles

Days 8-10 Monday-Wednesday 08/19/2024 - 08/21/2024: As of right now, we don't have enough money to book campsites or hotel stays, and need to save our money for gas to get to Alaska and an apartment once we get there! So we will just take shifts driving and pull over and nap in the car if need be. You could really help us by donating $40 for a Campsite or $150 for a hotel for one of these nights.

1661 Miles

I will update if my funds allow me to book campground reservations!

Day 11 Thursday 08/22/2024: Arrive Anchorage, Alaska. Get apartment and move in!

Day 12 Friday 08/23/2024: U-Haul Trailer due to be turned in at 10am.

Day 15 Monday 08/26/2024: My first day at the University of Alaska Anchorage seeking a Master of Science in Applied Geological Sciences!!!!

Around Day 35 Saturday 09/14/2024: First Paycheck from working in Alaska!

Thanks for reading & sharing our gofundme! Please consider donating any amount, however we are only asking for $5 from anyone's who's able to afford it, to get us another gallon of gas closer to Alaska. Donations are secure through gofundme and we usually receive the donations via direct deposit within 2 days.

Thanks for all the love & support!!!