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  1. #1
    himmy Guest

    Default car rental advice?

    Hi

    I´m an Aussie planning a 4 week drive with my wife from San Francisco to Miami in November via Las Vegas, Arizona, Austin, New Orleans.

    Does anyone know of any car rental companies that cater to people wanting to do road trips? All the majors want to charge a $500 fee to drop off the car in a different part of the country.

    We have planned to visit the major national parks along the way but any tips on ´must see´towns or sites would be appreciated too.

    Thanks very much
    Himmy

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Washington state coast/Olympic Peninsula
    Posts
    3,614

    Default

    Welcome to the forum!

    My first suggestion would be to visit the International Visitors page. This should answer many of your questions and may point you to a car rental agency that would work best for your needs.

    As for tips, what types of things are you looking for? Are you interested more in history, or architecture, or culture, or what? Places you might want to visit (but some of these may be a way off your intended route) are:

    * Grand Canyon, Zion, and Bryce National Parks
    * Canyon de Chelly (not sure if I spelled that right)
    * Monument Valley
    * Mesa Verde
    * Tombstone, AZ: location of infamous "Gunfight at the OK Corral" with re-enactments, and some of the original historical sites still open and available to visit
    * Carlsbad Caverns, Carlsbad, NM
    * Roswell, NM: lots of funny alien stuff (site of the controversial UFO crash in 1947)
    * Albuquerque, NM: lovely old-town, historic area
    * Sante Fe, NM: more lovely Southwest architecture and historic sites
    * Taos, NM: historic and has a fantastic artist's community
    * Gallup, NM: lots of fun and funky Route 66 things to see. The El Rancho Hotel was the "home to the stars" at one time when lots of films were made around there and is a fun place to visit
    * Tucumcari, NM: more funky Route 66 architecture and signage
    * San Antonio, TX: The Alamo
    * Dallas, TX: historic sites related to JF Kennedy assasination

    I haven't been farther east than this on a roadtrip so this is about as far east as I can help you with. Hope this gives you some ideas.

  3. Default Drop fees

    One way rentals always cost more, but you can occasionally find cheaper deals. Try local Aussie travel agents -- they will often have access to good packages for people that want to do exactly what you are trying to do. If no luck there, one company here in the States that caters to the one way market is Advantage Rent-a-Car -- they often offer a $60 a day rate and no drop fees. Of course your insurance and/or loss damage waivers would be extra.

  4. Default

    I am thinking about doing a one-way rental as well. I've done it in the past, and though it is significantly more expensive, it is not $500. On the trip I'm thinking of --- which would be renting a car in Chicago and eventually dropping it off in Newark, New Jersey, the extra fee was about $250.

  5. #5
    himmy Guest

    Default thanks

    OK, thanks for the help, this gives me some more ideas.

    H

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