Denver to Seattle - rent a car? Vs Flying

[Jcool7]

Hey road trip people! My friend and I are planning a trip in August from Denver to Seattle. We will also make our way down to Portland. We do not have a car but are both 25 and hope to rent a car which we would pick up in Denver and drop off in Portland. Is this going to add up? Roadtrippers app said the cost in fuel would be about $147 already (split by two of us). A flight is probably going to be about $135 each. The experiences of a Roadtrip I'm sure will outweigh some potential extra costs, but are we in over our heads here with a rented vehicle? Any thoughts on this are welcome!!

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

You haven't mentioned either of two 'hidden' costs of renting a car, and both of those are major. The first will apply whether you rent the car in Denver or Portland and that is the 'Extra Driver' charge. Since you will be with a friend and not a spouse, parent, child or (provable) business associate, this charge will apply if you both want to drive, even if one of you only drives for a few minutes. This is a per/day charge applicable to the entire length of the rental contract and thus might be more costly from Denver if you are adding days for the drive rather than subtracting them from your time in the Northwest.

The second charge, and it's substantial, but would only apply if you rented the car in Denver and left it on the west coast, is the one-way drop off charge. You need to check with the rental companies (the information should be available on their websites as you set up the reservation) before you make your final decision.

AZBuck

[Southwest Dave]

You also need to consider the purpose of your trip and how much time you have available. Is it more about a few days in Seattle and Portland or a road trip for exploring and if it is the latter, do you have enough time to make it a loop trip and return to Denver which gets rid of the one way drop charges but adds to fuel costs.

[astraclub]

You also need to consider the purpose of your trip and how much time you have available. Is it more about a few days in Seattle and Portland or a road trip for exploring and if it is the latter, do you have enough time to make it a loop trip and return to Denver which gets rid of the one way drop charges but adds to fuel costs.

One way drop is approximately $500 if you book online.
Flying vs. Road trip -Of course Road trip.
If you have time-Road trip is always fun and more exciting than flying

I just did a quick sky scanner from Denver to Seattle and with ONE WAY DROP fees- a week rental will cost you $1100~1300 + fuel.

Enjoy your trip if you decide to take road