Help me plan our road trip!

[englebert]

Ha, yeah you're probably right! Thanks for the Aspen link!

For each place we're visiting i've found info on camping. Is it essential to book in advance, or can we (up to 10 people) just turn up on the day? I guess going at a popular time (July) might swing this towards making bookings necessary?

[PNW Judy]

You will definitely want reservations in places like Grand Canyon and Yosemite. You might be able to get by without reservations at most of the other areas you're traveling through.

I typically have a few guidebooks with campgrounds or motels listed and, if I'm getting concerned about finding a place, I'll call ahead when I start getting an idea of where I might stop that night to reserve a place.

Or I'll make reservations before I go and then carefully note the cancellation policy, and then call ahead to cancel if I am not going to make it there that night after all.

[englebert]

Thanks Judy, something to think about then. There is that problem of not actually getting to a place on the day i think i will. Will have to ask about cancellation then!

[englebert]

Trying to get indicative costs for car hire for my Minneapolis to Las Vegas trip next Spring. I am 22, and as most seem to like being 25 i guess i will be paying a premium.

With Avis, i'm being quoted £582 ($1171) for 2 weeks hire. Unfortunately there is no mention of mileage constraints on the website, would it be unlimited?

When it comes to the car itself, i need a big car with 6 seats, is a Dodge Van better than a Chevy Uplander for space?

If anyone has any recommendations i'd be grateful. I was on a website the other day (that i now can't remember!) that allowed me to add extras such as Sat Nav which would be very useful.

To add to this, is there any advantage to booking before you arrive? I know selection of cars might be a problem in July, but do you think that would be a big issue in Minneapolis?

Cheers

-Rob

[Mass Tim]

You would want to call up the firm to find out about mileage. Some companies list these details on their websites, others don't.

I would suggest booking before you arrive. This should guarantee you the vehicle you want. However, the usual terminology used is "Vehicle x (or similar)" - so even if you rent, say, a Dodge, you may still end up in a Chevrolet.

As for room in these vehicles, I couldn't tell you which has more room. I think the Grand Caravan (Dodge) has more than the Chevy. You could check for information from the respective manufacturer's website.

[englebert]

Thanks Tim! Good idea with checking out the manfacturers.


I changed my start destination to Minneapolis because it seems to be easier to get a direct flight from London Gatwick. Thing is, i'm now on Expedia and the only direct flights are about £1.7k!

I really want to start in that area so i can see the sights up there, are there other airports not too far away that are used to direct flights from the UK?

I want to get to Minneapolis and then fly back from Las Vegas. Do you think it would be easier to book two separate flights or is there always a discount when you're booking a return?

Thanks

-Rob

[Midwest Michael]

I would pretty strongly recommend booking your car in advance. I've never seen a case where people have gotten a better deal just by showing up at the counter, plus you'll be in a better position to compare prices across a variety of companies.

We've also had several posts from Europe indicating they were able to find better deals booking in their home company than trying to deal directly with the US company. I can't say if that would be the case for you, but it is worth checking out.

[Midwest Michael]

When it comes to direct flights into the upper midwest, Minneapolis, Chicago, Detroit, and possibly Cincinatti or St. Louis are really the only cities that you might be able to find a direct flight from London.

Its hard to say which route you'll find the best flight deals on, and its also hard to say if you'll have more luck sticking to one airline. You'll really just have to do some shopping and searching. Since roundtrip tickets are almost always cheaper, you might find your best deal is to get a round trip ticket from London to Minneapolis/Chicago and then just do a one way flight from Las Vegas back to the midwest.

[UKCraig]

For UK residents I cannot recommend the travel section of the moneysavingexpert.com forum highly enough. Post your predicament up there and they will surely be able to help. There's also lots of tactics for finding the best car rental deals up on the main website there.

For my last couple of trips I have booked the car via Airline Network who have given me a very good price. Be sure, when comparing prices, be certain that you are comparing like for like. The prices on Airline Network will include Super CDW (no deductible/excess to pay if you have a bump) and drop off charges where applicable.

[englebert]

Thanks for the links Craig, they look very useful! Just checked out the hire car and it's already over £200 cheaper than my Avis quote :D

The only problem is age, i don't suppose anyone knows how much extra they charge for under 25s?