Driving Across America!!!

Paulyh

ok, myself and my Gf have decided to drive across america next year. we will hope to take about 3 weeks, and rent a car...........

now i have plenty of time to pick out things to see and all that. but does anyone that has done this before have any advice??
i would like to know about car rental places especially, what to look out for, the good and the bad.
i think the car will be to most important thing, (for me anyway ) so i'll be paying extra to get a nice sporty car so i can look cool at least when i am lost:o
this is something i have wanted to do for ages as i love driving, and road trips........but we have just decided to it recently so have planned nothing yet. we'll most likely just hit the open road and see what happens, and not tie ourselves down to an itinerary cause thats just no fun at all.

would love to here any advice or experiences anybody has...............

silverwex

i wana do this next year too! Mustang across the nevada desert... Dream!

Paulyh

yea, i was thinking a mustang, or corvette myself, and rack up some nice speeding fines :eek:

DUBACC

Do it Do it Do it!!!

We did that trip in 2006 in a Mustang! What a rush - great fun it was. Took about 3.5 weeks in all. Some of the small 'hick' towns along the way make it worthwhile and are the highlights imo. Lovely people too.

Stopping for 'gas' at a shack at the side of the road with the owner sitting in a rocking chair on the porch - i thought i was on a film set.

Best holiday for a long while!!

Paulyh

i cant wait!! and how much did you spend on car rental?

DUBACC

To be honest i cant remember. I could have a root around at home and see do i still have anything on it. It was a lot cheaper than renting in Europe though i'll say that. One word of warning we got was to take lots of water as people have broken down in Death Valley before. The thermo in the car said 48 degrees i think it was :eek:!

We flew into LAX direct from Dublin although i think that's discontinued now and drove to Vegas first. Mad place! The whole trip was great fun and you meet some crazy and lovely people. No need to book accomodation either - there are literally hundreds of cheap hotels along the road.

Paulyh

thats good advice.........knowing me i would have forgotten water!! but i dont intend to have much 'planned' or booked, that way there is no pressure or rush.

PCPhoto

why didnt I think of that .... I went over in 2007 ...stupid flying planes ... I ended out flying to most places.... NY, LA, San Fran, Drove to San Diego, Tijuana and train to Montreal ...great couple of weeks.....didnt do much sight seeing ...just wandered the streets of the cities, couplf of drinks here and there with strangers

good laugh.

Ponster

Last time I checked....

Hire car in Nevada - Return to California and pay no drop-off fee.

steve-o

Road trips in the US are great fun. Here are some rental tips based on my own experience....

• Insurance: the only insurance you really need is LDW/CDW. It's almost always included if you book from Ireland or UK.
• One way fee: Some companies charge a one-way fee, others don't.
• Additional driver: Some charge lots for allowing more than one driver, others charge nothing. Check the small print before booking!
• GPS: If you want GPS, check out the extra cost. It might be cheaper to buy one before you go.
• Most car companies don't allow you to take the car to Death Valley (it's too hot) or Mexico.
• When picking the car up, don't accept any "low-cost" upgrade that they offer you. Often they don't have a car of the right size and you'll get the bigger car anyway.
• Do not accept any additional insurance or other extras that they try to sell you when you pick up the car.
• Petrol: Some rates include a tank of fuel (allowing you to return the car with an empty tank). If yours doesn't include that, say you'll return it with a full tank. Use google maps to find a petrol station near your drop-off point.