Long term planning: USA Road Trip, 2015

[Ed Anger]

Mecha-Jesus emerging from the underworld is an awe-inspiring sight.

It helped my faith. Faith in what I still don't know.

[alfred russel]

I tried Hattiesburg, MS enterprise for an intermediate was $1,851.12 for 2 months.

I agree that it is a hassle to get a car away from an airport (that is why they can charge a premium), but for two months it would be worth the trouble, especially since he will be driving through places like Hattiesburg anyway.

How many international flights land in Hattiesburg, MS?

Flights for 4 from Europe to the US are expensive, and probably the cheapest place to fly would be JFK. So if NYC is on the agenda, that is probably the place to enter. Hattiesburg, MS is just the first cheap place I could think of. I tried a Fairfax, Virginia based on Yi's idea--get around by NYC by subway/cab and take a train to DC--and a two month rental would be even cheaper $1458 with tax, than Hattiesburg.

DGuller had a great point about car insurance. But with a rental, why not decline the insurance? Lots of credit cards offer insurance on rentals as a perk, so he may be covered anyway, and if not, would enterprise really be able to track him down in Italy over a fender bender (that is terrible advice, but what would happen? I don't know).

[Admiral Yi]

The one downside to the train to DC idea is he would have to backtrack to Gettysburg.

[alfred russel]

The one downside to the train to DC idea is he would have to backtrack to Gettysburg.

Maybe there are affordable car rentals in the middle of nowhere, Pennsylvania? And also Amtrack stops? I didn't do a comprehensive search for affordable rentals, I've only looked at two cities. I'm sure there are other affordable places out there.

[DGuller]

DGuller had a great point about car insurance. But with a rental, why not decline the insurance? Lots of credit cards offer insurance on rentals as a perk, so he may be covered anyway, and if not, would enterprise really be able to track him down in Italy over a fender bender (that is terrible advice, but what would happen? I don't know).

The liability insurance is what's in question.  I doubt the rental company would even let him drive out of the lot without proof of it.

[Admiral Yi]

I thought minimal liability was already included.  I've never bought rental insurance in my life and I've never been asked to show proof of anything.

[alfred russel]

I thought minimal liability was already included.  I've never bought rental insurance in my life and I've never been asked to show proof of anything.

No idea if it is included, but I've never shown proof either.

[DGuller]

I thought minimal liability was already included.  I've never bought rental insurance in my life and I've never been asked to show proof of anything.

That's not my understanding of it, but I may be wrong.  As far as I know, there no liability coverage automatically included with rental cars.  If you have your own auto insurance policy, then it will probably cover you for both liability, and physical damage (if you have it). 

If you don't have your own auto insurance policy, then you have to get it somewhere.  It may be rental car company, it may be your credit card, or it may even be a special auto insurance policy for those who don't own a car, but you must have something.  It's possible that liability coverage is something that's automatically added when you rent a car, and that you then have to manually remove, but I don't think that the coverage is implied just by the act of renting a car.

[Admiral Yi]

I don't know if this proves anything, but I have been pulled over in a rental and the copper made no mention of insurance.

For the record, he pulled me over because the car was too new and "wasn't in the system yet." 

[DGuller]

I don't know if this proves anything, but I have been pulled over in a rental and the copper made no mention of insurance.

For the record, he pulled me over because the car was too new and "wasn't in the system yet."

I've been pulled over in my own car, and wasn't asked for insurance either.

[alfred russel]

I never thought of this. I know I have insurance when I rent cars, but I don't have proof of insurance. I guess that could be a problem if I get in a wreck. We'll find out when I get in a wreck, because I'm not changing what I do.

[katmai]

Re: Gettysburg
Amtrak can take you to Harrisburg and from there it is like 45min drive to Gettysburg.
Don't forget to stop at the mason dixon casino.

[alfred russel]

Re: Gettysburg
Amtrak can take you to Harrisburg and from there it is like 45min drive to Gettysburg.
Don't forget to stop at the mason dixon casino.

Two month rentals for an intermediate from Enterprise:

Harrisburg: $1911
Gettysburg: $1617

I'm not giving up hope that we will have flying cars in five years, which would of course add a premium to these prices.

[Pedrito]

Liability insurance 

i know I'm covered in italy, and would assume that when you rent a car, part of the cost goes for an insurance - at least it was when I rented cars in Spain and France.
If I should decide to buy a car, otoh, I bet getting an insurance would be even more complex.



Added other places to visit:
Universal Studios, LA
Canyon de Chelly
Badlands, North Dakota
the Anazasi nation
some ghost town of the Wild West
Savannah, Georgia
Charleston, South Carolina

Does anyone know if in Google Earth is it possible to highlight entire roads instead of pinning placemarks at the start and the end?

L.

[DisturbedPervert]

You should also go to Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico