How should I get across the country?

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wiredspider

Diamond Member
Jun 3, 2001
5,239
0
0
Why is flying not an option? Takes about 8 hours to get from one side of the country to the other. Driving is going to take at least 3 days and I don't know how it would be less stressful than a train ride. You have to stay alert while driving, getting lost, car breaking, animals coming to attack your car, finding a place to stay, etc.
Train ride you could do nothing or do something while someone else takes care of the "driving".
 

manlymatt83

Lifer
Oct 14, 2005
10,051
44
91
Originally posted by: Born2bwire
Originally posted by: Ronstang
Originally posted by: Born2bwire
Wait... you want to rent a car and drive it cross-country round trip? Good luck finding a place that will rent you a car anywhere near a decent price. They ain't going to lend you a car for $600 a month so that you can put on 6,000 miles on it.

What are you babbling about? If he returns the car to the location he rented it from and he gets unlimited mileage up front they won't have any choice in how many miles he puts on the car.

I have rented 2 cars just to take vacations with them. I had both for two weeks and each time I put 2500+ miles on them with no problems.

My buddy and I also rented a truck to haul my trailer to CA and back to pick up a car. The truck had 20 miles on it when we picked it up and 4200+ on it when we returned it 77 hours later. That was not a problem either.

I said reasonable rates. He's talking about $600 for a month, going to San Francisco and back, and putting on at least 6,000 miles. Take a quick look at some of the mainstream companies.

Budget: at Boston for Oct. 10-Nov 10 costs $850 cheapest car plus $300 in fees (though $100 was airport since that's what I chose).

Enterprise: restricts it's free mileage to 150 a day (would only net him 4500 miles for the trip) and restricts the free mileage region to east of Mississippi and north of Kentucky. That costs $676 plus $375 for extra miles without considering the fact that he is leaving the area for the cheapest car they have.

Hertz: Unlimited but $1500.

I have a feeling if he reads the fine print on that offer he's talking about he is looking at more. Going with Budget, that's a grand for the car plus gas. I don't know what gas costs, but being generous with 30 mpg and $2.5/gal, that's another $500 for gas (probably realistically another $100-$200 on top of that for the round trip). Since it is a cross-country trip, he has to pay for meals and hotel lodgings. A fast trip would be 6 days roundtrip, four nights of hotels that's another $120 if he can stand the roaches.

If he wants a car, he would be better off renting it in San Fran, the costs of transporting the rental just to and from are huge (~$650 on the cheap plus food and any fine print in the agreement). If he is willing to go direct to California then I doubt he feels that he really needs the freedom of the car in between.

EDIT: Heck, he could probably use the money he would have spent on transporting the car to upgrade to a sleeper cabin now that I think about it.

Hotwire.com :) Unlimited mileage, $600/mo plus taxes, so it was about $850. I read the fine print. It says "Unlimited mileage". Others say unlimited in certain areas, etc. This one does not.
 

spaceman

Lifer
Dec 4, 2000
17,616
183
106
get some valium frum doc
take 2x dosage
hop on plane
stare in medicatd awe at the clouds
touchdown hours l8r
 
Nov 29, 2006
15,890
4,441
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Originally posted by: zerocool84
Originally posted by: Zensal
Drive, but avoid the interstates completely. Their is so much breathtaking country that no one ever sees. Enjoy yourself.

Yea and take 3x as long to get there.

The journey is the destination :)
 

Glitchny

Diamond Member
Sep 4, 2002
5,679
1
0
having driven across the country... i recommend flying/train. I mean sure there is a lot of nice stuff to see in middle of America that you might miss and then there is the other 90% of flat NOTHING that you have to drive through.
 

BoomerD

No Lifer
Feb 26, 2006
66,315
14,722
146
Driving across country is great...if you have the time to enjoy the sights and stop here/there, but non-stop driving to make the trip in 3-4 days is grueling...

10 hours per day is a comfortable driving time, but will only get you about 600 miles per day average. (allowing for gas, food, and pit stops)


Like others have asked, why not fly? Faster, cheaper in the long run, and in spite of all the hassles, at least somewhat more comfortable.
 

magomago

Lifer
Sep 28, 2002
10,973
14
76
Why can't you fly? Just fess up to your fear and conquer it if you have one. Its really the most convenient way. 10 minutes after liftoff it'll be boring. Remember, the chances of death in a car are much higher than airplane...
 

Regs

Lifer
Aug 9, 2002
16,666
21
81
Originally posted by: Glitchny
having driven across the country... i recommend flying/train. I mean sure there is a lot of nice stuff to see in middle of America that you might miss and then there is the other 90% of flat NOTHING that you have to drive through.

lol. "Hey, wasn't that the same cow we passed 4 hours ago"
 

BoomerD

No Lifer
Feb 26, 2006
66,315
14,722
146
Originally posted by: Regs
Originally posted by: Glitchny
having driven across the country... i recommend flying/train. I mean sure there is a lot of nice stuff to see in middle of America that you might miss and then there is the other 90% of flat NOTHING that you have to drive through.

lol. "Hey, wasn't that the same cow we passed 4 hours ago"

:D Driving across Nebraska is hours and hours of sheer boredom. Not a fucking thing to see except corn fields all the way across I-80...you think cows start looking alike...corn fields DO look alike.
 

Born2bwire

Diamond Member
Oct 28, 2005
9,840
6
71
Originally posted by: BoomerD
Originally posted by: Regs
Originally posted by: Glitchny
having driven across the country... i recommend flying/train. I mean sure there is a lot of nice stuff to see in middle of America that you might miss and then there is the other 90% of flat NOTHING that you have to drive through.

lol. "Hey, wasn't that the same cow we passed 4 hours ago"

:D Driving across Nebraska is hours and hours of sheer boredom. Not a fucking thing to see except corn fields all the way across I-80...you think cows start looking alike...corn fields DO look alike.

This. Nebraska is where country music comes to die apparently...
 

Glitchny

Diamond Member
Sep 4, 2002
5,679
1
0
Originally posted by: Born2bwire
Originally posted by: BoomerD
Originally posted by: Regs
Originally posted by: Glitchny
having driven across the country... i recommend flying/train. I mean sure there is a lot of nice stuff to see in middle of America that you might miss and then there is the other 90% of flat NOTHING that you have to drive through.

lol. "Hey, wasn't that the same cow we passed 4 hours ago"

:D Driving across Nebraska is hours and hours of sheer boredom. Not a fucking thing to see except corn fields all the way across I-80...you think cows start looking alike...corn fields DO look alike.

This. Nebraska is where country music comes to die apparently...

Yep, I made that same drive across I-80 in late June, and there is nothing but corn, cows, and bad radio.
 

Capt Caveman

Lifer
Jan 30, 2005
34,543
651
126
Didn't you already drive cross-country? Driving cross-country if you're in a rush is no fun. Take the train. You'll find yourself relaxing.
 

zerocool84

Lifer
Nov 11, 2004
36,041
472
126
Originally posted by: soulcougher73
Originally posted by: zerocool84
Originally posted by: Zensal
Drive, but avoid the interstates completely. Their is so much breathtaking country that no one ever sees. Enjoy yourself.

Yea and take 3x as long to get there.

The journey is the destination :)

No if you need to get somewhere by a certain time.
 

zinfamous

No Lifer
Jul 12, 2006
111,866
31,364
146
Originally posted by: manlymatt83
Hi all.

I'm pretty stressed out right now. I'm going through a rough time, plus trying to move, plus trying to get a lot of work done, lose weight, eat healthy, etc.

I need to be in San Francisco next Friday, October 2nd. Flying is not an option.

I was planning on taking Amtrak out and back, but with how stressed I am, I don't know if I could truly relax enough to sleep on the train and/or enjoy the experience.

I was thinking of renting a car - which actually isn't that bad, I found a place that will rent a month for $600. This would give me more control, and allow me to get to/from the places I want to go quicker.

I really want to take the train trip, but can't decide if I'm relaxed enough to do it. Then again, the car could get annoying after a while, but I can't decide how I feel.

Thoughts?

Greyhound.

You'll NEVER regret it.

:evil:
 

zinfamous

No Lifer
Jul 12, 2006
111,866
31,364
146
Originally posted by: tasmanian
Originally posted by: Born2bwire
Wait... you want to rent a car and drive it cross-country round trip? Good luck finding a place that will rent you a car anywhere near a decent price. They ain't going to lend you a car for $600 a month so that you can put on 6,000 miles on it.

Seriously, fly. Would be cheaper and faster than driving for that distance (even if you do own, I have no idea what you mean) and you won't have to try to bum a night's rest in a seat on the Amtrak. I drove from central IL to Portland OR in two days, to and from. Very grueling since I drove from 6-9 or more each day. You could take your time and add another day or two and do the drive in 4 or 5 days, but then you add a lot of costs for food and hotel stays. If it is a question of gas, I drive if I can do it in a day but otherwise I try to fly because once you start hitting up hotels it makes flying about the same price if you keep to major hubs.

Just take a car on a "test drive."

better yet, set up a fake account with Zipcar or City Share, or something similar.....profit.
 

zinfamous

No Lifer
Jul 12, 2006
111,866
31,364
146
Originally posted by: BoomerD
Originally posted by: Regs
Originally posted by: Glitchny
having driven across the country... i recommend flying/train. I mean sure there is a lot of nice stuff to see in middle of America that you might miss and then there is the other 90% of flat NOTHING that you have to drive through.

lol. "Hey, wasn't that the same cow we passed 4 hours ago"

:D Driving across Nebraska is hours and hours of sheer boredom. Not a fucking thing to see except corn fields all the way across I-80...you think cows start looking alike...corn fields DO look alike.

yes yes, avoid I-80 until the very last bit. avoid Nebraska/Kansas altogether. I drove out here from Chicago last summer and we avoided Nebraska like it was Glen Beck.
 

oogabooga

Diamond Member
Jan 14, 2003
7,806
3
81
Originally posted by: Capt Caveman
Didn't you already drive cross-country? Driving cross-country if you're in a rush is no fun. Take the train. You'll find yourself relaxing.

I would imagine the train would be the better choice between driving. Also if you're so stressed that you don't want to take the train I don't imagine driving is really that much better. Do the rest of us a favor and stay off the roads.

I'm curious along with most everyone else as to why flying is not an option?
 
Oct 27, 2007
17,009
5
0
Originally posted by: zinfamous
Originally posted by: manlymatt83
Hi all.

I'm pretty stressed out right now. I'm going through a rough time, plus trying to move, plus trying to get a lot of work done, lose weight, eat healthy, etc.

I need to be in San Francisco next Friday, October 2nd. Flying is not an option.

I was planning on taking Amtrak out and back, but with how stressed I am, I don't know if I could truly relax enough to sleep on the train and/or enjoy the experience.

I was thinking of renting a car - which actually isn't that bad, I found a place that will rent a month for $600. This would give me more control, and allow me to get to/from the places I want to go quicker.

I really want to take the train trip, but can't decide if I'm relaxed enough to do it. Then again, the car could get annoying after a while, but I can't decide how I feel.

Thoughts?

Greyhound.

You'll NEVER regret it.

:evil:

Unless some Canadian cuts your head off.