Welcome to NerdWallet’s Sensible Cash podcast, the place we reply your real-world cash questions. On this episode:
Get savvy about automobile rental companies, professionals and cons of RV leases and navigating public transportation when touring.
What are the perfect transportation choices when touring with a gaggle?
When is it value it to lease a automobile?
NerdWallet’s Meghan Coyle and Sally French talk about group transportation choices and public transportation methods that will help you perceive easy methods to transfer your squad round effectively and economically. They start with a dialogue of varied modes of transportation, with ideas and tips for saving cash on rental vehicles. Then, they talk about the ins and outs of RV journey and public transit in cities. They talk about RV supply companies, managing gasoline prices, the practicality of Amtrak for group journey, and the benefits of public transit over automobile leases in city settings.
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Episode transcript
This transcript was generated from podcast audio by an AI device.
You’ve got obtained the airline tickets, you discovered a fantastic place to remain. Now you have to determine easy methods to get your massive group from level A to level B. Right this moment we proceed our sequence on group journey by asking what are the perfect and most cost-effective methods to maneuver lots of people round on a trip or getaway.
So that you do need to make it possible for everybody in your group will match. You additionally have to account for that baggage. Who of your mates are the over packers who deliver 4 rolling suitcases? Make it possible for all of that may match.
Welcome to NerdWallet’s Sensible Cash Podcast. I am Sean Pyles.
This episode continues our Nerdy deep dive into group journey. Meghan, how about all of us simply leap in a large RV and tour across the nation?
Sounds good to me. How many people?
For example 15, perhaps some youngsters and grandparents in there.
I feel you are going to want multiple RV, Sean.
Okay, we are able to get a fleet.
Excellent. Effectively, that is undoubtedly one technique to go while you’re touring as a gaggle, but it surely’s removed from the one approach. You’ve got obtained rental vehicles, automobile sharing apps, and do not forget trains.
Oh, I do love a superb practice journey, however I am guessing what we’re exploring at present is easy methods to cope with the logistics of transportation when you have got greater than, say, 4 or 5 individuals,
Proper. We’ll discuss in regards to the professionals and cons of various modes of transportation and the prices concerned while you’re touring with quite a lot of family and friends.
All proper, nicely listener, we need to hear your ideas about group journey. Are you organizing a visit for a bunch of mates? How are you going about it? And what questions do you have got? Go away us a voicemail or textual content the Nerd Hotline at 901-730-6373, that is 901-730-N-E-R-D. Or e mail a voice memo to [email protected]. So Meghan, the place can we begin our engines at present?
Effectively, in a second I will be speaking with fellow Nerd Sally French, who covers journey, and we’ll discover the vast world of trains and vehicles for group journey.
Sally, thanks a lot for coming again on the present.
At all times a pleasure to be right here, Meghan.
So we’re doing a whole miniseries on touring with a gaggle and this episode is all about transportation for a gaggle. I feel one of many first issues that involves thoughts for group journey and transportation is rental vehicles. So what are some methods to save lots of on rental vehicles that you’d advocate?
To be sincere, upfront, rental vehicles are nonetheless far more costly than what they had been, particularly pre-pandemic. We’re all very acquainted with inflation and the rental automobile trade is not any exception. What’s attention-grabbing although is that the remainder of the journey trade type of is. What NerdWallet has discovered is that airfares are literally down 3.6% versus 2019, however that’s not the case for rental vehicles. Rental vehicles in reality are up about 20% since 2019, so you may get a fantastic deal on airfare, however you typically get a fairly brutal deal on rental vehicles nowadays.
So go in with the belief that you will should pay fairly large to lease a automobile. In case you are although set on a rental automobile, and I feel we will discuss later about alternate options to rental vehicles, however when you’re actually set on a rental automobile, there are some issues that you are able to do to save lots of. One is to hunt out rental automobile elite standing. With this, you possibly can typically get advantages that you’d in any other case pay for like rental automobile upgrades, having the ability to skip the rental automobile counter, and as I say, time is cash, and infrequently you may get elite standing routinely via your bank card. Lots of these premium journey bank cards supply computerized elite standing at rental automobile firms as a profit merely for holding the automobile. Different issues that you need to know are simply the perfect locations to truly lease a automobile.
NerdWallet has extensively studied rental automobile costs and one of many large issues that NerdWallet discovered is that it’s considerably cheaper to lease a automobile from the downtown location versus the identical firm on the airport. Most individuals land and so they instantly go to their Enterprise or the Alamo, get their rental automobile from the airport, however usually the strains are longer and so they’re far dearer than simply choosing up a rental automobile downtown. And which may not be handy to then take a taxi downtown, however this can be a actually essential tip, particularly when you solely want the rental automobile for as an example in the future of your journey, take a taxi downtown after which solely lease a rental automobile on the day you want it. That approach you are not unnecessarily paying for rental vehicles on days you are probably not utilizing them, you are not paying for it in a single day when you’re not utilizing it in a single day, which you are most likely not, and also you’re additionally not paying for parking.
Yeah. And there may even be a rental automobile location near your resort or one thing like that. It is perhaps simpler than individuals suppose, particularly you probably have lots of people in tow.
Completely. There are such a lot of rental automobile firms which might be situated simply off the foyer of accommodations. I used to be simply in Mexico and we wished a rental automobile for in the future and my resort had a rental automobile firm there and so we solely had the rental automobile on the day we would have liked it. We did not have to fret about discovering parking in Mexico, which was actually sophisticated. Most of the accommodations cost parking charges which might be $30 or $40 an evening. So you work, in our case we took an Uber to the resort and the Uber trip was mainly the identical value because the parking after which we solely paid for the rental automobile on the day that we really used it reasonably than paying for the rental automobile for 4 or 5 days when it is simply sitting there.
What about renting an electrical automobile? Can that enable you to save in any respect?
So many individuals have electrical vehicles now that renting an electrical automobile could make excellent sense. You do need to account for the way far you’re driving and perceive what the mileage is on the electrical automobile since you won’t need to fear about having to cost it, particularly when you’re taking a protracted highway journey. Nonetheless, in case you are driving someplace that is not too far, you may really be capable to cost it in a single day. That is as a result of many accommodations and trip leases now supply electrical automobile charging stations. Probably the greatest methods to search out these is just by utilizing filter instruments. In actual fact, each Airbnb and Expedia of their record of options means that you can filter by vehicles with that electrical automobile charging.
So what occurs if you cannot discover a rental automobile that is going to suit your group? For instance, I used to be in Hawaii throughout the pandemic and rental vehicles had been nowhere to be discovered. They had been so costly and even when you wished to pay quite a bit to lease a minivan, you simply could not discover one. So what are a number of the different choices individuals have if they simply cannot discover a automobile of the scale they want once they’re renting?
Meghan, it’s so attention-grabbing that you just deliver up not having the ability to discover a rental automobile throughout the pandemic as a result of that is precisely why costs obtained so excessive and sadly rental automobile costs have largely stayed excessive. However one of many good issues is that we have seen this proliferation of rental automobile alternate options, so firms like Turo or GetAround have been round since pre-pandemic and we have additionally seen plenty of different newer firms pop up on this related vein. Now all these rental automobile alternate options function individually from one another and have their very own nuances, however usually what you may discover is very with firms like Turo or GetAround, these function just like the Airbnb for vehicles.
So somebody who’s only a common particular person like us says, “I am not utilizing my automobile this weekend, I’ll submit it on this web site,” after which another person says, “Effectively, I would like this automobile so I’ll lease it from you thru the app.” What’s actually handy about these is that you just usually do pay by the hour, so you could possibly even use this in your hometown to go grocery buying when you do not personal a automobile and also you want one for that large Costco run. Nevertheless it’s additionally actually nice while you’re happening trip. One of many issues to contemplate is that with an enormous rental automobile firm, you are going to see them on the airports as we talked about. You are going to see them within the large vacationer outposts close to accommodations. With these companies like Turo or GetAround, they really are inclined to not a lot be in these locations as a result of these vehicles are typically owned by common individuals.
They may simply be parked in their very own condo constructing. In order that’s a professional and a con. It is a professional if it is advisable lease a automobile in that space, after all it may be a con since you do not need to take a look at a automobile that is to date out of your resort that it is inconvenient to even get the automobile.
What are a number of the different professionals although of utilizing these rental automobile alternate options?
I imply, typically they could be a lot cheaper. Usually a few of them even have supply companies. With Turo, some, not all, vehicles will ship the automobile to you. Kite is one other firm that they’re going to really ship the automobile to you. Now this may be actually handy since you’re actually not even ready on the rental automobile counter. In case you’re staying at a resort, you may simply see the automobile roll as much as the porte-cochère and the motive force will hand you the keys and with a service like Kite, they simply go away both on foot or on a scooter and also you get to take the automobile.
What are a number of the cons although? This seems like virtually too good to be true.
Meghan, these items are too good to be true. They will undoubtedly differ in high quality and there are some vehicles which might be glorious. We had been in Denver and we splurged and obtained an superior Mustang and it drove nice, however I’ve additionally had vehicles that the brakes are squeaking and so they odor a bit of musty and so they’re not completely clear. Take into accout, these are vehicles simply owned by common individuals in plenty of circumstances and it is simply unlucky once I paid cash to lease it out after which that is the automobile I obtained. Different issues to remember are issues like extra restricted customer support. If you end up trying out a automobile at an actual rental automobile counter, if there’s a problem, you possibly can stroll proper again and discuss to an actual particular person. With the companies like GetAround or Turo, they do have buyer assist and declare to have 24/7 buyer assist.
Usually that particular person on the cellphone simply cannot enable you to in addition to somebody in particular person. After which after all you do have to remember what occurs when you’re making an attempt to lease a automobile in an space the place you do not have cell service. That is additionally a priority.
So regardless of the place you lease a automobile, what are some issues to contemplate while you’re renting a automobile for a gaggle? As a result of there’s a lot greater than value, proper?
Completely. So that you do need to make it possible for everybody in your group will match. You additionally have to account for that baggage. Who of your mates are the over packers who deliver 4 rolling suitcases? Make it possible for all of that may match. However after all you probably did deliver up value and it is essential to contemplate that some individuals may say, “We have six individuals in our group, so we will get an enormous SUV.” Typically although it might be cheaper to do two compact vehicles than to have one SUV. Pricing can actually differ based mostly on availability, so typically it will be dearer, however typically it will really be cheaper. So simply just be sure you perceive and evaluate prices along with your group. The opposite factor to contemplate about when you’re notably touring with a gaggle is a few of you guys may need to cut up off. So having two sedans could be extra handy over one SUV as a result of if one group needs to go to the seaside and one group needs to go on a hike, every half of the group can take their automobile.
Proper. That is undoubtedly been a theme this whole miniseries is simply while you’re planning group journey, you must construct within the flexibility for individuals to go off and do their very own factor or keep behind. I like that you just referred to as that out. Let’s speak about one other kind of automobile, an RV, a leisure automobile. I’ve really by no means traveled in a single, have you ever?
So an RV is nice since you mix the rental automobile and the resort into one. There are plenty of issues to remember while you lease out an RV. They’re undoubtedly not for everybody. So I will go forward and simply leap into some issues earlier than you instantly say, “Sure, I would like an RV.” So one, they are often actually tough to drive, they are often tougher to park. The opposite factor to contemplate is that they take up plenty of gasoline. For instance, Cruise America, which is without doubt one of the largest RV firms, says that you need to anticipate one among their RVs getting 10 to 12 miles a gallon. So consider $4 a gallon of gasoline, that is going to be fairly costly. You may additionally want a second automobile if the character of your journey is driving someplace, unpacking, organising the entire coated porch the place individuals have the RVs and arrange their chairs.
In case you then need to go away, you are going to want a second automobile anyway. So that might simply be mainly twice as a lot gasoline to contemplate. After which all of the challenges that include RVs, you are probably not having that resort housekeeper coming in on daily basis. In actual fact, you’ll should dump your personal sewage normally. There are some methods you could mitigate the challenges although of RVs. One in all them is one thing that we have seen develop into more and more fashionable, and that is the thought of RV supply. There are lots of people who need that have of staying in an RV, however they do not need to should drive it. And so what you possibly can really do is join with an organization that provides a service. RV Share and Outdoorsy are some examples the place you really say, “You understand what? I would like the RV delivered to this campground at this seaside,” and so they’ll deliver the RV to you and also you drive your personal automobile there and then you definitely get to remain in an RV with out ever having to drive it.
That is sensible. Simply to get an concept, how many individuals can normally sleep in an RV?
Ooh. Effectively, this actually varies. In case you have a look at a kind of little air streams which may simply be one or two, particularly the vehicles which might be mainly the Volkswagen bus that individuals have transformed right into a sleeping state of affairs, that is actually going to be one or two, and even that is cozy. The good thing about that’s one thing like a Volkswagen bus is quite a bit simpler to drive than alternatively, these wonderful RVs which might be on HGTV and so they’re like a small palace on wheels. You possibly can completely do group journey that approach, however simply perceive normally the larger it’s, the tougher it’s to drive.
Okay. Let’s transfer to a unique kind of transportation. We’ll get off the highway and onto a practice. What are you able to inform us about Amtrak journey and the way nicely that works for a gaggle?
Prepare journey is a lot enjoyable and you’ll make the most of trains in any capability. So one thing like an Amtrak, you could possibly go from New York to D.C so simply, you could possibly take a extremely scenic trip down the California coast. This may typically be cheaper than flying, particularly when you e-book early. There’s additionally far fewer restrictions on baggage. So once more, when you’re a kind of large over packers, this may be handy. Even when your group includes numerous youngsters, it may well simply be much less chaotic as a result of there’s not the entire state of affairs of getting to undergo the airport and undergo safety and all of that. It is a lot less complicated. So I actually like Amtrak for large teams. After which there are trains which might be actually designed particularly for getting individuals between vacationer locations. So in Florida, they simply opened an extension of Brightline and this can be a unbelievable practice route.
It leaves out of Orlando and you’ll go down south in Florida. In order that’s a extremely, actually nice technique to get round.
I’ve really been on a extremely distinctive Amtrak practice referred to as the Auto Prepare the place you possibly can actually drive your automobile, really, not you, however somebody who works on the practice station drives your automobile onto the Amtrak practice, and then you definitely sit within the cabin like a traditional Amtrak trip, after which the journey takes in a single day, many hours, however you do not have to drive that distance. And so my household took it from Virginia to Orlando, after which after we obtained off in Orlando, we had our regular minivan. So we simply picked it up down there and drove round.
That seems like the final word Disney trip as a result of there’s so many households that journey from locations like Virginia right down to Orlando by automobile, and I really feel so unhealthy for the mother and father which have to do that actually, actually lengthy drive after which they should muster up this power to undergo the theme parks. In case you can sleep on the practice after which your automobile is there, that sounds wonderful.
Yeah. And speak about not unpacking, we simply left all of our baggage within our automobile after which we picked it up and it is proper there.
This can be a life hack. I discovered one thing new at present, Meghan. Thanks.
All proper, and final however not least, let’s speak about navigating public transportation with a gaggle, which is usually a problem if not everyone seems to be on board with the general public transportation techniques. However what are a few of your ideas for preserving everybody collectively while you’re going via these stations?
I like public transportation. I already gushed about trains, however public transportation, whether or not it is a subway practice or it is a bus or one thing like that, I feel it is nice. I am biased as a result of I stay in San Francisco and I do not even personal a automobile. I am by no means trying to drive a automobile, I am all the time in search of another person to get me round. So remember the fact that public transportation could be your buddy. It may be scary to individuals, particularly when you’re not used to it. Some public transportation techniques are simpler than others. Most of the finest ones will take you proper from the airport to downtown. Some nice cities the place I like to recommend all the time taking public transit over a automobile embrace Denver, San Francisco, Chicago, and New York. There’s so many extra that I may title, however all of those locations have trains that go away the airport and can take you to downtown.
And sometimes when you think about site visitors, particularly in these cities that I named which have plenty of site visitors, you get there sooner since you get to keep away from the site visitors. Lots of them take cell funds, so it is very easy to simply pay by your cellphone. For instance, the New York Subway does cell funds. And even when you’re saying, “I do not know easy methods to catch a practice, I do not know the place it goes,” everybody has a smartphone of their hand, obtain Google Maps. They make it very easy to navigate public transportation. And so you possibly can simply enter your vacation spot and so they’ll let you know how lengthy it will take to get there and stroll you thru step-by-step the place to search out the bus cease, the place to get off. They make it actually easy.
I used to be actually impressed in Japan, the Google Maps is so good, it will let you know actually which practice automobile to get on. If it is a 5 automobile practice, it will be like, “Get on the second practice automobile to make the connection simpler to the subsequent practice.”
That is sensible. I do really feel that as a result of in San Francisco, I’m going to their airport on a regular basis and you must go within the entrance automobile is a life hack as a result of the entrance automobile is correct subsequent to the terminal. In case you’re within the again automobile, it feels prefer it’s 1 / 4 mile. It is so far. In order that’s such a superb tip.
There’s a little little bit of a center floor between renting a automobile or utilizing public transportation along with your group. What’s it and why ought to individuals think about it?
That is a kind of tour buses and infrequently we see them referred to as hop on hop off buses, however many main cities have these. A bus or we’ll name it mass transit, but it surely’s designed particularly for vacationers. And I am all about these and I do know they’re dorky while you see everybody getting on the hop on hop off bus, don’t worry as a result of they’re so helpful. What these buses do is that they’ll decide you up usually on the large vacationer hubs when you’re staying at a resort in a significant space, and so they’ll drive round to all the favored vacationer hotspots. This makes it simple to plan your journey as a result of particularly when you’re in a spot like San Francisco, you do not have to say, “The place ought to I’m going?” You simply hop on the bus and so they’ll take you to the Golden Gate Bridge and so they’ll take you to Fisherman’s Wharf and so they’ll take you to the ferry constructing.
This makes it actually easy to should plan. After which as we talked about, you talked about your loved ones hopping on the practice to get right down to Orlando. You actually do not need to stress your self out on trip by sitting in site visitors, having to fret about driving, having to fret about navigating an unfamiliar place. So what’s nice about these hop on hop off bus excursions is you are not essentially on public transit and having to fret about that, however you are additionally not having to fret about driving in an unfamiliar place.
That is such a fantastic tip. Sally, you’re stuffed with nice ideas at present. Thanks a lot for becoming a member of us.
It is all the time a pleasure to be right here.
I’ve obtained to say, I like Sally’s tip about getting your rental automobile from someplace past the airport as a result of not solely are airport rental automobile places typically a busy nightmare, however they’re dearer too. And I am all about discovering a cheaper, much less chaotic technique to get a trip. However I do have a phrase of warning for anybody utilizing a rental automobile various. Like Sally talked about, your expertise could differ. For instance, I as soon as booked a automobile via one among these companies and had a reasonably sketchy expertise. The individual that I used to be going to lease the automobile from first mentioned that they had been going to drop the automobile off on the airport for me. However then once I landed, they mentioned there was some large automobile accident close to the airport, so that they wished me to satisfy them at their dwelling, a full hour away from the airport. And that felt like a extremely good technique to get kidnapped so I did not go that route. And I now solely undergo rental automobile firms. So once more, just one particular person’s expertise one time, but it surely made me say, “This isn’t for me going ahead.”
Yeah, I had an analogous unhealthy expertise with a rental automobile various. My household rented a rental automobile on one among these platforms, and we really ended up in a automobile accident, and it was such a trouble to cope with the insurance coverage as a result of the automobile rental insurance coverage wasn’t fairly the identical as it could be for a conventional rental automobile firm. So we discovered our lesson there and it was actually annoying to cope with all of that whereas we’re purported to be on trip.
Yeah, I guess. I imply, there’s a lot uncertainty concerned in journey as it’s that I need to go together with an organization that I do know is no less than a bit of extra dependable.
Completely. However it may well work for some individuals in some circumstances.
So Meghan, inform us what’s developing within the remaining episode of the sequence.
Effectively, to spherical out our have a look at group journey, we will go all aboard on cruises. Large honking ships are a pure technique to get an enormous group collectively to see the world, or no less than elements of it. We’ll learn the way to choose a cruise, save on excursions, and discover a ship that has one thing for everybody. For now, that is all we have now for this episode. Do you have got a cash query of your personal? Flip to the Nerds and name or textual content us your questions at 901-730-6373. That is 901-730-N-E-R-D. You may as well e mail us at [email protected]. Additionally go to nerdwallet.com/podcast for more information on this episode and keep in mind to observe fee and overview us wherever you are getting this podcast.
This episode was produced by Tess Vigeland. I helped with modifying. Kevin Berry helped with reality checking, Sara Brink combined our audio. And an enormous thanks to NerdWallet’s editors for all their assist.
And this is our temporary disclaimer. We aren’t monetary or funding advisors. This nerdy data is offered for normal instructional and leisure functions and will not apply to your particular circumstances.
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