If you’re interested in visiting multiple destinations a road trip is a great option! But what if you don’t live anywhere near that location… so you won’t have a car and you’ll have to bring all your gear! Well I’m here to tell you it’s super doable! Here are some tips on how I’ve done it in the past!
1: check out alternatives to traditional car rentals
There are two main options that I have used when getting a vehicle to use for a road trip. The first is renting from a traditional car rental place (Enterprise, Hertz, etc) and the second is using a car sharing company. There are pro’s and con’s to both but when possible car sharing is my favourite!
The Traditional Car Rental Option
pros:
- They are available in most places and you can often pickup right at the airport.
- They are typically reliable and you can reserve in advance so you guarantee a car being there
- They have a wide range of vehicle options including larger vehicles for big families
cons:
- They are expensive! Especially since covid car rentals have been very expensive. On my last road trip we looked at rentals >4 months in advance and were quoted $1500+ for a 10 day trip.
- If you’re under 25 you will have to pay an additional fee! (Sometimes there are ways to get around this, I will write another post soon about this!)
- Have to book far in advance. These days getting a car through a rental company can be tricky. Many companies in Canada sold off large portions of their fleets during covid, making getting a car expensive and sometimes impossible if you haven’t planned far in advance.
- Specific pickup hours that sometimes don’t align with flight schedules.
the car Share company option
Okay, now for my personal favourite and I think less well known option that I have used for my last two big road trips. Car share companies are companies like Evo, and Communauto which are mostly marketed as city vehicles for short day trips. BUT! what you may not realize is that you can also use them for a full day, for multiple-days and you can drive them basically anywhere! I’ll also write another post diving more into how they work but for now here are the pros and cons.
pros:
- They are usually cheaper than a traditional car rental. That last road trip I mentioned where I was quoted over $1500 from car rental companies we ended up paying about $500 for the same trip using a Communauto car! Watch how far the Communauto car took us!
- There are no fees for those under 25! – you might have to double check for each specific company, but Evo and Communauto don’t have any. This made using an Evo significantly cheaper when I went on my first BC/Alberta trip at 22! Watch where the Evo took us, or read about my drive down the Icefields Parkway!
- Free gas! – yes you read that right. Since these companies were designed for short day trips in the city it wouldn’t make sense for every person to need to refill after every short trip. So, what that means for longer trips is that they will either reimburse you (keep your receipts!) or give you a credit card to pay for gas and other car expenses (like a car wash) on your longer trip.
- You are not restricted by rental company hours because you just pickup and drop off on the side of the road within a certain zone whenever is convenient for you
cons:
- Often small sized vehicles meant for city driving. Might not be suitable for all adventures or larger families.
- Pickup isn’t usually available at the airport so you’ll have to take a taxi or public transit to where you can pickup your car.
- You’ll have to start and end your trip in a specific zone (usually in the city center)
- You can’t always reserve a vehicle in advance, though this has never been a problem for me.
- The condition of the vehicle is less well known since it isn’t returned to the company after each use. (I haven’t had a problem with this, except for a playpen being left in one car … which we then drug around with us for 10 days).
2. Don’t plan too much driving for the day you arrive or leave
If you are flying into your destination keep in mind that you have to pick up your car and likely run some errands before you can hit the road. Typically errands for me include getting some groceries along with any items that I couldn’t bring on the plane (ex bear spray, propane/cooking gas, camp lighters). Those errands take time and travel days can always take unexpected turns (I know no one likes to think about a delayed flight) but planning a big day of driving that first day can leave you stressed and tired which is not how you want to start a trip. So plan for a shorter drive the first day.
Same goes for the last day. You’ll need time to drop off your car, pack up your stuff and get to the airport early. Then you’ll be on a plane! A big drive before all that will make for a very long day.
3.Check if large items are available to rent at your destination!
If you’re like me and planning a camping or outdoorsy road trip there are some big items that you may be concerned with not being able to bring on the plane. I’ve found that for many of these items there are alternatives to bringing them yourself including rentals, or substutions that can be made.
- Rentals – there are outdoors outfitters in many cities that have rentals available this includes things like camp stoves, tents, coolers, the works! Check outdoors stores nearby parks or some parks even have outfitters within them!
- Coolers – consider using a small insulated bag that folds down instead of a hard sided cooler. Plan meals to include items that don’t need to be refrigerated!
- Stoves – if you are camping you could cook on a campfire (just have a backup plan in case of fire bans!). You could also get a small backpacking stove that can be packed in a checked bag.
- Tents – rent one! Or if you have a small enough one that could fit in a suitcase bring that!
- Camp chairs – leave ’em at home! They’re a luxury sure, but there’s usually picnic tables to sit at!
While I haven’t done it you could also check online marketplaces like Facebook marketplace at your destination for people selling or giving away things cheap.
One thing not to do is to buy new gear and then just throw it away! This is very wasteful and I hate when I see perfectly good gear tossed in a dumpster at a campground!
4. Pack in a way that is useful once at your destination
Think about how you will be traveling when you arrive to your destination and the types of activities you will be doing.
- Pack carry on items in backpacks that can also be used as daypacks on daytime adventures.
- Pack larger items in a suitcase that can be placed in the vehicle and easily looked through.
- Depending on how many people are traveling I suggest trying to limit the number of luggage items you bring. The less large suitcases the better as they will take up room in your vehicle!
- I suggest checking 1 bag that will contain items that aren’t allowed in carry on. This includes a lot of common camping gear for example an empty camp stove, hiking poles, tent stakes, microspikes, a knife or small hatchet. This will save you money at your destination, you don’t want to buy gear you already own unless absolutely necessary.
- Note that some items cannot be brought on planes at all! Make sure to check airline rules before getting to the airport!
- When getting groceries at your destination try and pack them in a cardboard box this will be great for organizing in your trunk! (bonus the cardboard doubles as a fire starter if needed)
