How to get around at my destination?

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dustinwoodhouse

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Dustin
I've got 260 hours of flying under my belt, mostly just me flying. Now I want to start flying with my family (wife and two daughters age 2 and 4) to fun destinations. I've come up with several fun ones, but am looking for advice on how others have done this successfully. Do you rent a car to get around at your destination? If so, how do you justify the expense to the wife? Is there some secret I'm not aware of??

Because of the age of my daughters, I need to carry car seats, which I pack regularly.

PS (I've done courtesy cars before, the trouble with them is they are usually only available for a few hours at most).
 
Rent them, and don't tell.
after the first successfull trip, it won't matter.
 
If you need car seats, you need them in the plane, so when you get where you are going, you have them for the car!

Go to places your wife is wanting to see, rent a car, enjoy the trip.
 
I went out to Nantucket and took a Cab tour of the island. The cost was about the same as a rental and easier since I didn't have to navigate the island roads. I've done rented autos. While you pay for a whole day, you're generally going to use a few hours, drop the car at the end of the day, and beat feet home. Then there is the FBO which might provide door to door transport. The Owls Head Transportation museum used to send out the Blues Brothers limo to the FBO. The FBO also provided transport to the museum at times.
The best ever was a "crew car". They gave me the keys to a brand new Hertz for the cost of a fill up, plane that is.
 
Crew car to start. Look for interesting destinations, and find an FBO that will give you the crew car for a few hours.

You will win either way: "Free car? My husband is SO smart!" or "You expect me to put our children in this re-purposed police cruiser? Did you not see that Enterprise delivers rentals to this location for FREE?" :D
 
It depends.:D I decide before each trip whether on not i need a rental car, cab, of if the courtesy car will work. Don't be afraid to shop rental car prices you can often find a pretty good rate with a couple phone calls.:D
We flew to Tampa at Thanksgiving for a cruise, a buddy offered me his car at the St Pete airport, but parking was going to cost as much as the round trip cab ride. :rolleyes: So, we took a cab. :D If I'm staying somewhere for several days, I like to have a car, but I usually don't use it much. :wink2:
 
It depends on where you're going and for how long. If it's just for lunch or something, then the courtesy car will usually work. We typically rent a car and can get good prices.

Moving car seats around is a real pain to do, as is getting settled in a hotel (or anywhere) for just overnight. I think the best is to go someplace for a couple of days, then that makes it work out well.

As far as the expense, it's about speed and convenience.
 
Rental car is just a part of the vacation expenses. Do you have to justify the hotel and eating out?
 
My Bride and I will use the courtesy car if we are a few hours and I always ask how soon it needs to be back. Don't forget to always put back the gas you used, it drives me nuts when people don't do that.

As others have mentioned it will depend on what your plans are for the flight. I'm not sure where you are located but at some of the local places we like to fly to, a cab ride each way works out better than a rental. Why pay to park a rental if your on the beach all day, or strolling along a boardwalk or, God forbid, walking that perfect line of shopping outlets that our Brides seem to find.

In the summer we move our motorhome to the beach,a 2.5 hour drive on a good day, 45 minute flight. Once the MH is parked for the season we keep a car at the local airport. We picked up a used car and leave it there, it works out great.

Some folks have set up cars at various airports, check it out https://relayrides.com/
 
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I've done courtesy cars/crew cars, cabs, public buses, rides with the airport manager, random strangers (usually pilots), golf carts, bikes, local restaurants that will pick up at the airport, etc. with kids in tow your best choice is usually a rental car. Check with the FBO finest and tell them your needs. They can often get a rental for cheaper than standard rates.

Also ask around too. Lots of pilots stash old cars at airports that they frequent, and don't mind sharing. I've been doing this at Cape May NJ, and worked out a deal with the FBO to list it on Relayrides.com. I charge a nominal rate of $20/day, mostly for the purpose of covering insurance.
 
I recently flew from Charlotte to Pinehurst and ended up renting a car. I called a local cab company, it would have been $30 round trip for a cab, $40 for a rental car for a day. I chose the rental for convenience and a mere extra $10.
 
There is not much in the way of courtesy cars left in CA. A few airports have stuff that is walkable, but I mostly rent a car. I never had to justify it. You either need it or you don't. Little River has a nice shuttle van to Mendocino.
 
catmandu said:
Crew car to start. Look for interesting destinations, and find an FBO that will give you the crew car for a few hours.
Click to expand...
It's very rare for an FBO to allow use of a crew car for more than one hour unless you're the last flight in before they close and you will have the car back first thing in the morning.

You will win either way: "Free car? My husband is SO smart!" or "You expect me to put our children in this re-purposed police cruiser? Did you not see that Enterprise delivers rentals to this location for FREE?" :D
Click to expand...
Only problem with Enterprise (which is usually a very good choice for this purpose, both because of their pricing and because they deliver to the airport) is that most Enterprise operators close at noon on Saturday and don't open again until Monday morning. This can be a problem for trips arriving or departing on the weekend unless the FBO has an arrangement with them to take care of the rental paperwork (some do, many don't). Make sure you check on this before you leave home.
 
dustinwoodhouse said:
I've got 260 hours of flying under my belt, mostly just me flying. Now I want to start flying with my family (wife and two daughters age 2 and 4) to fun destinations. I've come up with several fun ones, but am looking for advice on how others have done this successfully. Do you rent a car to get around at your destination? If so, how do you justify the expense to the wife? Is there some secret I'm not aware of??

Because of the age of my daughters, I need to carry car seats, which I pack regularly.

PS (I've done courtesy cars before, the trouble with them is they are usually only available for a few hours at most).
Click to expand...

Yes, you rent a car, there are no justifications for aviation except time value.
 
Your Man card needs to be taken away

Tell her if she doesnt like the expence she can walk..... Don't be scared
 
I have rented cars for day rates ,with no overnight,usually check to see if the hotel has a shuttle. Then rent a car for a few hours to tour what I want to see. Cabs from your hotel can also work if you are staying overnight.
 
John221us said:
There is not much in the way of courtesy cars left in CA. A few airports have stuff that is walkable, but I mostly rent a car. I never had to justify it. You either need it or you don't. Little River has a nice shuttle van to Mendocino.
Click to expand...

Can you rent a car in Mendocino? My wife and I are planing her first flight trip there. She loves walking the beach just north of MacKerricher state park In fort Bragg..
 
GMascelli said:
My Bride and I will use the courtesy car if we are a few hours and I always ask how soon it needs to be back. Don't forget to always put back the gas you used, it drives me nuts when people don't do that.

As others have mentioned it will depend on what your plans are for the flight. I'm not sure where you are located but at some of the local places we like to fly to, a cab ride each way works out better than a rental. Why pay to park a rental if your on the beach all day, or strolling along a boardwalk or, God forbid, walking that perfect line of shopping outlets that our Brides seem to find.

In the summer we move our motorhome to the beach,a 2.5 hour drive on a good day, 45 minute flight. Once the MH is parked for the season we keep a car at the local airport. We picked up a used car and leave it there, it works out great.

Some folks have set up cars at various airports, check it out https://relayrides.com/
Click to expand...

I've used relayrides with some success though usually at busier destinations. Also for lodging used airbnb.com and Roomorama.
 
Palmpilot said:
If you take the obar11 van to Fort Bragg, there are a couple of rental car outfits there. Whether they would leave the car at Little River Airport for you, I don't know.

http://mendocinoca.wil.myareaguide....=Car+Rentals&where=Mendocino,CA&sort=distance
Click to expand...

There aren't any practical rental car options for LLR. Rex is great though. We went there yesterday and he was waiting at the airport when we landed and it only took him 15 minutes to come back and get us when we called. Give him a call before you depart and it shouldn't be a problem.
 
GAZOO said:
Your Man card needs to be taken away

Tell her if she doesnt like the expence she can walk..... Don't be scared
Click to expand...

You are either single or else I feel sorry for your wife.
 
Most FBOs maintain one or more courtesy cars for loan just for "don't let the airport car run out'a gas". Some expect it back in a couple hours, others don't mind if you use it all day just depends on the FBO. If you need some wheels for longer than just the day most FBOs are happy to line you up a rental often at a special rate. You never know tho', if you're not familiar with the airport it'd be best to call ahead and ask the FBO what the situation is.
 
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