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Road Trip in January - New Orleans to Lexington

Road Trip in January - New Orleans to Lexington

Old Sep 9th, 2014, 07:14 PM
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Road Trip in January - New Orleans to Lexington

Hi all

Just wondering if I could have any thoughts/opinions regarding a road trip that I am taking with my parents in mid til late January next year from New Orleans to Jackson to Memphis to Nashville and finally Lexington.

The reason this is the route we're taking is our whole family has always wanted to visit New Orleans, my dad has friends in Jackson he wants to visit, my mum is a huge Elvis fan so Memphis for her, I'm a huge country music fan so stopping by Nashville and we're ending in Lexington because I'm starting university in February in Wilmore.

Will the road conditions be conducive to a road trip? I know it's winter so I'm not expecting great weather but will it be snowy and icy on the roads? We're from Australia so it doesn't snow so never driven in road conditions where it might be snowing.

I know car rental isn't going to be cheap either - any recommendations for a good car rental company would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance for any advice
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Old Sep 9th, 2014, 07:35 PM
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Since you will be driving through the South, you will probably not encounter much in the way of snow or ice in January. Snow is pretty rare in New Orleans and Jackson (although they might get an inch of snow in Jackson during an entire winter season). In Memphis and Nashville, snow happens more often, but they only get about 4 - 6 inches total for the entire winter. Lexington gets the most snow of your destinations--an average of about 4 inches just in January.

As you are probably aware, since you are picking up the car in one city and dropping it off in another, you will be paying extra for this. I have been pricing a one-way trip for myself in December and the major car companies now seem to impose this one-way drop-off fee by not giving you any free mileage. Instead they charge between 25 cents to 30 cents per mile. So, if you can do an estimate of the number of miles you expect to drive, you'll get some idea of the drop-off fee you will have to pay. (The car company will give you an estimate of this fee based on a direct driving route between Point A and Point B, but you will be going to a lot of places in-between, so this estimate won't be too accurate for you.)

As far as rental companies go, I would choose one of the major ones--Hertz, Avis or Budget. (I am not a fan of Alamo. They seem to use the most "strong-arm" methods to try to get you to pay extra fees.)
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Old Sep 10th, 2014, 02:57 PM
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No way to tell about the weather, of course, but the interstate highways are cleared pretty quickly. With front-wheel drive, it's only ice that makes for difficult driving. In snow, just remember not to brake quickly, which causes you to go into a skid. And build in a bit of extra time if the weather reports are bad so that you are not late for enrollment. I hope you really enjoy college in Kentucky.
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Old Sep 10th, 2014, 05:42 PM
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Umm, Carolyn, ice makes everything "neutral" including 4WD. Don't brake quickly any time you may skid!!
I think the OP will be fine--but stay tuned.
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Old Sep 11th, 2014, 12:42 PM
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I have family and friends in that part of Kentucky and, well, there's much you can do but keep a close eye on the weather, as ice (more than snow, really) is a distinct possibility. Of course, I'm jaded by last year's horrible winter, but forecasters are predicting a similar one, so I'd just keep an eye on the weather. If there is ice in the area, my advice is to just say put; it never lasts for terribly long so wait until you get there safely. Getting in an accident or stuck in an interstate pileup is decidedly unfun. Plus, in that area of Kentucky, it's not usual for them to lose power for one or more days because of ice.

I hope you enjoy college in Lexington. It's a lovely area.
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Old Sep 16th, 2014, 07:01 PM
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Thanks so much for all the advice. Will definitely take note of it when we are there in January. Really looking forward to it!
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Old Sep 16th, 2014, 07:32 PM
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Allow an extra day or so near the end in case you do have to wait out a storm someplace.
That area of Kentucky is beautiful.
There are many other pretty areas in KY: around KY Lake, and there are some great caves to visit. Hope you enjoy it.
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Old Sep 23rd, 2014, 05:08 AM
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I would check one-way rentals from Enterprise. There is an Enterprise location about 6 miles from Wilmore (no rental companies in Wilmore). The closest Avis/Hertz will be at the Lexington airport. I've gotten some decent one-way rental prices from Enterprise in the past, but it's been awhile.

I don't think you will encounter winter weather problems until you get a bit north of Nashville. Western KY is warmer than central KY (your destination) so has less snow (often none when central gets snow), but it will mostly be in Jan/Feb. Some years, central KY may just get a few dustings of snow. We get a few ice storms (not even every year, but we did have one that caused some power outages in 2009). I've never been without power for days (I'm on the same power company as Wilmore), but I do think Wilmore had some sections out in 2009. Power outages seem more common in the spring than in the winter. It's not usually entire areas out, just small areas.

Wilmore is a small town without many amenities (and an entirely different culture from other towns around). Do you plan to get a car while you are here?

>>>I'm a huge country music fan so stopping by Nashville>>We're from Australia so it doesn't snow so never driven in road conditions where it might be snowing.
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Old Oct 8th, 2014, 06:19 PM
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Have rejigged our itinerary to allow those extra days to get to Lexington in case of inclement weather.

Yes I'm planning to get a car probably in Lexington when I arrive - seeing as I'm going to be there for 2.5years while I'm studying and I had heard that Wilmore is basically a university town. Plus 2.5years with a car will allow travelling and road tripping around the US
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Old Oct 9th, 2014, 11:12 AM
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Wilmore is a very small college town. It had its charm, but you will be close to Lexington that has a bit more to offer. Enjoy your stay in Kentucky.
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Old Oct 9th, 2014, 03:45 PM
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Agree that if you run into bad weather you should NOT try to drive in it. It can go from a little to awful in a very short time and unfortunately many people in that part of the country don;t now how to drive in it - besides the fact that municipalities are simply not prepared for either ice or snow.

(We landed in Cincy - airport is in Kentucky) in about 2" of snow and you would have thought it was the blizzard of the century. All the cabs ran for cover and we caught the last bus back into town - for something that in areas that get more snow would have been completely ignored. There are simply not the necessary plows salt and sand to deal with bad weather. Leave plenty of time so you can delay a day or two on the way if necessary.
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Old Oct 9th, 2014, 07:45 PM
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>>>I had heard that Wilmore is basically a university town.>>besides the fact that municipalities are simply not prepared for either ice or snow.>>(We landed in Cincy - airport is in Kentucky) in about 2" of snow and you would have thought it was the blizzard of the century.
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Old Oct 10th, 2014, 07:08 AM
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Yes, I think NY is again being her provincial self!!! LOL BUT I will say that that pull UP the hill from the Ohio coming out of Cincy is HARD in snow!! But not 2 inches.
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Old Oct 10th, 2014, 07:13 AM
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As you are probably aware, since you are picking up the car in one city and dropping it off in another, you will be paying extra for this.

I think I have read on this board that those one way fees are often waived for foreign renters--who may pay more up front. The OP may want to ask a travel agent in Oz or do some calling on her own to companies for quotes and regulations/ideas. Maybe an Oz renter is reading this and can comment from experience.

Where are the parents flying home from.

Just a thought, but long term would the parents be better coming later in the college career, and the family making a RT to NOLA in the OP's car she will have?
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Old Oct 10th, 2014, 08:43 AM
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Lexington is the closest airport to Wilmore (about 12 miles or so).

>>>The OP may want to ask a travel agent in Oz or do some calling on her own to companies for quotes and regulations/ideas.>>I will say that that pull UP the hill from the Ohio coming out of Cincy is HARD in snow!!
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Old Oct 10th, 2014, 08:44 AM
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No - it wasn't a couple of centuries ago - it was only a couple of years. Granted it was early in the year - had been 60 degrees when we left NY - I think early Nov - but they were definitely shutting down the public transit from airport to Cincy for only a couple of inches of snow. Maybe it was a surprise for them - or too early in the year - but it was a big mess.
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Old Oct 10th, 2014, 04:28 PM
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THAT certainly NEVER happens in NYC!!! LOL!!
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Old Oct 10th, 2014, 05:10 PM
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Another way to consider this trip would be to spend a couple days in New Orleans and then taking the Amtrak train "City of New Orleans". It leaves at 1:45PM daily. Take it to Jackson first arriving about 5:30PM.
Spend 24 or 48 hours in Jackson before getting on the "City" again to Memphis. You arrive about 10 PM so you want a hotel near the station. Rent your car in downtown Memphis. It is only 230 miles from Memphis to Nashville (3.5 hours in good weather)
It's also about 230 miles 3.5 to 4 hours from Nashville to Wilmore or Lexington.
You may save some money on a drop off fee if you can have a second driver follow you back to Memphis to turn in the first rental car. You might even be able to buy and insure a car in the Lexington area.
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Old Oct 14th, 2014, 07:10 PM
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Thanks again for the suggestions - I think we'll definitely stick with the car rental even if it is going to probably cost more with the drop off fees - it just allows more freedom and ease of getting around. The reason we're doing the road trip before I start studying is simply because my parents want to come with me to see the place before I start college there - seeing as I have never actually been there. We decided since we're going let's just make a trip of it and voila road trip through the south.

Will keep in mind about the ice on the road and snow storms.

Thanks for the great info, it has been a great help
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