Annhig, et al--no, we are not newlyweds. I am not sure what tangent Michael and cferrb got off on, nor do I don't understand it in the context of this thread.>>

harcar - don't try to understand, some of us are always going off on tangents!

Michael and I actually didn't go off on a tangent. I made a statement about Provence, Barcelona and Alicante that he pointed out made no sense whatsoever, which I tried to refute until I realized that he was right and I was a dingbat.

cferrb, I don't believe for a minute that you are a dingbat, but even if your are, you seem to be quite a charming one, so your DH should certainly buy two tickets to Europe.

Thank you Sassafras. I'll let him know that we are double-teaming him

harcar - I'm wondering if you ever took your road trip? My husband and I (also familiar with Chicago driving) are thinking of doing that same route by car next year. Would love to hear how it went and any lessons learned?

Sometimes the trip you have in mind is worth things like insurance and drop off fees. We picked up a car in Nice and drove to Barcelona via Provence and Carcassonne. It's a lovely drive and very easy.

I think our drop off fee was around $200. We always take the car company's insurance coverage. It's just worth it in the long run. No hassle.

good point, CD. We did Geneva to Amsterdam on the same basis.

if you want to get from A to B there can be good reasons for accepting the one-way drop-off fee; you just have to work it into the budget and decide whether it's worth it.