Greg

I realize that some might consider this request in bad taste, with the events of the past week, but I have a honeymoon that will not be delayed by a bunch of gutless cowards. I have a few questions that I would appreciate anyone's feedback: <BR> <BR>1) I need to rent a car from Seville to Malaga for 3 days. What company do you recommend? I have tried a few companies, and find that the rate will vary wildly depending on what time I pick up the car and what time I drop it off. What times are best for drop off/pick up for the best rate? <BR> <BR>2) Do I need to make advance reservations for the AVE from Madrid to Seville, or can I go the morning I wish to travel? <BR> <BR>3) Does anyone have any experience with the Steven Drake Jones tour that is recommended by Rick Steves and MadridMan.com? <BR> <BR>4) Has the FAA instituted any rules governing carry-on luggage for international flights? <BR> <BR>I am leaving a week from Monday. I will be happy to post news/messages from Madrid for any travelers that are wondering about the current travel climate when I am there (I understand there are many cybercafe's there). <BR> <BR>Thanks in advance, <BR>Greg

Leslie

Greg, <BR> <BR>I can't answer many of your questions, as I haven't been to Spain, but here goes. <BR> <BR>For car rental try Auto Europe based out of Portland, Maine. I know they have an 800# and probably a website too. A standard shift is much cheaper than an automatic shift. Auto Europe has good pricing and very good customer service. <BR> <BR>Regarding carry-on baggage, no knives, swiss army knives, scissors, razors, clippers, etc. There are other threads on this site that have further details. <BR> <BR>Have a great wedding and safe trip. Enjoy your honeymoon, no reason to go to a cybercafe to write to us. But, we'd like to hear about your adventures and the political climate when you return. <BR> <BR>Best, <BR> <BR>Leslie <BR> <BR> <BR>

lisa

hi greg, <BR> <BR>we drove from seville, through white towns, then on to granada. <BR> <BR>1) we called both auto europe and kemwel to get rental car quotes. i did a search on this message board for both these companies and found that auto europe had better comments. kemwel offered a lower price, but auto europe agreed to match it. we went with auto europe. both have web sites. one note, make sure to get a michelin map--road sign system in spain can be a little confusing to people not used to it. michelin makes the most detailed maps and i'm sure it saved us many hours of being lost. <BR> <BR>2) if you have a specific departure and arrival time, then i would recommend making AVE reservations. we reserved seats the day before, and already most of the morning (rush hour) departure trains were full. there's a RENFE office in madrid--the line was much shorter than at the train station and it was right around the corner from our hotel. <BR> <BR>3) we didn't go on the drake jones tour, but in sevilla, we went with a rick steve's recommended tour. her name is concepcion and it was one of the best city walking tours we've ever been on. she's knowledgeable and will talk about everyday life in sevilla as well. if you do go, please ask her about her trip to prague. she was scheduled to go shortly after we went on her tour in july. <BR> <BR>have a great trip!

mary lewis

We rented a car for about a week - picking up in Cordoba and dropping off in Seville- through Avis. Actually got a good deal because my company has a deal with Avis - don't forget to check those things out - we are allowed to use the deals personally also. We got our AVE tickets ahead of time - just for peace of mind. Most of the ticket agents do not speak English at all so have what you want to say translated before hand. Pointing to the schedules worked too. Another thing to note - when you get to Atocha if you are early your train won't show what track it is on until about 20 minutes ahead of time - it isn't like the airport where you know what gate it is the day before. We didn't do the Stephen Drake tour - although we used Rick's book quite a bit. Have a great time - we loved Spain.

Pedro

Despite many AVE trains do the Madrid-Sevilla line, they are usually crowded, so I would reccommend you to get the tickets as soon as possible, at the station, travel agencies or RENFE offices.

xxx

We are going to Spain in a couple of days. We rented through EuropebyCar.com <BR>Just a note: You have to have a international drivers license official translation and make sure you pick up insurance. Good luck.