Another thought regarding GPS/navigation. If you use your phone, it will suck down a lot of power - so make sure you have a car charger for your phone. If you would rather a traditional GPS, they can be bought on Amazon for just over $50 USD - probably cheaper than renting one through car rental agency. You can then keep it, sell it, give it away. I like having some kind of navigation system when I travel because it allows me to get off main highway and explore - without worrying I will end up hopelessly lost.

That's good news about the transponder from Alamo. There aren't too many tolls that you will go through but it will be helpful to have one. No tolls from Boston to the Cape. There is a toll as you enter New Hampshire on your way to Portsmouth just follow the EZ Pass lanes as you will have the transponder. There are tolls on the highway in Maine, again go through EZ pass lanes. Crossing New Hampshire to Vermont there will be no tolls. If you take the Massachusetts Turnpike back to Boston, route 90, (where I assume you are flying out of) that is the toll road with no visible toll booths.

On my last trip to Italy I downloaded google maps on my phone before I left. It worked great as I did not need internet to use it. You could download MA, NH, ME and VT before you leave home (It is not that large an area).Just bring a car charger and you are good for the entire trip. The only thing it does not give you is up to date traffic information.

Re GPS navigation and phones.

No - SatNav is not a standard feature in cars in the US likely due to the ease of use of gps on a smart phone - its just not a feature in high demand any more, and an expensive add on option when buying a car.

I use google maps or waze apps on my phone for gps. The former when I'm using it for directions for destinations such as shops, restarurants, etc as I can mark locations of any destination when sitting at a computer and I'll see the same info on my phone (with my gmail account), and the latter for longer trips when I care about traffic, police/radar locations, and possible detours.

A benefit of google maps is that you can download maps of any region to your phone when at home or a hotel on the wifi, then you do not need a cell service to navigate. I do this frequently when traveling to areas with poor cell service or when traveling to a foreign country.

You've gotten great advice! Some small tweaks/thoughts on the Cape Cod portion...

Get a car first thing Friday morning - drive to JFK library. You'll spend approx. 2 hours there at most. Then drive to Cape Cod. The library is right off the highway, south of the city, on the way to the Cape, and a fairly expensive taxi/uber ride from downtown Boston.

National Seashore is in Eastham (someone posted a different town name, probably just got autocorrected :), fairly close to where you're staying in Brewster. Also in that area - Nauset Beach. This past fall there were tons of great white sightings at that beach so perhaps there will be a similar situation this year during your visit. There's an app by the folks at the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy which shows where these guys (and lady sharks) are sighted in real time.

Provincetown is a must visit. There's nowhere else like it. If you're into whale watching take a tour of out there.

Finally, I don't understand the draw of Martha's Vineyard or Nantucket, but this is probably because I grew up on Cape Cod. I also really don't understand the difference between the two lol but if there's a reason you want to go to MV then do so, but Nantucket is going to be a much shorter ferry ride from the area of the Cape you'll be in...

I hope you have an amazing trip and feel free to ask additional questions as needed!

As far as I know the ferry from Hyannis to MV or Nantucket both take 1 hr

https://hylinecruises.com/schedules-...ucket-ferries/

Minor correction on tolls in NH. If you take the google maps recommended route from Portland to Grafton via Rt 101 to Concord NH, Rt 101 connects with I93 just south of the Hooksett toll booth. This can be avoided by taking the more scenic Rt 4 instead of Rt 101.

I dislike Rt 101 but drive it occasionally. I hate I90 from Stockbridge to Boston but probably the fastest route heading home is best.

Great reminder from Gail to have phone charger for the car.

I was just visiting a friend in Woodstock VT yesterday and went past the entrance to the Vermont Institute of Natural Sciences Raptor Center. This might be something you'd enjoy seeing while you are in Grafton. It is very close to the Marsh Billings Rockefeller National Park so could be combined with that. There are some nature trails, one of which connects to trails in a nearby state forest.

We spend time each fall in Maine from about Oct 15th-21st or so. Normally that is about peak fall foliage. Last year it was peak and it was remarkable in New Hampshire. I mean stunning. We normally stay in Portland and they have some good foodie tours- there is a Lunch Lobster Crawl that is great and there is also a lobster boat tour in Portland by lucky catch tours that was neat and you go to go out on a boat and catch lobsters. There is also a cute little place right on the water we like- Portland Lobster Co for a great lobster roll. Dinner at Five fifty five is amazing and very nice dinner.

In New Hampshire Peachs is a great place for breakfast before driving the Kancamangaus highway. There are some spots to get out and look and even hike a ways. Very nice drive.

Maine has some great foodie tours- https://www.mainefoodietours.com/

We've done the one in Bar Harbor, Boothbay Harbor and Portland. They are all very good and offer a great variety or history, food, culture etc.

Also Lucky Catch has a neat Lobster Boat tour in Portland- it was neat and we learned a lot about the lobster industry and history.