So im starting graduate school at Boston U in may and i thought itd be a perfect time for a cross country road trip.. The only things that are set for the trip are the number of people: 5 , the dates: May 21st-29th and the route: southern route starting in LA.... As far as which cities to see, where to stay, the kind of car i should rent (RV vs Rental Car) I have no idea where to start! Im willing to throw down a couple grad as is my other buddy but id like to make the trip somewhat cheap since we are all students.. I checked out the major car rental places and found i could get a good sized van for a little over a grand but someone also told me that sometimes you can find people who need someone to transfer their RV's or cars cross country...hmm... anyone know anything about that? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

$1000 sounds like a lot for 8 days, are you talking some huge van that you can fit five people and tons of luggage in? Or a regular 7 passenger mini van?

When we did the trip I think we left early one evening and stopped in Laughlin or Las Vegas for a $20 room and a $10 buffet. Next night Albuquerque or Santa Fe, next day on to Oklahoma City. Then Memphis and Nashville because we really wanted to visit them both, then I think we stopped in Washington DC and onward to Boston. Some rental companies don't let you drive into Manhattan.

You might consider pricing 2 mid-size cars as opposed to one van. Might be a little cheaper, and you'd have more freedom...just in music choices, conversation etc, as you could switch off as opposed to the same people in a car together for 8 days. The trunk space would be better than what you'll have in a van full of 5 people, too.

Renting an RV is going to cost a lot of money - even when you figure in saved money on hotels - and especially since it is a one-way rental.

Some issues to consider. First, you are relocating - how much stuff are you bringing with you? Five people can fit into a full-sized car, but how their stuff will fit is another issue.

A mini-van will seat 6 comfortably - ignore the fact that they are listed as 7-8 passengers - that is how many people can cram into it, not on a cross-country trip. And there is often less luggage space in a mini-van than a big car.

How old are you? If driver(s) are under age 25 you will pay a huge premium - make sure prices you get quoted take that into consideration. The rental company is likely to charge you for each additional driver. Do not even think of having someone not listed on rental agreement drive - you will be in big trouble and expense if there is an accident.

If you can find privately someone wanted car transport, make sure the insurance issue is taken care of - things such as does their insurance policy cover under-25 drivers, this sort of transport. If you go thru a company that hires people to drive, they generally want you to get the car there fast, without sightseeing stops and passengers.

The trip is about 3000 miles. That is about 350-400 miles/day. That will leave you some time for seeing things, but not a whole lot, especially if you take a non-direct route. If you are driving a full-sized van loaded with people and luggage you will be able to eat up fewer miles than in a car.

Trip sounds doable and I would encourage you to do it - despite what above sounds like. Just some things to work out before you embark.

You can save about $400 over that price by picking up the van at BURBANK airport. You can return it either to Bos Logan airport or downtown Boston or downtown Cambridge.

nationalcar.com
Corp Discount code 5190257
Coupon code ND9835JJP

Van or a cadillac car or an SUV all about same price

When OKC check out the Chihuly exhibit at the OKC Museum of Art, as well The Mantel restaurant in Bricktown. Stay at the Skirvin if you can afford it.

I just did a cross-country rental drive from NYC to Seattle (trip report on flyertalk.com here: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=685006) and got a Ford Escape from Hertz for $750 for a week (only needed 6 days.) So $1000 for a longer period sounds about right. I'd recommend motels - our average cost staying at pretty decent places was around $60 - $90 a night, which is probably cheaper (and obviously more comfortable) than the upcharge to a RV or even a van.

We picked up at Newark airport because that was where we flew into - way cheaper than either JFK or La Guardia, but more expensive than Philly (our other choice.) In your case I agree BUR or ONT might be cheaper - although the cheapest local rentals I get around LA is at the Long Beach airport.

As for the U-drives, google "drive-away" and see what comes up. Generally those services are subject to conditions (timing, route, insurance) that you might not find appealing. And there're fewer of them - been "discovered" by the overseas backpacker crowd.

One final word: Roadfood.com (Okay, two words.)

I live in OKC and here is a recent thread for OKC:

http://tinyurl.com/3acg4f
There are others and will post when I find them.

I go to Santa Fe quite often so if you have questions on that I would be happy to help.