rent a van
 

Hi Fodorites,
My name is Bertrand and i'm posting from France.
We plan on having a trip through Utah, Wyoming and Montana next year.
I need to rent a van for 12 people (actually 8 but we need room for the luggages) but this type of vehicle is not available in the major rental agencies (except in Florida and California). Could you help me ? Thank you.
Feel free to correct me, I try to improve my english.

A quick check on www.orbitz.com shows that Budget has full size vans out of Salt Lake City. You may not be able to get a one way rental for this vehicle type.

I'd rent two cars instead. For several reasons -
• it will probably cost less than a massive 12 seater,
• there will be quite a bit of mountain driving which would be easier in cars or small SUVs,
• you all would not have to be hooked at the hip 24/7 - you'd have a bit more flexibility if one day some of you wanted to do one thing and others wanted something else,
• and riding through the mountains in the back of a big van is not that pleasant an experience.

I agree, get two cars. And if you rent two cars, stop at one of the discount stores and get a cell phone for each car. They are very inexpensive and you will be able to talk to the people in the other car.

I am on the one vehicle side of the isle. It will be easier to park and find your way around when visiting the various places. Both Ford and Chevy (E350 & C3500) offer an extended van that will handle 15 passengers. Even with a van of that size and carrying capacity you will have to limit your personal luggage somewhat. You may have to have the rental people take out the last row of seats for the added space for your personal stuff. There is no mini van available in this country that has the weight carrying capacity to carry 6 full size adults and their personal stuff. We own a Ford E350SD extended 15 passenger van we use for traveling, in fact we just returned from a 10,500 mile country trip in it this past summer. We take some of the unneeded seats out for extra space..... We also own a Honda Odyssey and travel in it as well.. There is a world of difference in what the Honda is capable of doing and carrying when compared to that of a full size van.

Hope this helps.

Hi guys, thanx for your replies. I thing it would be better to stay all together in the same vehicle but I need to know where I can find one (espacially in the Salt Lake City area).

Local operations (off airport) such as Enterprise often have large vans. You may need to call around to several Enterprise offices to see if you can find one. They do exist.