Rental Car (DC to Baltimore)
 

For my trip next week, I am heading to Richmond, VA for 1 night before coming back to Hartford.

The cheapest option I could find for travel is a rental car. I will pick the car up in DC and drop it off at BWI. Is there a 1 way fee charged? How much?

Any other option of travel to get to Richmond then back on Sat morning? Amtrak was too expensive and schedule wasn't too favorable.

I don't even begin to understand your question(s) in relation to the title.

"Is there a 1 way fee charged? How much?"

How in the world are we supposed to know? Are you kidding or what?

You need to check directly with the rental car co about total costs - rental, drop off, etc. There is no one-size-fits-all answer to your question.

I like to use www.orbitz.com to check rental car prices, then go directly to the rental company website to book. The price they quote you should include any drop off fee.

Didn't know if anyone knew from personal experience.

Just called avis and they said that there is none.

You are traveling to Richmond and THEN you talk about renting a car in DC and dropping it off at BWI?

Does this mean you are flying INTO DCA, renting the car and driving to Richmond and then coming back to BWI?

Clarity...you know, that stuff you are always DEMANDING from others, helps answer questions.

I didn't understand either. Baltimore enters the picture when?? BWI is the airport, Baltimore is not. Baltimore is a city.

I will already be in DC. After 5 days there, I will be heading to Richmond for 1 night before heading home. I am looking at flights from BWI back to Hartford (Southwest doesn't fly out of Richmond so that would not work)

Well, there are other airlines out of Richmond and back to Hartford. They require a change of planes, but you should consider rental car cost and the cost of your time (and stress) driving from Richmond to BWI. Then, you could take Amtrak to Richmond.

I don’t quite understand why you are going from Richmond all the way to Baltimore to fly to Hartford. There is an airport in Richmond and there are two in Washington, DC which you will pass on your way to Baltimore. There are non-stop flights on US Air from Ronald Regan airport to Harford. You can fly from Richmond to Hartford via a change in Philadelphia.

If you have a meeting in Baltimore, then that may explain it. But if you only need to be at BWI to fly to Hartford after your one day in Richmond, then IMO you may actually be better off renting a car from a location near Union Station in DC, driving to Richmond for the one night, and then just returning the rental car in DC and taking the train from DC to Hartford. This will save drop off charges. Using a train from DC to Hartford is 6 hours, but all-in I think you would find that will be the same or not that much more time than driving from DC to BWI, returning the rental car, getting to the airport early for security and the inevitable flight delays. Not to mention cheaper. And if you make this trip on a Friday or Sunday in summer, you may find lots of traffic on roads to slow you down getting to BWI.)

Or if you don’t need a car in Richmond, then just take Amtrak from DC to Richmond and then again take the train from Richmond to either BWI (there is a station stop) or all the way to Hartford. Even if you take limited taxis in Richmond, the Amtrak fares have got to be cheaper than one-way rental, gas, parking.