devops7954

+1 for prepaid debit cards

georgeb944

Cash! Accepted everywhere! Never turned down...

suze

A couple rolls of quarters wouldn't hurt either.

tom_mn

Buy them a transponder (EZ Pass or compatible other) for the toll roads and load it up with $60. A transponder, aside from being convenient, will save 1/4 to 1/2 off of the tolls. EZ Pass will work on every system from Chicago to the east coast.

Gretchen

Cash is nice but it gets mixed up with everything else and may soon be forgotten. The EZ pass is an interesting idea.
Pulling a trailer--ugh. but that will add to the tolls wherever they are.
So the quarters are an interesting thought as are dollar bills.

suze

No. Cash works. I don't know why it would be "forgotten"???

There is a rare situation that USD won't be accepted. All the various prepaid cards may or may not turn out to be appropriate, you just don't know the situation they may find themselves in.

Quarters for parking in cities, doing your wash in a laundry matt, buying soda or a bag of chips from a vending machine. Again nothing is more practical than cash. Some quarters, some $1s, and some larger bills.

Gretchen

NOt talking about that kind of "forgotten" and I think it is fine. You put cash in your pocket and it certainly is there along with all the other money you have.. You use some quarters on a toll and you think about the person who gave it to you. Not all that important but it is a nice part of a gift both for the giver and the recipient.

J62

Do you want to give them something that is for us during the actual trip, or just add to the kitty?

If your desire is the former, that's perfectly fine, but If I were doing this I'd do the latter to help with expenses before, during, or after the trip, whatever they may be.

And how many tolls are there between Washington and VA? Maybe 1 or 2 total, or less, dependiing on the route.

tom_mn

The shortest route would be I-90 switching to I-76 around Cleveland. Virtually everything from the Wisconsin/Illinois border to Breezewood PA is a toll road except in central Chicago. 5-8 tolls in Illinois, 2 in NW Indiana, then continuous tolls for the Indiana Tollroad, Ohio Turnpike, and Pennsylvania Turnpike, so at least 10 payments totaling about $75.

But for an extra hour or two of driving it’s possible to drop down and go across Iowa passing through Indianapolis and Morgantown WV and miss them all.

It’s inconvenient to live in DC or Richmond or Norfolk and not have a transponder though.

suze

There's all kinds of reasons for quarters, if that is what the no tolls comment was referencing. Washing clothes at a laundry mat. Getting soda or snacks from a machine at your motel. Parking meters in towns and cities.

There is no logical argument against cash

clarkgriswold

Give them cash stuffed into two rolls of thick pillowy toilet paper, because they won't find any decent toilet paper at roadside stops or rest areas.

And they'll think of you every time they take a dump.