Packing It In

Car rental choices are pretty straight-forward for two, three or four people.  However, what to do if there are five or six of you?  I got an inquiry from a group of three couples about how to approach car rental, and this is how I came to sort through their situation.

Few of the family-size vehicles accommodate more than five passengers.  The one's that I've seen that suggest they accommodate six can do so, but with little room for luggage.  I think if you try to rent a vehicle that would accommodate all of you, you're looking at a 9-person van if you are going to have something that is big enough for all of you to ride in AND to hold luggage.  That was renting at about a $1400 per week rate.  

There are some down sides.  First, while driving this van [and the smaller versions] are narrower than what you would find here in the US, it would be fine transporting yourself from the airport and to the house.  However, to think of having to drive that thing for about two weeks to all of the locations you may want to visit, I'm guessing there were be some "tight spots" along the way and it would get pretty tiring.  Also, there will be times when you may just want to make a quick trip to the store -- one or two of you -- and you'd be driving that big honker.

So, I'd suggest you think about going with two small and/or mid-sized cars.  For starters, the rental will be cheaper.  Besides relieving you of some of the navigation and parking hassles along the way, it will give you the option of planning days and experiences when you are not all together.  Even with the best and closets of friends, being joined at the hip and moving as a pack 24/7 for two weeks would reveal some real stresses.  When we have friends visit us while we are in Petrognano, we always ask they rent their own car.  While we may love 'em dearly, we like to have the option of each of us taking off for our own adventures for a day or so, and then coming back together to share our stories over a great meal on the deck. 

As I think about this more, the "two-car deal" makes so much more sense.  You absolutely will not need the big van to move you as a pack 100% of the time.  However, there's likely to be as many times when all you need is a single vehicle for one, two or three of you to run a quick errand, times when you will want to divide up and go your own ways for a few hours or a day's adventure, or excursions when you'll pile into your two-car caravan.  Plus, navigating everything from the freeways to the narrow mountain passes to parking lots would be easier.

And, it would be cheaper.