With every vacation I’ve taken, I tend to focus on the highlights and keep the negative details to myself. My big vacation near the end of 2021 may have seemed like a trip of a lifetime (and it was), but the start of the trip was not without complications and certainly was the most nerve-wracking of my trips since I decided to make traveling a priority.
Going into the trip, I was nervous about a couple of things. Since it was a flight following back-to-back multi-state trips that involved all driving, I had to prepare for taking just enough clothing and miscellaneous items to bring with me to the airport. Since it was American Airlines, I was allowed one 50-pound suitcase at check-in, one carry-on computer bag, and one carry-on personal bag.
As it turns out, being nice at the counter paid off in Oklahoma City and Philadelphia as I was slightly over at both places. In OKC, I had to shift a couple of clothing items over to my personal bag. In Philadelphia, they were willing to overlook that I was a pound over the limit. But, at the end of the vacation, this turned out to be a concern that was no big deal.
What did turn out to be an issue - and a learning experience - was the car rental situation. For years, I have used Enterprise for car rentals. Mostly due to their willingness to accept debit cards. But this time, Enterprise was so much higher than everyone else that I decided to look at other options. I almost settled in on Dollar but they increased their costs before I pulled the trigger. So I ended up booking Hertz through Expedia.
With the car rental all set up and seemingly ready to go, I even double-checked via Google to make sure Hertz actually would accept my debit card. According to their website, that was an option.
Upon arriving in Philadelphia, I found myself at Hertz and quickly discovered that Hertz in Philadelphia operated under its own set of rules and would not in fact be honoring our agreement to rent me a car unless I paid for it with a credit card. Exasperated and with no backup plan, I began to consider my options. Bus, train, another rental car place, or a mix of the three - everything was on the table. What I hadn’t considered turned out to be an option that was presented to me minutes later.
I decided to Uber to the hotel and get checked in and try to at least enjoy my first day in Philadelphia. I could make a decision and put together a new game plan when I settled in that night.
My Uber driver listened as I told her my predicament and immediately suggested I try something called Turo, which as it turns out is what I would call AirBNB for vehicles. I looked into it and by the time I had checked into the hotel, I had already figured out which car I was going to rent and had already signed up on the app.
This option turned out to be slightly cheaper than my original rental and saved me money on gas (I chose a 2018 Honda Accord hybrid). On the downside, on the second day the sensor showed I had a tire needing air but didn’t say which one or what the PSI was. Despite multiple attempts to locate an air pump that worked over the course of several days, I was only able to get that sensor issue remedied the day before the trip ended. But overall, it was a good experience and the owner was really nice and didn’t do anything that was outside of what was expected through the agreement.
With the negatives of the trip out of the way (mostly), the trip itself is next up. First stop, Philadelphia!
