Question for people living on the East Coast of US

[AdamP88]

Just looking for a bit of advice.

My friend is getting ordained in Trinidad and Tobago next August and I’m using it as an excuse to “do” the east coast.
I’ve never been to the US but just looking to know is there any reputable car hire companies that don’t require a credit card to book and would let you pick up a car in Miami and drop off in New York.

Also does anyone know any nice places to stay along the way on a budget.

And if anyone has any general advice for travelling in the US feel free to post.

Thanks all.

 

[1ke]

is there any reputable car hire companies that don’t require a credit card to book and would let you pick up a car in Miami and drop off in New York.

In the US, you will need a credit or debit card to rent a car, and will need to be over 25 years old and have a valid driver’s license. If you have a debit card, you will have extra paperwork and require a deposit. If you are coming from another country, you may not be able to rent without a credit card.

You will have to call or email the major rental car companies and ask. There are many: Enterprise, National, Avis, Thrifty, Budget, and Alamo.

Alternately, you could look at Amtrak trains and then look at renting a car only in certain locations for sightseeing.

would let you pick up a car in Miami and drop off in New York

One way rentals are quite a bit more expensive than returning to the same place you rented. it can be done with all major rental companies.

does anyone know any nice places to stay along the way on a budget

So that’s sort of like saying “Does anyone know any good places to stay in France?”

The route between Miami and NYC is over 1300 miles long, and of course there are multiple routes. That is equivalent to driving from Paris, France to Vienna, Austria.

Where you stay completely depends on where you intend to stop along the way for sightseeing, how many days you plan to spend, and what your budget is.

I suggest that you map out an itinerary and then use the internet and a site like Travelocity to look for accommodations in the places you decide to visit.

 

[AdamP88]

If you have a debit card, you will have extra paperwork and require a deposit.

That’s ok. I’d just be reluctant to get a Credit card. I don’t like the idea of them.

The route between Miami and NYC is over 1300 miles long, and of course there are multiple routes. That is equivalent to driving from Paris, France to Vienna, Austria.

I guess I’m just looking for if anyone has any specific suggestions that they know of.
I’m at the planning the route stage. I know I want to visit the Smithsonian and Capitol Hill and that’s about it so far.

 

[1ke]

And if anyone has any general advice for travelling in the US feel free to post.

You are fluent in English so it shouldn’t be too much of a problem.

My main advice is: the US is very large and Europeans that I know (family, friends) all say they had absolutely no concept of how big it actually is until they got here.

I don’t know about trying to go from Miami all the way to NYC, that’s a LOT of ground to cover. I’d try to pick more of the mid-atlantic and concentrate there-- DC, Philadelphia, NYC, Boston. That would be a lot all in itself, but would be easy to do without a car or only renting a car within a city for a few days to see things outside the city. You can travel by train between DC and Philly, NYC, and Boston easily and there are LOTS of things to see in those cities.

 

[AdamP88]

I don’t know about trying to go from Miami all the way to NYC, that’s a LOT of ground to cover. I’d try to pick more of the mid-atlantic and concentrate there-- DC, Philadelphia, NYC, Boston. That would be a lot all in itself, but would be easy to do without a car or only renting a car within a city for a few days to see things outside the city. You can travel by train between DC and Philly, NYC, and Boston easily and there are LOTS of things to see in those cities.

I guess the main reason we’re doing the long drive is because we will likely be flying back to Miami from Trinidad and my friend has family in NY who we’ll stay with when we’re there.

The long drive doesn’t bother me so much and I’d be happy to pay for car rental up front if necessary.

 

[1ke]

I’d just be reluctant to get a Credit card. I don’t like the idea of them.

I think it’s not impossible but it is a real hassle to try to travel internationally without one. Cars, hotels, they just about all require them. Debit cards can sometimes be used but you might run into daily limit issues if you are trying to do cars and hotels and they are all drawing a deposit hold.

Also, you need to check to see if international debit cards will work here the same way-- I know when I got to Europe my debit sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t when I’m trying to use any sort of machine like for train tickets or in hotels, etc. It usually works in the international ATM machines but even then once in a while it’s a no-go.

 

[AdamP88]

I think it’s not impossible but it is a real hassle to try to travel internationally without one.

I’d rather go through the hassle than live on expensive credit. Though I might persuade a family member to allow me to use theirs and pay them back.

We may Airbnb for some of the trip too.

Also, you need to check to see if international debit cards will work here the same way

Does Visa Debit work in the US?

 

[1ke]

I guess the main reason we’re doing the long drive is because we will likely be flying back to Miami from Trinidad

I’d look for a connection that gets me further north-- like fly to NYC and then work my way back down. Maybe only rent a car from DC back to Miami. Or just plan my trip differently.

That’s me. I think driving all the way through FL and the Carolinas will take a lot of time and you will see a lot of interstate and not much else-- unless you are stopping all along the way.

 

[AdamP88]

I’d look for a connection that gets me further north-- like fly to NYC and then work my way back down. Maybe only rent a car from DC back to Miami. Or just plan my trip differently.

I might look into that alright. Didn’t think of it.

That’s me. I think driving all the way through FL and the Carolinas will take a lot of time and you will see a lot of interstate and not much else-- unless you are stopping all along the way.

I guess this doesn’t really bother me that much. By that stage I’ll have planned out all the stops. We’d probably do a half day of driving and then stop at somewhere we want to visit.

 

[1ke]

I’d rather go through the hassle than live on expensive credit.

Credit is only expensive if you don’t pay the balance due in full. If you pay it-- then there is no expense if the card doesn’t have an annual fee.

You don’t have to get one, you are just going to have to be very well prepared and check every hotel, car rental, etc., individually. And have a back up plan.

Does Visa Debit work in the US?

Yes. But international travel gets tricky. My card is a Visa debit card with a chip, and yet I have experienced random difficulty using it in Europe (and I travel there a lot, my sister lives there plus other friends).

Just be prepared. That’s all I’m saying. My credit card has never been declined whereas my debit card sometimes doesn’t work.

 

[1ke]

How many days do you have for this trip, the US part of it?

 

[AdamP88]

How many days do you have for this trip, the US part of it?

Not entirely sure yet. Probably 12 or so.

 

[1ke]

Not entirely sure yet. Probably 12 or so.

Then I really suggest you look into connecting flights to get you where you want to be, and use the train between NYC, Philly, DC, and Boston. Maybe 3-4 days in NYC, a day trip or overnight to Boston to see the most important sites, a day trip or overnight to Philly for the most important sites, 3-4 days in DC, and 2 travel days

 

[Clementine14]

I agree about the credit card. You’re going to find it rather difficult to reserve and pay for multiple hotel rooms and rent a car without one. You can always pay it off in full when you get back. When you use a debit card (provided that it even works), as 1ke mentioned they will put an “authorization hold” on your card. Having many of these holds for hotels and a car rental, which can be several hundred dollars each sometimes, can be risky because of limits. If it gets declined, you’re out of luck finding someplace to stay. Some hotels don’t take cash or debit, and some that take debit charge an extra fee for doing so.

As far as major places I think are worth seeing, they are (from south to north) Savannah, Georgia; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; D.C.; Lancaster, Pennsylvania; NYC. I don’t know if you’re planning going north of New York, but if you are, Rhode Island has some historic mansions in Newport, and there’s always Boston where you can find a lot to do. Most of these places will have some kind of more budget-friendly hotel, but they will probably be further outside of the tourist areas.

 

[AdamP88]

Not really planning on staying in hotels. Airbnb. You don’t need credit card for that.

 

[TigerLily-1]

Not really planning on staying in hotels. Airbnb. You don’t need credit card for that.

You’ll need to check that Airbnb is legal in the states and cities you want to stay in . Or if Airbnb is legal where you want to stay, find out if the law allows short-term rentals. I think NY law has restrictions on short term rentals and other states, cities and towns may also have restrictions.

Don’t assume anything!

 

[Morwenna]

Hi Adam,

One question I haven’t seen addressed (and it’s an important one) is:

What do you (plural) want out of the trip?

Are you more interested in visiting cities and “seeing the sights” (e.g. the Statue of Liberty, the White House, Broadway, museums, etc)? Or are you more interested in the landscape of America (natural beauty, national parks, mountains, smaller towns, etc)? Or a little of both?

If you can let me know more about what you and your wife would enjoy, then I’ll share more. I lived for over 20 years in the eastern US (and still visit frequently), so I’m happy to give recommendations depending on what you most want to do.

 

[AdamP88]

To be honest, I like the idea of driving the East Coast. There are maybe three places on the way I’d like to stop.
I want to end up in NY as my friend who is travelling with us has family there that we’ll stay with. We’ll probably stay there a while.

The original idea was a road trip. There was a town my friend wanted to show me but I forget the name.

I am happy to get suggestions of interesting places to see.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

Does Visa Debit work in the US?

The answer is “depends”. Some places will not take a non-US card, even if it is Visa. Your foreign card is more likely to be accepted in major tourist destinations and at hotels that serve international tourists. If you go to use it at some business in the Deep South you may have a problem.

 

[Xystus]

I’d rather go through the hassle than live on expensive credit

Be very careful about using your debit for rental cars and hotels. they will put a hold on some amount of your money that you will not have access to until it is released, which can take days or a week+. this is from the enterprise web site

If you secured your rental with a debit card, we charge your account the amount of the rental and security deposit on the day you pick up your rental vehicle. Once the vehicle is returned, Enterprise will refund your account the amount of the deposit.

At this point, the time it takes to post to the renter’s account will depend on their banking institution. Typically, renters should see their refund approximately 5 to10 business days.

Please allow your bank some time to process the request. If you do not see your refund after 10 business days, please give one of our customer service representatives a call at 1-844-377-0169 so we can review your account with you.

a hold from the rental car plus a hotel or two can eat up a big chunk of your avaliable money for the duration of your trip. my suggestion is to use a credit card when reserving the car or checking into a room then when you return the car or check out have them charge your debit. the authorization on the credit card will drop off (typically sooner than a refund to debit takes) and you will owe nothing because you did not actually charge it. ive always been asked if i want to keep the payment on the same card, you just need to say no, i would like to use a different one.