Southwest location without the rental car
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 172
Southwest location without the rental car
So this is kinda crazy question, I was planning a trip to BOS - PWM in July. Because of the crazy rental car price, I'm looking to go somewhere else. I need some SW location suggestions that does not require a rental car. Any help? (Beside Chicago, DC, and NYC)
Thanks
Thanks
#3
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: PHX
Programs: Delta 2M DM, Southwest A List and CP
Posts: 1,102
There are lots of options where the airport has good light rail or other public transit service: MSP, SFO, OAK, STL, SEA, PHL, to name a few. In some cities Uber and Lyft are terribly expensive and require long waits, so we have typically used public transport instead; works really well!
#4
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Nashville -Past DL Plat, FO, WN-CP, various hotel programs
Programs: DL-MM, AA, SW w/companion,HiltonDiamond, Hyatt PLat, IHF Plat, Miles and Points Seeker
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#6
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: West Coast
Programs: WN A+, AS MVP, UA 1P
Posts: 92
Nashville has an awesome downtown. Lots of great food, live music, and quality hotels, and tons of Southwest flights in and out. Uber/Lyft to downtown is about $40.
Las Vegas is another great choice. Things are opening up, lots of shuttle options to get to the entertainment areas, and the tram system just reopened a few days ago. Even more than Nashville, it's another city with lots of Southwest flights in and out.
Las Vegas is another great choice. Things are opening up, lots of shuttle options to get to the entertainment areas, and the tram system just reopened a few days ago. Even more than Nashville, it's another city with lots of Southwest flights in and out.
#7
Join Date: May 2012
Location: DCA, lived MCI, SEA/PDX,BUF (born/raised)
Programs: Marriott (Silver/Gold), IHG, Carlson, Best Western, Choice( Gold), AS (MVP), WN, UA
Posts: 8,739
So this is kinda crazy question, I was planning a trip to BOS - PWM in July. Because of the crazy rental car price, I'm looking to go somewhere else. I need some SW location suggestions that does not require a rental car. Any help? (Beside Chicago, DC, and NYC)
Thanks
Thanks
for example I travelled this weekend to buffalo and saw crazy high prices. About 2 weeks before they dropped to more reasonable rates in part because of multiple car booking clean up.
citues you don’t need a rental for outside of airport to hotel.
nashville
Atlanta ( some areas are served by light rail)
Denver ( light rail from airport)
las vegas
LA...light rail I don’t think it’s a direct connection to lax
San Diego..there light rail doesn’t get to airport there might be a shuttle.
portland light rail from airport
San Francisco or oakland light rail from airport. Oakland has a pay bus to Bart station. Some airport hotels run shuttle to both.
seattle light rail from airport
baltimire...has a light rail system and a MARC train from bwi to downtown dc and baltimore
Philadelphia has a line from airport to downtown
Minneapolis iirc has airport access
dallas has a limited light rail system but serves love
Ft Lauderdale
orlando...staying at Disney or universal. There is a bus line that gets you around universal-sea world- Orange County convention center
tampa
new orleans
maui you don’t need a car rental.
#8
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 1,868
Not a crazy question at all - we've been booking the same way for months. So far we've done DC, Nashville, NYC, and San Francisco. We have San Diego in a couple weeks, then a single night with single day car rental to Buffalo to go see Niagara. Later we have Denver, Seattle, and Portland... We're paying out the ... for a Yellowstone/Glacier rental, but otherwise it'll be an urban summer. When car rental rates are $100+ a day, I'll happily take an Uber into a city and walk off all the food and drink.
#10
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Pittsburgh
Programs: Whoever Has the Best Bonus
Posts: 5,183
I'm doing the same thing, adjusting to cities that don't require a rental car. For example, I went to Fort Myers right before things really got nuts on rental car rates, I don't think I'd go there again now as that city is pretty spread out. But other places I've been to or plan to go to (Nashville, Las Vegas, Chicago, Ft Lauderdale, Miami, Orlando) all are fine without one. I do have tentative trips to Denver and St Louis and those are cities I'm not sure I'll be able to do much without a rental car.. it's too bad that makes those trips tentative for that reason only!
#11
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: LAX/SMF/PDX/HNL
Programs: Hilton-lifetime diamond, Southwest A+, companion pass
Posts: 1,750
Honolulu/Waikiki. Very walkable and the island has a decent bus system for other tourist destinations.
Our nephew's family could not get a Lyft ride from near downtown LA to LAX a week ago in the early morning. A 20 minute wait turned into a subsequent 20 minute estimated wait. They had to bail out and drive their car to the airport and park there.
The critical path to all budget travel planning now is ground transportation.
Our nephew's family could not get a Lyft ride from near downtown LA to LAX a week ago in the early morning. A 20 minute wait turned into a subsequent 20 minute estimated wait. They had to bail out and drive their car to the airport and park there.
The critical path to all budget travel planning now is ground transportation.
#12
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 1,868
I'm doing the same thing, adjusting to cities that don't require a rental car. For example, I went to Fort Myers right before things really got nuts on rental car rates, I don't think I'd go there again now as that city is pretty spread out. But other places I've been to or plan to go to (Nashville, Las Vegas, Chicago, Ft Lauderdale, Miami, Orlando) all are fine without one. I do have tentative trips to Denver and St Louis and those are cities I'm not sure I'll be able to do much without a rental car.. it's too bad that makes those trips tentative for that reason only!
If you find Miami/Ft Lauderdale to be convenient without a rental car, I feel pretty confident you'll be fine in Denver.
#13
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Pittsburgh
Programs: Whoever Has the Best Bonus
Posts: 5,183
I wouldn't call MIA/FLL convenient, but its doable for a short trip where you just want to sit on the beach at a nearby hotel. In some ways, especially in MIA, a car is a pain with parking, etc. Thanks for the tips re: Denver. It'd be a short trip so I can probably pick and choose things that are conveniently located. I also have a friend in the area, so I think a lot of us are leaning on friends around the country until rental car prices return back to normal!
#14
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 172
I wouldn't call MIA/FLL convenient, but its doable for a short trip where you just want to sit on the beach at a nearby hotel. In some ways, especially in MIA, a car is a pain with parking, etc. Thanks for the tips re: Denver. It'd be a short trip so I can probably pick and choose things that are conveniently located. I also have a friend in the area, so I think a lot of us are leaning on friends around the country until rental car prices return back to normal!
#15
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 172
Might I ask, where did you stay? Do you have more info about bike rental? I might have to change my plan to visit PWM only for the weekend, instead of driving from BOS/PVD to PWM