RENTING A CAR -4weeksperiod- in July (Anchorage, Fairbanks: van rental, rental)

[andreaultra]

Hi,

I am planning to visit Alaska next July for 4 weeks.
Would love to drive around the state (Anchorage, Fairbanks, Deadhorse, Ketchikan).- about 5.000miles.
Does anyone can suggest me an economic car renting place (the ideal transport would be a pickup or a van) ? Any chances to find a relocation car center?
I have checked some car rental web site but prices are pretty high (>450$ for 5 people van).

How can i get to Barrow from Deadhorse (fly or boat)?
Any suggestion are more than welcome.

Thank you in advance.
Andrew.

[stiffnecked]

The only way to get from Deadhorse to Barrow in July is fly. No boats. $450 seems like a reasonable price for July. Not that expensive by Alaska standards.

[globetraveler]

Originally Posted by andreaultra

Hi,

I am planning to visit Alaska next July for 4 weeks.
Would love to drive around the state (Anchorage, Fairbanks, Deadhorse, Ketchikan).- about 5.000miles.
Does anyone can suggest me an economic car renting place (the ideal transport would be a pickup or a van) ? Any chances to find a relocation car center?
I have checked some car rental web site but prices are pretty high (>450$ for 5 people van).

How can i get to Barrow from Deadhorse (fly or boat)?
Any suggestion are more than welcome.

Thank you in advance.
Andrew.

Since you are planning on driving to Deadhorse, make sure the rental company allows you to drive on the Dalton Highway. Most major car rental companies explicitly prohibit the travel of the majority of their fleet their vehicles on the Dalton Highway, along with a list other unpaved/gravel roads in Alaska.

If you think about just ignoring the restrictions, you might want to think again. Any insurance you may have (whether private or through the rental company) could be VOID because you broke the Rental Agreement. Any windshield damage, paint chips, flat tires, may have to be paid out of pocket. If the the car breaks down, you have to pay to have it towed to a paved road.

[AKStafford]

I'd suggest spending sometime on the Trip Advisor forums: Alaska Forum, Travel Discussion for Alaska - TripAdvisor

Rental cars in Alaska are expensive, especially if not booked way in advanced. $450 for a van is cheap. Renting off-airport is typically cheaper.

To get from Deadhorse to Barrow, you'll have to fly. Find Airline Tickets, Low Airfares & Discount Flights - Alaska Airlines or www.FlyEra.com

For that much driving, I'd recommend getting a copy of The MILEPOST: Alaska Travel Guide and Trip Planner . In my opinion it's the best guide to driving Alaskan roads.

[Dakster]

Where are you finding $450 for a month for any type of vehicle or do you mean per week?

[Helo_fixer]

^^^ Agree. $450 for a month doesn't sound right at all. If that were the case, more people would just rent vs. own/lease.

[warptman]

Alaska Van Rental | Passenger Van Rental AK | AK Car Rental

[jetakai]

Alaska in the summer can be a wonderful nightmare. It can be expensive and frustrating. Some rules to go by:

1) Slow down. This is not Disney, you won't see everything in a week and there are hundreds of miles of open road and no cell service. There are also hundreds of campgrounds, beauty and adventure.
2) Summer in Alaska is expensive. Not sure I would want to drive this summer as the rental car is your first expense, then figure gas. $4.25 per gallon IN TOWN. The further from town you get the more expensive things are. Remember, an Alaska map put over the top of a map of the US stretches side to side and top to bottom. You are talking a lot of ground.
3) As stated before...the milepost is your friend, even if you don't travel by car.
4) Did not see this mentioned, how about looking at the train. There is one long stretch between Anchorage and Fairbanks. Travel Alaska - Official State of Alaska Travel & Vacation Information They have domed rail cars and dining cars. Look at taking some time off in Denali.
5) There is a joke that there are two seasons in Alaska...Winter and Construction. You can end up spending hours behind a flag car. Another reason to consider the train.
6) The reason for the disclaimers on the cars, is potholes, gravel, dings, chips, cracked windshields and if you get stuck someplace you don't know you can end up really stuck.
7) If you still consider going, consider something like an RV caravan. You can start researching with Good Sam, but I am sure there are others. Good Sam Club Open Roads Forum: RVing in Canada and Alaska

I love our state, but it takes a bit to live here. I hope you come and have a wonderful, uneventful trip. Please check out the Alaska Zoo before hand, so you can see all the animals you will encounter in the wild in their natural habitats. It helps pick them out when you are traveling.

home | The Alaska Zoo

[Chilkoot]

Yeah, the $450 must be per week. Vans for a month would usually be in excess of $3,000/month. Gas in Coldfoot on the way to Prudhoe was about $5.40/gallon last July, probably closer to $7/gallon this year. Food, Lodging. Bring lots of money.

[terracore]

Originally Posted by andreaultra

Hi,

I am planning to visit Alaska next July for 4 weeks.
Would love to drive around the state (Anchorage, Fairbanks, Deadhorse, Ketchikan).- about 5.000miles.
Does anyone can suggest me an economic car renting place (the ideal transport would be a pickup or a van) ? Any chances to find a relocation car center?
I have checked some car rental web site but prices are pretty high (>450$ for 5 people van).

How can i get to Barrow from Deadhorse (fly or boat)?
Any suggestion are more than welcome.

Thank you in advance.
Andrew.

Remember that Ketchikan (and most of SE Alaska) isn't interconnected by roads, so you won't be driving one car the entire trip. You'll rent one car in KTN, one in JNU, one in Barrow, one in ANC, etc and flying in between those locations. Once you add up the airfare, the car rental fees won't seem so bad. Its far cheaper that way than trying to put cars on the ferry. Most of these places are fairly limited, for example there are really only 2 places to rent cars in Ketchikan, so the rates are the rates. A lot of places only have one place to rent a car and in the summer they are frequently out of cars to rent. So plan, and book ahead. Some car rental places are run out of people's homes and the cars are scattered around wherever they can park them for free. And why do you want to go to Deadhorse (other than maybe that you can drive there)? There isn't anything there to see that is worth the round trip, IMHO. Your time would be much better spent going to Nome. And you can't drive to there, either. Most Alaska communities aren't connected to road systems, so you'll have to re-think your trip. The airfare alone between the cities you have described is going to be thousands of dollars, $450/week for a car won't be your largest expense. You didn't say where you are from, have you considered driving up the Alcan- basically starting your road trip where you live? Then from FAI or ANC you can fly to places like Nome, Barrow, etc.