Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
By now the price increase has cost you at least a hundred dollars by waiting instead of making arrangements on Thursday. Go to American Airlines and book a nonstop flight from Phoenix to Newark on the 21st (8:45 - 4:36) with a return in the afternoon on the 25th. It will cost you $501. It would have been $402 yesterday and will only go up now.
Then go to Expedia to see what rental cars will cost. Using that information go to Priceline.com and look for the name your own price section and offer about 75% of the best price you saw on Expedia. Looks like you may be able to get a compact for as low as $20 - 22 a day.
There is nothing special about the drive from Newark to Cape May and you'll be starting it in rush hour - not much you can do about that. Traffic otherwise should not be terrible as an earlier poster encountered because beach season traffic to the Jersey Shore ended on Labor Day.
You haven't mentioned a hotel but I would suggest looking in the Wildwood area of the Jersey Shore just a few miles up the parkway from Cape May. There should be some favorable off-season rates and the weather may still be nice.
The entire area and your car will have lights - leave your flashlight, pocket knife, multifunction tool and all your excess keys, keychains, bottle openers, etc. at home.
Assuming that it will fit under the seat, will I be able to access the small carry-on bag under my seat during the flight? I'm a very thoughtful, considerate person and so I don't want to annoy or bother anyone, so I will definitely be mindful of my fellow passengers. I would like to know, though, if I will be able to access the carry-on bag during the flight, to possibly do things like plug my cell phone in to my portable charger, grab my digital camera out of the bag and put it away a couple times, etc. Will that be possible/convenient for me to do? And would getting in to my carry-on bag a few times while flying bother the person next to me? Or would that be a reasonable thing to do?
You are allowed to access your bag under the seat. But it can be very awkward since the seat in front of you will be against your knees. It usually means squeezing the bag up between your legs, which means momentarily encroaching on your seatmate's space. I would suggest that once you take your seat, you get your camera and phone charger out of your bag, stow the bag, and keep the items in the seat back pocket for the duration of the flight. Just remember to collect them when you arrive.
Also when you're in flight, remember to put your phone in airplane mode. It's an FAA requirement, but more importantly, you don't want to kill your battery by having your phone searching in vain for a tower to connect to.
First, congrats to your son on his graduation. Second, calm down.
ONLY book a round-trip; prices will be far less than 2 one-ways.
Second, I highly recommend Newark airport (EWR is the designation). Do NOT go into any of the 3 NYC area airports, LaGuardia, JFK, or Islip.
Yes, you need to plan for accidents to happen for the drive each direction. BUT, if planning to fly into Philly, you need to be aware that your car rental will be more difficult as you MUST include that you will be crossing a state line - and they charge more for that. If you've never driven on the east coast, be prepared to feel like a new driver. Driving on the east coast, especially in the Philly/NY area can be daunting. And, if you fly into/out of Philly, you will have a bridge to cross. That means your routes of travel will be limited should there be travel/traffic - they are called choke points.
Yes, you can take your camera out of your bag or in/out of your bag.
Not having a credit card may prove problematic for renting a car. I would suspect you will not be able to do so and might have to rely upon Uber, taxis and/or public transportation. Check with the various car rental agencies.
In fact, if you can use your debit card as a credit card, get your plane fare squared away NOW. The longer you wait, the closer to day of flying, the more "suspicious" you become.
Also, note that if you use a debit card for hotels/car rental/airfare, they MAY (probably will) tie up 3x your charges for up to a week - they put a hold on your bank account for that amount. If you have a close relative, ask that person to charge your airfare, hotel, and car rental for you.
The bag in the link would work as would the one you describe.
Stop stressing, get your ticket, and contact the car rental agencies - pick whichever one will work for you. If you have AAA travel, AARP, or any other group such as SAM's Club/Costco, you might be able to get a discount.
Size: 21.25x11.81x7.8" / Capacity: 32L / Weight: Only 1.1lbs - Fits within 22x14x9 Inch Carry-on Allowances
Uniquely designed Carry-On Approved Duffel Bag Hand Baggage for all Major Airlines including American, Delta, Southwest, United, JetBlue and Alaska Airlines
Robust and Smooth heavy-duty zippers on main body that can be locked by the supplied key padlock and an Adjustable shoulder carry strap - extra support and flexible to fit all sizes
Duffle Gym Sports Bag - Ideal for School, College, Overnight and Weekends Away
Extra zip pocket on front to help sort extra items such as passports/tickets/adaptors/toiletries/tissues etc
Quote:
Originally Posted by hertfordshire
You are allowed to access your bag under the seat. But it can be very awkward since the seat in front of you will be against your knees. It usually means squeezing the bag up between your legs, which means momentarily encroaching on your seatmate's space. I would suggest that once you take your seat, you get your camera and phone charger out of your bag, stow the bag, and keep the items in the seat back pocket for the duration of the flight. Just remember to collect them when you arrive.
Also when you're in flight, remember to put your phone in airplane mode. It's an FAA requirement, but more importantly, you don't want to kill your battery by having your phone searching in vain for a tower to connect to.
BUT, if planning to fly into Philly, you need to be aware that your car rental will be more difficult as you MUST include that you will be crossing a state line - and they charge more for that.
This might be true of the smaller no-name rental companies. (I can't say for sure, because I don't use them) The major companies (Avis, Enterprise, Dollar, etc.) don't have any sort of restriction on crossing state lines. I do it frequently with all the majors, and never pay any extra.
Sorry, but you've given some seriously outdated and incorrect advice.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NY Annie
ONLY book a round-trip; prices will be far less than 2 one-ways.
This used to be true, but no more - especially with SW, who prices everything based on one way segments. I think jet blue is the same way. On many (all?) domestic routes, delta also prices one way segments.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NY Annie
BUT, if planning to fly into Philly, you need to be aware that your car rental will be more difficult as you MUST include that you will be crossing a state line - and they charge more for that.
Not always! Here's a list of those agencies that don't charge for out of state (at least from some locations)
Not having a credit card may prove problematic for renting a car. I would suspect you will not be able to do so and might have to rely upon Uber, taxis and/or public transportation. Check with the various car rental agencies.
Rely on Uber, taxis and public transportation for a 2-3 day trip that includes several HUNDRED miles of driving? You're joking, right?
Quote:
Originally Posted by NY Annie
If you have a close relative, ask that person to charge your airfare, hotel, and car rental for you. .
This one is TERRIBLE advice. Using someone else's credit or debit card means you are not getting the car when you show up. They absolutely match the name on the DL to the name on the credit card. How do I know? I made the mistake of reserving a rental with my cc for my husband. He showed up and they would not give him the car. He gave them his credit card, and I paid the penalty for late cancellation of the prepaid rental car.
I agree that each agency has different policies when you use a debit card, but ALL will involve a cash hold in your checking account.
Using someone else's cc or debit card when making plane reservations is fine. When making PREPAID hotel reservations is also fine. But you STILL need a cc or debit card to check in (for incidentals, damages,etc.). If you use a debit card, expect that cash hold again.
Personally, regardless of what Dave Ramsey says, I can't even imagine taking a road trip or plane trip without a credit card. Just too much hassle and risky if something goes awry with your travel plans.
I just did this in the summer visiting my in-laws. Flying into Newark happened to be cheaper for the flight and the rental car so we did that instead. The drive can be very long with traffic. On the way home it took us over three hours.
My suggestion is to fly into Philadelphia. The amount of money (at least from my trip) was not enough to offset the tolls, gas and time.
Make sure you bring cash for tolls, NJ Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway are toll roads which you will take from Newark. When approaching a toll booth stay to the right and look for CASH lane, DO NOT get into the EZPASS Lane.
When you leave Newark you will look for the turnpike make sure you take the ticket from the machine. You will need the ticket when you get off at exit 11 Garden State Parkway(GSP) south. If you loose the ticket you will pay the max amount. Once you get on GSP it will be cash tolls. Weekend traffic Friday and Sunday on the GSP can be tough, take your time. Remember you are in NJ, no one uses turn signals and will be on the cell phone, the speed limit is a suggestion do not get into the left lane if you plan on doing less than 80mph, they will push you out of the way.
Remember NJ has tough gun laws, leave the gun at home.
Have a safe and enjoyable trip, congratulations to both of you.
I think all of the posts scared off the OP. Maybe, he has changed his mind.
Cape May is not a wilderness, especially an air force training center. You don't need a flashlight or a flashlight app for your phone. I think Budget Rentals accepts a debit card, but that should be verified first. Pretty sure, that Hertz and Avis do not and there is no problem driving through different states.
Since the OP does not have a credit card, he might want to look into the various car insurance options, depending on his own car insurance (if he has a car). That can add to the rental car cost considerably. If the OP is unfamiliar with the car rental process, the rental agents when you pick up the car will try to sell you all kinds of options and they can be pushy. The OP should look into these options before the trip so that he doesn't pay for something that he does not need.
Southwest lets you check in a bag for free in addition to the carry on.
Some airlines have started charging extra if you want to select your seat in advance.
Stay far away from Spirit airlines. They charge for everything and the charges are way out of line.
I've never had any problem removing items from my carry on under the seat but I am not a big person. I try to put what I think I will need for the trip on the top of my stuff in the bag. And as I previously stated, I have the same bag as the OP.
I believe that easypass is no longer accepting cash in parts of NJ. When you approach the toll booth, they will take a picture of the car's license plate and then send a bill to the registered owner. Not sure how that works, if the car is registered to a rental company.
I don't know if you've booked yet or not but www.HipMonk.com is the BEST airfare finder I've yet to use.
Well, the site is actually Hipmunk, but luckily they were smark enough to purchase the domain name for the misspell.
I do use Hipmunk a lot, but I also always check Southwest.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
You're joking, right? 
