Alamo Rent a Car

The family road trips of my childhood are so different than traveling these days. For one thing, the cars were huge! I remember many a road trip where I had the gigantic back seat of my parents Mercury Marquis all to myself. It was like a bedroom really – I had blankets, pillows, coloring books, and plenty of other things to keep me entertained. Back then, there wasn’t a seatbelt law either, so I could move around freely.

I remember one trip in particular – my dad took my mom and I on one of his business trips, and we drove for HOURS. I remember being taken out of school early the day we left (I was pretty happy about that), and we left California and went through Oregon, I guess back through Nevada, and we ended up in Salt Lake City, Utah. I had a blast dipping my toes in the lake and shopping with my mom. My dad didn’t like to spend too much money on motels back then, and I remember staying at some kind of seedy places *cringe*.

I have so many other fond memories of road trips with my family. We used to go visit some guy named “Frenchie” (I have no clue who he is/was), and we’d make frequent trips to “Frenchie’s cabin”.  Here is a photo of me on the porch at his cabin (with my mom peering out the window at me):

I cannot help but wonder how I didn’t go nuts on that trip, really.  It was fun, but what on earth did I do in the backseat for hours on end?  These days kids have so many electronics to choose from and bring on road trips, that it is unlikely they could ever get bored.  Of course, they have to stay in their seats with their seat belts, which I didn’t have to do.  So who had/has it better?

Another travel memory I have is with my two favorite aunts. They lived in Tulare, CA, which is near the foothills of the Sequoia National Forest. My aunts had one of those old station wagons with the wood-paneled sides, and I used to get to sit in the back. Oh how I loved that. My mom and I were visiting my aunts and we decided to take a day trip to the Sequoias. Apparently their station wagon had been having some troubles recently and they didn’t want to take it on this trip. One of my aunts spoiled me rotten, and after some begging and pleading, she said that we could take the station wagon (my other aunt was quite displeased).  I was a happy camper in the back of the car, as we headed into the mountains.  Just as we entered Sequoia National Park, the car made a funny sound and we pulled over.  I don’t remember what was wrong with the car, but I do remember my one aunt being extremely upset, as she didn’t want to take the car in the first place.  I felt horrible.  Looking back, we definitely should have rented a car!

As proven in the story above, it is no fun to break down on a road trip.  Sometimes renting a car is a better option than taking your own when heading out on the open road for a road trip. You can put less wear and tear on your own car, and if your car is older, there is a peace of mind that comes with a newer car, which car rental company’s can provide. One such company is Alamo Rent a Car! They have some great deals and offers available during the holiday season to help you create an affordable travel experience, and some fantastic family road trip memories!

You can find Alamo car rental deals (usually posted on a weekly basis) on Alamo.com, where you will be able to save even more money on your car rentals. You might even consider joining the Alamo Insiders, where you will receive an extra 10% (or more) discount on your car rentals. Joining is super easy, just head to Alamo Insiders and sign up!

And if you need more to love about the Alamo Insiders program:
Alamo Insiders are guaranteed at least a 10% discount on their retail rates. If there is a promotional rate
available that surpasses the 10% off retail rates, you will automatically receive the promotional rate instead of the percentage discount.

You can find Alamo just about everywhere in the United States, Mexico, Canada, Asia and Latin America. They have convenient kiosks at 63 different US locations.

Make sure you connect with @alamocares on Twitter and Alamo Rent A Car on Facebook to keep up-to-date on the latest deals and promotions!

What are your childhood memories of your family road trips?

THE GIVEAWAY is now closed.

One (1) winner will receive an Alamo Then and Now Prize Pack ($206.96 ARV), which includes:

• $100 AMEX gift card
• Nikon Cool Pix Camera
• “1000 Places To see Before You Die” by Patricia Schultz
• 16oz Wake-up Coffee Mug
• Relaxed Old Cap

Open to US only. Giveaway ends 12/29.

*Alamo provided me with a prize pack of my own to thank me for writing this post. However, the views, opinions expressed, and stories in this post are purely my own.