desinator901

I’m traveling with 4 friends to Provence in September. We will be staying in a house outside Eygalieres. we plan to visit the various different villages and towns and sites during our week there - the Luberon villages, St. Remy, L’Isle sue la Sorgue, Les Baux, etc. I would also like to go to the various markets for fresh food for our dinners a few days.

We are debating whether to rent one compact car for side jaunts by a subset of us and one larger car that can fit all of us so we have options for activities or rent one minivan and take taxis around as needed. We’re not much on buses. Trains are fine but there’s the issue of getting to the train. We also tend to be a crowd with a lot of luggage.

So if we want to split up and do different things and we have just one car, how easy will it be for the carless ones to get around?

kerouac

Trains don't go to most villages (or very often when they do) and buses are inconvenient to most of them unless you are a working commuter (out at 8:00 and back at 17:00, weekdays only). Does that help you decide?

desinator901

Thank you. So that leaves us with the option of needing another rental car or using a taxi, if we are splitting up and doing different things. So really the question is whether the taxi option is viable. I know there are car services we could use but they are usually pretty expensive and have to be reserved in advance. Thoughts?

janisj

"We also tend to be a crowd with a lot of luggage. "

Work on that bit - a LOT of luggage is a pain and causes all sorts of problems with transport whether it be trains or cars . . . and you definitely don't want to be parking a car anywhere with luggage in view. A mini van is a bad idea because they don't have secure space for luggage. You are staying in a house so obviously you will have laundry facilities. Pack lighter (like a 21 in rollaboard + small carry on each) and you'll have much more choice re cars.

desinator901

@janisj We’ve been traveling together for several years so we each let the others do what we prefer. But I understand your point completely.

janisj

What they prefer is fine but there are consequences from those preferences.

I once took 12 friends on a 2 week trip to the UK - This was four men and nine women - some very high maintenance / some not so much. But if we were ever going to work out rental cars there was no way on earth the allowance of 2 checked bags/2 carry ons each would ever work. I pulled rank and totally dictated that they were limited to one carry on and one rollaboard each. To help them deal with it, I actually had a pre-trip BarBQ for all of us and while the coals were heating up did a packing demo. Every single person managed just fine and we didn't have to rent 6 vehicles. (and all of the 13 are still friends )