Don’t look now but the open road is calling. Faced with onerous security regulations, endless add-on fees, and uncomfortable planes that squeeze customers in like sardines, more and more travelers are opting for the highways rather than the skyways. Americans are rediscovering the joy of driving cross-country with the wind in their hair, the music cranked, and the freedom to check out quirky attractions that would forever have been overlooked from 30,000 feet in the air.
Traveling cross-country in someone eles’s car – for free
This resurgent love affair is also revitalizing driveaway companies, services that match drivers with customers who want their cars delivered to distant destinations. Vehicles need to be moved for a variety of reasons, including corporate relocations, military transfers, and quite often in the case of snowbirds who want to have use of their own car at their winter home but don’t want to do the driving. Car owners pay driveaway companies to move their cars and the company contracts with drivers to make the one-way trips. Driver are responsible for all but the first tank of gas, meals and accommodations along the way, and must put down a deposit (generally $300-400), which is refundable upon delivery of the car to the owner.
There are some limitations to this type of travel. Your schedule must be flexible and you must be willing to drive between the destinations required by the customer. The route and schedule are agreed upon prior to departure and offer enough flexibility for drivers to do some sightseeing along the way, however customers will often load trunks and back seats with their personal belongings, so there is room for only one additional passenger and limited luggage. Drivers must also have a clean driving record, three forms of identification, and be willing to undergo a criminal background check. If none of this is problematic, driveaways are an extremely economical alternative to rental cars, especially for those who have no car or own a vehicle that is not dependable.
Although driveaway companies can be found all over the country, some locations need more drivers than others; routes between eastern Canadian cities and Florida or Arizona, for example, are in high demand due to annual snowbird migration in the spring and fall. For more information, contact one of the following driveaway firms, or check your local Yellow Pages under “Auto Transporters”:
Auto Driveway (43 offices across the U.S. and Canada)
Toronto Driveaway (Toronto based)
Cars To Florida (Toronto based)
Photo Credit: Nate Steiner
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Posted in Travel tips | 
budget, car delivery, car rental, corporate relocations, cross country, driveaway, drivers, free, military transfers, snowbirds, Travel
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Hi there,
Looking to drive a car across the country(east coast to west/ NYC, Washington DC or Baltimore until LA or Bay Area, California). No accident record, no ticket record. I love to drive. Would be available between 29 July and 2 August and would like to arrive before August 12th. I will have other reliable drivers with me so it will not be solo. American English teacher in France with California license .
Already did this when I was a grad student from Chicago to San Francisco. would love to show my European guests this possibility of seeing America. Excited to hear from you. Deb
Looking for a van or SUV/Truck to drive from Amarillo Texas to Minneapolis Mn. Need to be able to haul some of daughters college furnishings. Bed / table.
I need someone to drive the car from Little Rock, AR area to Lehigh Valley, PA or NYC. Thank you!
i am looking to drive to nyc or even just a bit upstate (near woodstock) somewhere toward the end of may….i am what would be called an ‘older adult”, used to drive a school bus for disabled kids (which i truly loved)….what can i say.. i am an excellent driver and would love to do it. my daughter teaches at New York University and has a house near Woodstock as well, so either location would be okay. please contact me if the dates fit with your plans. end of may would be best for me, but early june is okay as well. thank you… regards, ute levi
Hi,
I have a car that I need driven to that side of the US. Where are you based?
Looking for a van to drive to California. We have items that we need to deliver to our children in Salt Lake City and Lemoore,Ca. Our daughter is an F-18 Super Hornet pilot stationed at N A S Lemoore. Our son is a lab tech. at A R U P laboratories in Salt Lake.
I am retired. I have made the trip numerous times. I reside in upstate NY. I am open to picking up a vehicle anywhere in New England. Excellent driving record. Used to driving Vans and medium size trucks.
I am looking to leave the east coast around the 10th of June, 2013. No later than the 14th. Would be in California by the 21st of June.
I’d like to visit my son in Big Lake, Alaska and was thinking it might be more fun to drive than to fly. I live near Seattle, WA, am a grandmother, and have an excellent driving record. My husband would travel with me. If you need a vehicle delivered to Alaska I may be able to help.
I am looking for someone to either drive with me or simply drive my car for me from Calgary, Alberta, Canada to Portland in Maine USA. Needs to be in Maine by 12th June 2013. Can leave 4th June.