Summer Vacation: Destination Yosemite

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(This is a sponsored post, but all opinions are my own)

I admit it - I'm a bit high-maintenance when it comes to family vacations - namely, camping.

I grew up camping with my family, and each year I have a yearning in my bones to be in nature for awhile.  I love sleeping under the sequoias or redwoods- in a tent, of course- and smelling the fresh air and trees.   The experience was only sweetened after we had kids, and now camping is our boys' favorite thing to do - ever.

One day we hope to own a camper or RV, but for now we use a plain ole' tent.  We cook our meals and do our dishes outside, and sometimes even have a visitor come by:

There are a few things I need to make camping enjoyable for me that my boys could probably do without.  I need a nice air mattress to sleep on. I need some way to take a shower.  I need a tent big enough to move around in (enter our 10 man tent):

But one of the things that makes camping more enjoyable for all of us is when we rent a vehicle that is big enough to hold all of our stuff.

Let me back up:  we own two cars that are on the smaller side. We don't have car payments.  Our cars are not new, and likely need some major repairs - so taking a 7-8 hour roadtrip in one of our vehicles makes me a little nervous.

Last year we went to Yosemite and rented an SUV from Hertz.  It was a beautiful GMC Acadia, and I fell in love with it. While we drove through 107 degree heat, our vehicle kept us at a cool 73 degrees the whole way.  We invested some money in that rental, and probably could have stayed in a hotel for 2 nights for the cost of it, but it was so worth it.

This year we knew we wanted to rent another SUV for our trip to Yosemite. We had a lot of camping gear and also wanted to take our bikes with us.  Our current car would not accommodate my high-maintenance camping needs (i.e. the shower, the camping cots, the two air mattresses - you know, in case one went flat, etc...)  I reached out to Hertz and let them know that we were interested in renting from them again, and they once again gave us a GREAT rate.

Did you know that you can find online codes to save money through Hertz?  You can also save money through them if you are an AAA member.  They also have a "Pay Now" option that saves you even more money!

Within 20 minutes of arriving at our local Hertz office, we were driving away in a beautiful Chevy Equinox.  The car was in mint condition and allowed us to thoroughly enjoy our long drive.  We had no problems with the car, but if we did, Hertz offers roadside assistance.

When it was time to return our car, it was a holiday weekend and there was a long line ahead of me.  My Hertz local office allowed me to drop my key off with no hassle, and I was out of the office in 2 minutes.

If you are considering going on a vacation soon, don't hesitate to contact Hertz for your rental car needs. They are one of the easier and most reasonably priced rental companies I have worked with.
I'd like to personally thank Amanda Solch from the Hertz Corporation for all of her help, as well as my local Hertz office in Torrance.


Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a sponsored post. This means that I received goods, services, or discounts on products in exchange for an honest review. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”,