Salon Wanderlust | In the driver's seat

[Salon Wanderlust: Travel with a passion]

T A B L E_T A L K
Hitting the slopes? Discuss snowboarding and other winter sports in the Wanderlust area of Table Talk

R E C E N T L Y
At home in Tuscany
By Ferenc Máté
The slow-paced pleasures of rural Italy come to life for two new residents
(12/02/98)
The belles of St. Mary's
By Jennifer Moses
A Jewish writer learns about the Old South, and herself, in the most unlikely of places
(12/01/98)
Afoot in the South African bush
By Lance Gould
A New Yorker ventures on a walking safari into the wild world of wildebeest, Cape buffalo and dung beetles
(11/30/98)
The Khan men of Agra
By Pamela Michael
In India, a moment of trust opens the door to a traveler's richest reward
(11/25/98)
The rabbis of Bangkok, Part Two
By Douglas A. Konecky
A live sex show reveals more than flesh to an American musician in Thailand
(11/24/98)

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E M P O R I U M
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_____I N - T H E -. D R I V E R ' S - S E A T

The smart alternative to renting, driveaways let you take someone else's car cross-country -- for free.

BY DAWN MacKEEN | Compared with other offices that tourists file into, Auto Driveaway's South San Francisco office is as nondescript as they come. There are no ads from tourism bureaus, posters of bikinied ladies on beaches or even alluring shots of the open roads of mid-America. Basic maps of California and the United States decorate the small two-room office, which overlooks a parking lot, where cars -- a blue Geo Prism, white Dodge Caravan and gray Ford Thunderbird -- idly wait their turn to be driven across the country to such places as Farmington, Conn., Orlando, Fla., and Virginia Beach, Va.
On this day, the Thunderbird's number is up. A 26-year-old Australian is in the office filling out the necessary paperwork so he can drive to Virginia to reunite the Bird with its owner, Beverly, who has been relocated by her company. "Apparently, it's down there," Colin Ligman says, as he points to his final destination, a place he's never been to and is visiting only because he couldn't find a car going to New York, where his international flight is departing from in about two weeks. Ligman plans on driving to Las Vegas, where he'll play blackjack, continuing on to the Grand Canyon, passing "through a whole lot of nothing" to get to New Orleans so he can see the French Quarter, and then finishing his trip by heading north to Chez Beverly.
This tour of the U.S. is slightly different from the straight-across route the office's manager hands to him -- with a stipulation to complete the drive within 10 days and without putting on more than 3,500 miles -- but the goateed Aussie doesn't seem concerned. This is the third time he's transported a car for the company, he says, and they've never noticed all the miles he's tacked on in the past. This is a good thing because if he had been caught, 25 cents for every additional mile driven would have been taken out of his $350 deposit.
For more than 45 years, Auto Driveaway has been acting as a road-trip cupid, playing matchmaker to cars needing to go to a certain location and travelers willing to take them there. The company appeals to foreign tourists and students by advertising in hostels and on college campuses. It's a good deal for everyone. The owner of the car gets his or her vehicle delivered at a cheaper price than hiring a professional driver, and the traveler gets to tour the country basically for free. And the whole process is very easy. Just call up one of the approximately 60 Auto Driveaway offices, or another drive-away company, and let them know where you want to travel. If there's a match, you come into the office, fill out a short application form, leave around $300 as a deposit and then listen to a short speech on road rules -- which are pretty basic, like don't bring any Uzis or pick up any hitchhikers. You also need to have a valid driver's license and be at least 21 years of age.
It's best to make arrangements for the trip anywhere between three weeks prior to the intended date of departure to several days beforehand (although some people have booked the same day). The owners of the car can fill up only the trunk, so the rest of the automobile -- in most cases -- can be filled with the traveler's belongings. The main constraints are time and miles. Travelers are expected to drive at least eight hours a day, and are given only about 20 percent more miles than it takes to get from point A to point B. The only other drawback is the fact that a mechanic doesn't look at the engine before it's turned over to the driver; company employees look only for dents, missing lights and other obvious problems (although Ligman and others interviewed for this article have never experienced any major problems on such road trips). While the concept didn't originate with the company's 82-year old owner, John F. Sohl, he is the one who is credited with mass-marketing this type of mutually beneficial transport relationship.
N E X T+P A G E | A business based on an old-fashioned concept: trust


	T A B L E_T A L K Hitting the slopes? Discuss snowboarding and other winter sports in the Wanderlust area of Table Talk R E C E N T L Y At home in Tuscany By Ferenc Máté The slow-paced pleasures of rural Italy come to life for two new residents (12/02/98) The belles of St. Mary's By Jennifer Moses A Jewish writer learns about the Old South, and herself, in the most unlikely of places (12/01/98) Afoot in the South African bush By Lance Gould A New Yorker ventures on a walking safari into the wild world of wildebeest, Cape buffalo and dung beetles (11/30/98) The Khan men of Agra By Pamela Michael In India, a moment of trust opens the door to a traveler's richest reward (11/25/98) The rabbis of Bangkok, Part Two By Douglas A. Konecky A live sex show reveals more than flesh to an American musician in Thailand (11/24/98) Browse the Wanderlust Road Warrior archives Wanderlust's Official Travel Book Partner S A L O N E M P O R I U M FREE! 12-ounce bag of Salon Blend with a purchase of $30 or more. While supplies last.		_____I N - T H E -. D R I V E R ' S - S E A T The smart alternative to renting, driveaways let you take someone else's car cross-country -- for free. BY DAWN MacKEEN \| Compared with other offices that tourists file into, Auto Driveaway's South San Francisco office is as nondescript as they come. There are no ads from tourism bureaus, posters of bikinied ladies on beaches or even alluring shots of the open roads of mid-America. Basic maps of California and the United States decorate the small two-room office, which overlooks a parking lot, where cars -- a blue Geo Prism, white Dodge Caravan and gray Ford Thunderbird -- idly wait their turn to be driven across the country to such places as Farmington, Conn., Orlando, Fla., and Virginia Beach, Va. On this day, the Thunderbird's number is up. A 26-year-old Australian is in the office filling out the necessary paperwork so he can drive to Virginia to reunite the Bird with its owner, Beverly, who has been relocated by her company. "Apparently, it's down there," Colin Ligman says, as he points to his final destination, a place he's never been to and is visiting only because he couldn't find a car going to New York, where his international flight is departing from in about two weeks. Ligman plans on driving to Las Vegas, where he'll play blackjack, continuing on to the Grand Canyon, passing "through a whole lot of nothing" to get to New Orleans so he can see the French Quarter, and then finishing his trip by heading north to Chez Beverly. This tour of the U.S. is slightly different from the straight-across route the office's manager hands to him -- with a stipulation to complete the drive within 10 days and without putting on more than 3,500 miles -- but the goateed Aussie doesn't seem concerned. This is the third time he's transported a car for the company, he says, and they've never noticed all the miles he's tacked on in the past. This is a good thing because if he had been caught, 25 cents for every additional mile driven would have been taken out of his $350 deposit. For more than 45 years, Auto Driveaway has been acting as a road-trip cupid, playing matchmaker to cars needing to go to a certain location and travelers willing to take them there. The company appeals to foreign tourists and students by advertising in hostels and on college campuses. It's a good deal for everyone. The owner of the car gets his or her vehicle delivered at a cheaper price than hiring a professional driver, and the traveler gets to tour the country basically for free. And the whole process is very easy. Just call up one of the approximately 60 Auto Driveaway offices, or another drive-away company, and let them know where you want to travel. If there's a match, you come into the office, fill out a short application form, leave around $300 as a deposit and then listen to a short speech on road rules -- which are pretty basic, like don't bring any Uzis or pick up any hitchhikers. You also need to have a valid driver's license and be at least 21 years of age. It's best to make arrangements for the trip anywhere between three weeks prior to the intended date of departure to several days beforehand (although some people have booked the same day). The owners of the car can fill up only the trunk, so the rest of the automobile -- in most cases -- can be filled with the traveler's belongings. The main constraints are time and miles. Travelers are expected to drive at least eight hours a day, and are given only about 20 percent more miles than it takes to get from point A to point B. The only other drawback is the fact that a mechanic doesn't look at the engine before it's turned over to the driver; company employees look only for dents, missing lights and other obvious problems (although Ligman and others interviewed for this article have never experienced any major problems on such road trips). While the concept didn't originate with the company's 82-year old owner, John F. Sohl, he is the one who is credited with mass-marketing this type of mutually beneficial transport relationship. N E X T+P A G E \| A business based on an old-fashioned concept: trust