What to do with the car
 

In a week my brother and I will be doing a bike tour around the Hershey Pa area and we are trying to figure out what to do with the car while we are traveling. It will be a 3 day trip and we need to find a place to park the car for 2 nights. We don't have anyone willing to drive us there and pick us up.

What does everyone here do when you have to drive to the starting point of your trip?

I will leave it in a commuter lot. I have put it in paid parking at a city parking garage, I have left it in a state park (let the ranger know when I planned to be back). Left them at a bike shop in a shopping center. Church parking lots with permission. Fire department parking lots, with permission. Airport parking lots, train station parking lots, etc. I have also spent the first night at a local hotel and left the car there and spent the last night there too.

Aaron :)

or just rent a car one way and don't worry about it.:)
Just thoughts

Stay in motel overnight, leave in lot with their permission.

I did this a few times flying out of Atlanta; it's a not-uncommon practice and many motels are "accommodating" in this regard. I once left my vehicle for 3+ weeks, and the savings over leaving in a nearby long-term parking lot actually paid the entire cost of the room, plus breakfast.

Oddest place I've left one was behind a beauty shop, with owner's permission of course. Very small town in Ark. Left a note on the dash for any curious, bored, authority figures, stating reason and when I'd return. Tipped the owner.

Variety of places. Sometimes just drove through nice neighborhoods and asked a homeowner who happened to be working in the yard if we could park in front of their house for a few days. Once called up the local police and asked for suggestions - they said we could park in the police station lot. Another town had a section of their downtown garage available for longer term parking. Another trip started in a national park and the rangers said the lot by the park store would be fine for several days.

Never encountered any problems.

I've done some of the same as above: if there is an airport, airport shuttle or commuter lot then I've left it there (e.g. Harrisburg airport)
I've rented a car one way.
I've stayed at a motel and asked to park it there afterwards.
I've contacted local police and was directed to local library park.
I've cycled to my starting point.

Since it is only for 2 nights, if it were me, I would drive around a residential area and look for a spot to park. I wouldn't choose something directly in front of a person's house, but maybe between two properties, or along the side of a property, somewhere that's not going to get in people's way.

I left a car for three months behind a filling station in a small town in Oregon.
When I got back it was turned up and ready to go.
Plus the owner gave me a Texaco cap.

One of my most pleasant memories from touring.

I like the hotel idea, if you're going to stay at a hotel. If not, you could try posting a note here are or on crazyguyonabike or warmshowers and see if anyone will host your car. I hosted someone's car in my driveway for a month once, from a post on crazyguy.

Since my brother and I are both poor college students we would like to avoid spending money on a hotel. This sounds like a great idea. I will post something up on the forums you mentioned and see if there are any takers. Thanks for the suggestion.

I've done as seeker333 and valygrl have suggested. We tend to begin the ride the night before in a hotel,.When checking in we've just informed the staff of our plans, made sure they have our license plate number, car type and color. Sometimes they ask for a small fee, other times they just say, great have a good ride, see you when you get back.

Sell it! Cars are such a hassle.

roll it on it's side and set it on fire?, it makes the start of a lovely Barracade..

I don't typically drive to my tours, but when kayaking, backpacking and other pursuits leaving a car for two nights never gave me much pause. Parking it on the street in town would be good enough for me. I have left cars longer in park and ride lots as well. Mostly I just don't worry too much about it for that short a time.

That said the few times when I was concerned (due to the longer duration I'd be leaving it), I just asked for permission somewhere or asked the local police what they recommended.

Waitaminute, waitaminute. If you cycled to the starting point then your starting point is where you started cycling, so you didn't cycle to the starting point at all.

Is it possible to start cycling under a sign that says "Ignore this sign"? I didn't think so either.

I have cycled to my starting point before :innocent:

I was supposed to catch a ride with a couple of friends to join part of a larger tour. They backed out a couple of days prior to the tour start, couldn't score a ride, so I left a day early and rode to where the tour was starting....

Aaron :)

Maybe check on the WarmShowers list to see if there is anyone listed nearby, and then ask them?

Just curious: what prompted you to do a 3-day trip around Hershey? Seems like a strange location to center a trip on. It is pretty countryside, though!

Hotels are usually agreeable to short term parking as long as you book a night there. If the tour is circle tour with same start end point this would work. it is a better option than a shopping center or other parking where your car will stand out as a lone magnet to theives, burglars and police at 2am.

Option two, drive to Hershey, sell the car, do the tour, buy new car ,drive home. This way you get a worry free tour and a new car!!!!!!!

OK, we're back to option one.

For future ref, in cities, LT airport parking is a good option. Though, not the cheapest way to go.

I have to say that I am amazed that folks would worry so much about parking a car for a time as short as two nights. I would have not given it a thought, driven there and just parked on the street in a neighborhood with on street parking.

I find it is hard to imagine that you wouldn't be able to get permission to park somewhere if that worried you. Maybe try a bike shop? There are a dozen or so within 10 miles of Hershey. I really can't imagine that a stop at most bike shops wouldn't yield a place to park either at the shop or at the home of one of the employees.

+1. It's not like Hershey is comparable to a bad area of The Bronx.

You never know, though. I recently parked for one night in a residential neighborhood, and when we got back there was a 24-hour tow notice on the car. There wasn't a no-parking sign. One of the residents didn't recognize the car and called the police.

Find a repair that you need done on the car (new struts, for example), contact a chain repair shop in the area, say that you want this done and can you leave the car there for two days while they do it? Check on it, but if there's a problem with the repair, you can typically go to the chain location in your area to have it fixed (instead of having to go back to the exact place that did the work). The security at those places is typically quite acceptable, and you'll save time by having your car fixed while you're on vacation.

Otherwise, wherever you park it, it's a good idea to ask first so that somebody keeps an eye on the car and prevents it from getting towed, but usually a couple of days isn't a problem.

Try goggling parking ordinance, rules, regulations, etc in Hershey, and surrounding towns. Some towns post legal overnight parking rules on the town's web site along with designated lots and streets. Otherwise call the Police and ask where its legal to leave a car.

Stop by a few church lots..... I can't imagine a pastor not willing to allow a car in their lot for a couple days, especially for a couple bicycling youngsters....

Might even offer a warm shower, and a meal.