Suggestions for East Coast college group.

[UniqueMel0dy]

Hello all,

Me and five of my closest friends were planning on doing a college trip to Burning Man 2014. We're coming all the way from Georgia to visit. Before we commit to doing this we need some suggestions.

First: We're all going to be under 21 at the time of the trip. Pretty much everyone is 20. So that means while we can fly, we can't rent. What's our best option to getting to the event?

Second: I've noticed that many members bring bikes, lite up bikes, and other transportation. Is there anywhere to rent a bike in Reno for a decent price?

Third: None of us have been past Louisiana. What stops would you recommend we make before Burning Man; California?

[lemur]

you can rent moving vans at that age.

In most U.S. states, Budget Truck Rental locations rent to customers 24 years and older. Some Budget Truck Rental locations also may rent to customers between the ages of 18-23 with the following requirements:

Renters 18-23 years of age must present two valid forms of acceptable identification, a valid driver's license and one other form of ID. For details, please see FAQ “What kind of credentials do I need?”
At time of rental, an additional $25-per-day underage surcharge for drivers 18-23 years of age will be applied.
If a renter wishes to add an additional driver to the rental policy, the second driver must be 18 or older, and present a valid driver’s license. The additional driver fee will also apply. Please see FAQ “May someone else drive a truck I rent?”

How old do I need to be to rent and/or operate equipment from U-Haul?

U-Haul requires our customers to be 16 years of age to rent our trailers and 18 years of age to rent our trucks. Both require a valid driver's license.

dont try and get drinks at any of the bars at burning man in 2014... they wont/dont serve to underage people

sing up the newsletter, it will tell you about bike rental stuff when the event rolls around next year.. its hard to say what folks will be around to rent in 2014 right now: http://www.burningman.com/blackrockcity ... lists.html

i'd say dont get distracted just get to burning man!

[VultureChow]

Welcome to Eplaya.

First the disclaimers:

Read the survival guide and all the resources the Burning Man Organization has online for you.
Sign up for the Jack Rabbit Speaks newsletter. It specifically addresses some of your questions.
Do some general reading on the board here. The native search engine sucks, so google eplaya + your question and chances are it's already been asked, answered and then turned into a completely different conversation involving food and sex.

Now onto your specific questions.
If you are flying, there are shuttle buses and rideshare opportunities.
There are several services that rent bikes to burners. You could also buy an inexpensive one at wal-mart and then donate it at the end of the event.
Yosemite, San Francisco etc... all depends on how much time you have.

The good news is, you have plenty of time. Good job starting early.

[trilobyte]

I'm giving this a nudge over to Transportation, since that's what the questions are primarily related to.

Welcome to the site. You've got plenty of time to do your research. Survival Guide (if you're starting this early, this year's is out - it'll be updated for 2014 in June of next year). First-timer's guide. Both are required reading. Read everything you can on the main burningman.com site. Sign up for the Jack Rabbit Speaks newsletter. Surf around the message board. Answers to all your questions are already out there.

#1 Fly into Reno, use the Burner Express bus service. Easy.

#2 There are plenty of places that sell or rent bikes in and around Reno at a reasonable price. There are also a couple bike rental operations that do on-playa delivery. Unfortunately the bike commerce camps are kind of verboten on ePlaya, but a resourceful person should be able to do some research and hook that up. Things change from year to year, so it's best to wait until the off-season to start looking around to see who will be offering what in 2014.

#3 You may want to buy a map of the US. A printed one. Unfold it all the way. If you're driving and you've hit California, you've gone too far Also, if you're driving your own vehicle, you don't need to worry about renting a car. If you guys don't know of anything that might be worth seeing (from having watched documentaries or from classes in school), don't bother driving - fly to Reno and take the bus (it'd be cheaper). In fact, that's probably the best thing to do anyways - you'll be too young to rent a hotel room in many places plus just like at Burning Man, you'll be too young to drink and enjoy the nightlife.

[Savannah]

dont try and get drinks at any of the bars at burning man in 2014... they wont/dont serve to underage people

Not only shouldn't they, but if you somehow succeed and an undercover cop is sitting at the bar, the person who was foolishly nice to you can get ticketed $1,000 for their generosity.

As far as how to get there, Trilobyte gave you great advice. Fly into Reno with basics and a meticulous list, shop there, hop the Burner Express.

If you don't find bikes in Reno, read up on Black Rock City's "Yellow Bike" program. They're acid green and plain, and free to borrow 1 ride at a time. Never lock them.

Welcome to the board.