Renting a car with family at JFK requires extra preparation to keep everyone comfortable and safe. The first challenge is managing luggage along with child safety seats and strollers. When traveling with kids, choose a minivan or a three-row SUV to ensure you have enough cargo space for both suitcases and baby gear. Trying to squeeze a stroller into a standard compact car trunk is a recipe for frustration.
If you need child safety seats or booster seats, rental agencies charge an extra $10.00 to $15.00 per day per seat, which can quickly add $100.00 to a week-long trip. Additionally, availability and cleanliness are not always guaranteed at the counter. A great cost-saving alternative is to bring your own car seats from home; most commercial airlines allow you to check child safety seats and strollers for free.
To streamline the pickup process, have one parent wait at the baggage claim with the kids while the other parent takes the AirTrain to Federal Circle to Federal Circle to handle the paperwork. This avoids moving the entire family and luggage through transit lines. Once the car is secured and the child seats are installed, drive back to the designated terminal passenger pickup zone to load the family.