The reunion's planned, the date's set, relatives are coming from everywhere. The one thing that quietly makes or breaks the weekend? How everyone gets around once they're here.
Every family reunion has an unsung hero: the person who figures out transportation. Grandma flew into Eau Claire, the cousins drove in from Chicago, Uncle Dave's rental is too small for the group dinner, and somehow everyone needs to get to the park, the restaurant, and back to the hotel — ideally without a six-car convoy losing half its members at every stoplight.
One 15-passenger van solves the whole thing. At Riverside Auto Rental — the independent, family-owned rental in Black River Falls since 1983 — reunions are one of our favorite reasons people call. Here's how to make the transportation the easy part of your reunion.
Airport shuttle runs. Relatives flying into Eau Claire (50 min), La Crosse (50 min), or Minneapolis-St. Paul (2 hrs) need pickups, often on different days. The van handles multiple arrivals and their luggage in one trip.
The group outing. Whether it's a state park, a winery, a ballgame, or the lake, getting 12 people there together is effortless with the van and a willing driver.
The big dinner. Reunion dinners are often at a restaurant nobody's been to, 20 minutes away. One van, everybody arrives on time, nobody gets lost.
Hotel-to-event shuttling. If the family's split across a couple hotels, the van becomes the reunion's shuttle bus for the weekend.
| Rate | Price | Mileage |
|---|---|---|
| Daily | $135/day + $0.10/mi | Per-mile charge applies |
| Weekly (7+ days) | $750/week | Unlimited mileage included |
For a reunion that spans a long weekend with airport runs and group outings, the weekly rate is usually the better value and far simpler to budget — one flat number, no mileage math. Split across a dozen relatives, it's a few dollars per person for the whole weekend's transportation. See our weekly rate guide for the breakdown.
Here's the thing most reunion planners don't realize until it's too late: 15-passenger vans are hard to find. Most national rental chains stopped carrying them years ago. Riverside Auto Rental is one of the few providers in western Wisconsin that still has them — and summer is peak season for reunions, weddings, and group travel all at once.
Our booking guidance:
Pick up the day before. Grab the van the day before the main event so it's ready for early airport runs and morning gatherings.
Designate one or two drivers. A standard license is all that's needed — no special endorsement for family use. We'll walk the driver through the van's size at pickup.
Return after the weekend. A Friday-to-Monday or Friday-to-Tuesday window covers most reunions and fits neatly against the weekly rate.
"I rented a 15-passenger van for a family trip taking my daughters to a volleyball tournament in Kansas City. The entire rental process was completely seamless. Staff is super friendly, quick paperwork, and no hassle at all. The van was a perfect fit for our needs — plenty of room for everyone and everything we packed."
"We needed a vehicle for our family trip and Riverside Auto Rental was fantastic from start to finish. Tas was extremely helpful and answered all of our questions right away. Everything went smoothly and made our family trip stress-free."
You've got enough to coordinate with a reunion. Let the vehicle be the thing you don't have to worry about. Call 715-396-1466 with your dates and group size, and we'll reserve the van — no deposit to hold it.
15 including the driver — typically five rows of three. The largest vehicle most people can drive on a standard license, ideal for keeping a reunion group together.
$135/day + $0.10/mile, or $750/week with unlimited mileage. For a multi-day reunion, the weekly rate is usually the better value. Split across the family, it's a few dollars per person.
3–4 weeks for a regular summer weekend, 4–6 weeks for a holiday-weekend reunion. 15-passenger vans are scarce, so the earlier the better once dates are set.
No — a standard driver's license covers personal/family use of the 15-passenger van. We'll walk the driver through the vehicle at pickup.
The full guide to our passenger van fleet for groups, teams, and family events.
Another group-travel use case — and why early booking matters for big events.
Why the weekly van rate usually wins for a multi-day reunion.
Reserve the van early — they're scarce in summer. No deposit to hold your dates.
Call 715-396-1466