A driver for the day in Los Angeles

When people look for a driver for the day, they usually mean one person who handles all the driving from morning to evening. Here that is an hourly booking: a chauffeur and a vehicle from the class you choose, reserved for the whole block, waiting between stops and taking new directions as the day changes. Each booking includes the vehicle, so if you need someone to drive your own car, that is a different kind of service.

A full day does not need a full itinerary when you book. List the fixed points, such as an appointment, a lunch reservation or a timed museum entry, and leave room around them. The chauffeur and vehicle are reserved for the hours you book, so stops can be added or reordered as long as the day still fits the block.

Most full-day bookings follow a few patterns. An errands day strings together appointments, a property viewing, shopping and a school pickup, and the value is not having to park at each one. A family day moves grandparents, children and luggage between homes and a restaurant, and rear-facing child safety seats and booster seats can be added when you book, up to 3 of each type. A visitor's day covers the sights, and our multi-stop day planner has a sample Getty, Santa Monica, Hollywood and Griffith Observatory loop with real distances.

The two Getty museums make a strong full-day pairing, and each sets its own arrival rules. Both are free but need a timed-entry reservation. The Getty Center, at 1200 Getty Center Drive off Sepulveda Boulevard, is closed on Mondays, and cars or vans carrying 15 or fewer passengers drop off at a turnaround outside the parking structure. The Getty Villa, at 17985 Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades, is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and closed on Tuesdays, so plan the pairing for a Wednesday through Sunday.

At the Villa, the driver pulls into the entrance gate and staff confirm that each passenger has a ticket before directing the car to the drop-off area; the Villa asks that visitors not be dropped outside the entrance. Getty says the drive between the two sites usually takes 20 to 45 minutes depending on traffic, about 9 miles by road. There is no cell reception in either site's parking structure, so agree on each pickup time before you go in.

A driver for the day can also mean leaving town. Long-distance rides within California are available, and a day trip often works better as an hourly block than as two one-way rides, because the car stays with you between stops in town. Santa Barbara is about 95 miles up US-101 from Downtown Los Angeles, usually 1 hour 45 minutes to 3 hours each way depending on traffic, and Palm Springs is about 107 miles east on I-10.

Count the drive both ways when you size the block: a Santa Barbara day with 4 hours in town comes to roughly 7 to 10 hours door to door. If you will spend most of the day at one destination, compare the hourly quote with a round trip to Santa Barbara, which is booked as two linked reservations. Set a realistic start time, since the morning commute on I-405 and US-101 can stretch the first leg.

Hourly bookings start at a 3-hour minimum online, and a full day is simply a larger block. Write the stops in order with how long you expect to stay, add the drive time between each, then a 15 to 30 minute buffer per leg for traffic. Round up rather than down, because time past the booked hours is billed at the hourly rate of the vehicle booked. The sample errands day below shows the math.

If the day might end with dinner, decide that before you book, since it is simpler to reserve the larger block than to extend a day already underway. If you see the plan running long, tell your chauffeur early or call reservations at (424) 209-8001 so the remaining stops can be adjusted.

• 9:00 a.m. pickup at home in Beverly Hills
• 9:20 to 10:30 a.m. appointment in Century City, about 2 miles away
• 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. shopping and lunch at The Grove, about 5 miles away
• 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. family visit in Santa Monica, about 10 miles away
• 3:45 p.m. back home in Beverly Hills: 6 hours 45 minutes, so book 7

Pick the vehicle for the fullest part of the day, not the first pickup. A Comfort Sedan or Executive Sedan carries up to 3 passengers and 3 bags, the Escalade Elite up to 6 passengers and 5 bags, and the Luxury SUV up to 7 passengers and 6 bags. Shopping, a stroller or a beach bag all take room, and capacities are maximums. For larger groups, the Mercedes Sprinter Van carries up to 16 passengers and 18 bags. Our vehicle guide compares the classes.