Many of us consider that renting a vehicle for a holiday is something really expensive and not everybody can afford this luxury.
Actually, in reality, things are not like that.
Car rental for a trip is a very accessible, simple and easy process with many benefits.
You are no longer stressed out by the public transport schedule, you avoid the situations when getting to a certain destination assumed changing multiple trains, buses, and other public transport and you can stop whenever you want.
Not to mention the cases when there is no public transport available and you have to take a taxi to get wherever you want. And let’s be honest!
Taxis are expensive and the chances to be scammed by taxi drivers are really high, especially when you are in a foreign country.
I feel safer renting a vehicle than using a taxi or public transport!
Actually, we cannot compare a rented car with public transport! It is way comfortable and safe!
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Why rent a car
Most of us ask ourselves why it is better to rent a car when visiting a foreign country and not use public transport.
And most of us consider renting process a very complicated and risky one. Let me give you at least 5 reasons why renting a vehicle during your vacation is the best thing you can do!
- Freedom
- Cost-effective
- Comfort
- Discover new places
- Safety
Now that you have already decided that renting a vehicle for your trip is the best decision you can take, let’s move on and find out what type of vehicle suits you best and what to look for when you rent a car.
What car to rent
Before starting the process of car rental for a trip you should assess very well your needs and budget! We should think very well about the following:
- how many people will be in the vehicle
- how many days I need the car
- for what am I going to use the vehicle: off-road, normal drive, sleep in it, etc
- how many kilometers I will drive
After you have an answer to these questions you can move forward and start the renting process.
The first step in the renting process, after you decide what kind of vehicle you need is to make a little marketing research about the companies available in that specific market!
Oh! It is not enough to know that a company has a good reputation and good reviews in general!
It should have good scores in the country where are you going to use it!
Take into consideration everything, from pick up process to fuel policy, insurance policy and drop off.
Eliminate the companies one by one and choose the one which suits you best! In this way, you will decrease your fail chances when renting a vehicle for a holiday!
Get the best price for your car rental today
Car rental for a trip step by step process
What to look for when renting a vehicle
It might look very complicated than it is in reality, but the process of renting a car is something very simple!
All you have to do is to be careful about some small but important details:
- Always rent your vehicle before you land in that country
This is the simplest, smartest and easiest way to save money, time and to minimize the associated risks.
The earliest you book the car the highest are the chances to get a better price!
In addition, you will have more options to choose from when you book early.
- Take into consideration the age limit
When speaking about renting a car for a trip, the age limit is different from one country to another, from one company to another.
So read very carefully about the renting conditions before you decide which company to choose for renting a car.
- Check the validity of the driving license
You cannot rent a vehicle if you don’t have a valid driving license!
- Check the validity and the limit of your credit card
Another important element when renting a vehicle is to have a valid credit card. Almost all rental car companies ask for a credit card as a guarantee.
Have you checked all these aspects? Are you fine with them? Great! Let’s move forward and start the research process!
Have a unique experience by exploring the area in your own rented car
Whether you prefer day trips from your hotel or a tour around the country, car rental is the best way for creating your own experience and live your dream vacation
How to conduct your research process
Searching for the perfect vehicle to rent is a very simple process that should pay a lot of attention.
Smaller cars are always cheaper, more fuel-efficient, and help you save some money.
When comparing multiple rates from different companies be sure you compare correctly all the elements.
Some rental companies show from the first step all the costs, while others look cheaper but have many hidden costs.
Read very carefully the terms and conditions before signing the documents and paying for your car.
Look after taxes, surcharges, late return fees, fuel charges, roadside assistance fees, airport surcharges, equipment rental fees, mileage fees, charges for driving out of state, drop-off fees, and additional driver fees.
There might be other hidden costs, so comparing just the costs without reading terms and conditions is not enough.
To be extra safe and covered I always buy insurance too. I always buy a Collision Damage Waiver from the company from where I rented a car and more than that, I buy additional insurance from a third party.
Usually, the insurance bought from the renting company covers you to a certain limit, which is usually very low, and excludes the most probable things which might happen.
You have everything prepared, you have your luggage ready and in a very short time your holiday is about to start.
You go to the car rental for a trip office.
What to do when you arrive in the destination country?
Prepare all your papers like, driving license, reservation, credit card, ID and go to pick up your car.
Inspect the car together with the guy from rent a car.
Take photos of the car; lots of photos from each corner, from each angle!
Write down each minor stretch!
Confirm the fuel policy before leaving!
After you have done all these things, sign the paper, get a copy and let the holiday start!
When you drop off the car, do the same as when you pick it up!
Don’t forget about the fuel! Respect the fuel policy because you will save important amounts!
And another thing! Keep the vehicle clean! If you return it dirty, taxes might be applied!
And more than that, the quality of the photos would be very low so you cannot use them as proof in a dispute.
What I told you is not rocket science! I am sure you knew all these things!
Don’t be afraid to rent a car! Renting a car for a trip was one of the best decisions we have done!
All our holidays with rented cars are much more interesting! We discover new places, most of them not that touristy but with a more local touch!
Get the best price for your car rental today
Check here for more articles about renting a car for your trip
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Book your accommodation
We always use Booking.com as they have the best price-quality ratio and they offer a wide range of hotels, guesthouses, apartments, and villas to choose from.
You will find here all types of accommodations, from the cheapest ones to the most luxurious.
Don't forget travel insurance
We never leave home without HeyMondo Insurance or Safety Wings Insurance as they offer the best services and a good value for money.
When we go for longer trips around the world we get Globelink Insurance as it offers a good cover for an affordable price.
Travel insurance will always protect you against unexpected costs caused by medical events like illness, injury, theft, or travel cancellation.
We never go on any trip without travel insurance and there were many cases when we had to use it.
Renting a car
We like to explore a country on our own and a car gives us the mobility and freedom to do that.
We always rent our car from Discovercars as they have free cancellation 48 hours prior to starting date and a wide range of car rental companies and options to choose from all over the world.
Tours and attractions
When we are looking for some adventure or we simply want to break up the monotony and discover new places, we always use GetYourGuide.
We love it because we always find the most amazing experiences, with free cancellation and a large variety of activities and tours to choose from.
Airplane tickets and holiday packages
Expedia is our ally when searching for the best price for airplane tickets as it works as an aggregator for a huge number of airlines and we always find the best price for our flights.
Travel tip: use Expedia when you are searching for holiday packages as they have many last-minute offers and great discounts for hotels, flights, and even the whole holiday packages.