20 TIPS FOR SAVING MONEY ON RENTAL CARS AND AVOIDING PROBLEMS

1. Find out if you have the right to drive in the country you're visiting and if you need any 'special' documents (e.g. international drivers license).

2. Book in advance. This will almost always get you the best deal and at least this way, you're sure about what you'll pay.

3. Compare prices and offers from as many companies as possible. Depending on what you want, some companies might be more interesting for you. Don't check only the companies website, also check sites like Kayak, Cheaptickets, etc.

4. Compare the whole package. Some companies can seem cheaper at first sight, but are a lot more expensive once you add insurance etc.

5. Try looking at different times and dates, within your possibilities. E.g. it could be cheaper to rent a car for 7 days than to rent it for only 6 days, because of special week-deals.

6. Type and size of the vehicle. While it might sound nice to drive around in a big SUV or a convertible, these vehicles are often much more expensive as well (not only the rental price but also their fuel consumption, insurance price, ...). Pick the smallest vehicle that corresponds with your needs, but do check out the vehicles that are 1 or 2 categories higher. These often are only a little bit more expensive, but do offer more comfort. Depending on how many miles you plan to drive, this might be interesting. One thing I would consider to everybody: for safety reasons, always make sure you have enough space in the trunk to put away all the belongings you count on transporting.

7. Check out rental offices away from the airport. These are often less expensive but might have limited opening hours.

8. Don't rent a car if you're staying in big cities. If you start your trip with a visit to the city and want to start a road trip afterwards, don't pick up your car when arriving at the airport but pick it up the first day of your road trip. However if you visit a city e.g. in the middle of your trip, it might be cheaper (and easier) to keep your car rather than to drop it off and rent a new car a few days later. Check this out according to your trip details.

9. Don't underestimate one-way fees because they can be extremely high. E.g. for our 14-day road trip through the USA, the one-way fee was as high as 1/3 of the total rental price. National rental companies are often cheaper than big international companies. Some websites are very vague about this fee. They don't include it in the confirmed price and only mention in very small letters that there might be an extra cost for dropping of the car at a different location, even if you've indicated different pick-up and drop-off locations.

10. Make sure the unlimited mileage option is included in your rental.

11. Check out the cancellation policy. Usually you can cancel your reservation without penalties. If this is the case, keep on looking even after you've made your reservation. If you find a better deal, you can always cancel your first reservation and make a new one.

12. Insurance: don't be cheap on insurance but don't be over-insured either. Check out what's included in the rental price and also check if your other insurances you might have (e.g. travel insurance) cover some risks.

13. Check the fuel policy and don't get ripped off. Some companies offer the possibility to drop the car off empty but don't refund if there's still a little bit of fuel left in the tank. Others let you drop off the car without filling it up to the same fuel level as when you picked it up, but charge extra for this (sometimes up to 3 times the normal price per gallon!). The best option is to pick-up and drop off the car with a full tank. Fill it up at maximum 10 miles from the drop-off point and keep the receipt.

14. Limit extra options as they can be expensive. Take a map or print out information from Google Maps to avoid having to rent a GPS.

15. Additional fees may apply for drivers under or over a certain age. There's not much you can do about this but be prepared.

16. Check out the conditions and price for a second driver. Your spouse or domestic partner can often drive the car for no extra cost, but otherwise there might be a daily fee.

17. Check out the condition of the car and ask a document to fill out if it isn't provided automatically. Indicate all damages, take pictures and make sure an employee of the car rental company signs it for you. Also check the fuel level.

18. Avoid toll-roads. Small roads often offer much nicer views, so this is a plus as well. However, don't underestimate the extra time this may take.

19. Compare fuel prices and go where they're cheapest.

20. Check for free parking. If your hotel offers free parking, check to see which option is more interesting: driving to the places you want to visit and (possibly) pay for parking or leaving your car at the hotel and taking a bus to where you want to go.

Do you have more tips or car rental experiences you want to share? Please leave them in the comments!

Have a good, safe and cheap trip!!

#Tips #Transportation #Budget #ItineraryUSA