Car Hire - Before Travel

Car Hire – What You Should Know

Car hire is a popular choice for many people when travelling or holidaying abroad. Hiring a car provides you with the freedom and independence to explore your chosen destination. As a result and more importantly, it allows you to set your own time schedule! Whether your travel is for business or recreation, car hire offers you many added bonuses and advantages. Much more than other forms of public transport options simply do not offer. However, as well as the many great advantages car hire has to offer, there are some other things you need to consider.

In this guide, we take a look at some of those advantages, as well as the other important things you should know and consider before booking.

No matter which country you are visiting, you will more often than not be able to hire a car. This is generally from either the airport or the city, town or resort to which you are visiting.

The Cost Of Hiring A Car:

The cost of car hire varies from country to country. Not only that but there are many factors that determine the price of car hire at any one time. Sadly, many people pay far too much for their car hire or take out the wrong car hire to suit their needs. This is simply because they fail to familiarise themselves with certain factors that can affect the price! Ironically, another reason why people pay too much is they choose the cheapest option available.

Yes, we all want to pay the least amount of money possible but sometimes the cheapest option is not the best! As a result, choosing the cheapest car hire, can often work out costing more money in the long run. Once again, there are several reasons why this is the case. This simple guide is designed to help you find the best deals on your car hire as well as helping you choose the right car hire for your own personal needs, requirements and budgets.

The Internet is saturated with websites offering car hire and it can be a total nightmare looking for the best deals. Hopefully, this guide will help relieve some of the stress involved with looking for car hire. As a result, hopefully it will make your search much easier and stress free!

Airport Car Hire:

One of the most popular places for people to hire a car when they are abroad is from the airport. No matter where you are travelling to in the world, the majority of airports offer the option to rent a car. Most major car hire companies have offices located inside the airport terminals in the Arrivals area. If they don’t have desks or offices, they have some form of presence at the airport. However, it is important to remember than some major cities have more than one airport.

Choosing The Right Airport For Collection:

If you are wanting to collect your car from the airport, you must remember that some city have more than one airport. Due to this fact, it is important you select the right one. Yes, this might sound very obvious but I can assure you, people do select the wrong airport!

Out Off Hours:

The other thing you need to take into consideration is that some airport car hire offices close at certain times. This means that they do not allow you to hire or return a car whilst the office is closed. Many car hire companies have facilities in place such as ‘Drop Boxes’ that do allow you to return the car ‘Out of Hours’. However, just ensure you check this facility is available first before booking.

To be honest, most companies will state if they are closed when you are searching your dates. This said, it is something you should check, especially if you have flight that arrives or depart late night or early morning.

Downtown, City or Resort:

As well as the airport, there are many car hire offices located in other destinations throughout the world, such as:

Towns
Cities
Holiday Resorts
Railway Stations
Hotels

Many people travelling or on holiday choose to hire a car from a location close to where they are staying. This might be in the city, a small town or holiday resort. There are several reasons why people choose to hire cars from these locations rather than at the airport.

Travelling on a package deal to which the airport transfer is included. As a result, they may only want to rent the car for a few days during their stay.

Another reason is because they want a ‘One way’ car hire deal and may want to collect the car in one city but drop it off at another city or location.

Whatever your reason may be or whatever your circumstances, there are a large number of reasons why car hire is a great facility to have available to you.

Why Choose Car Hire:

The first thing you need to consider is whether you actually need a car whilst on your trip?

Many people may think that car hire is a more expensive option in terms of transport than others. However, this is not always the case and it can in fact be a much cheaper and viable option! This is especially the case if you are travelling in a group where the cost can be shared. The fact is, car hire is a great way to start you holiday or business trip. It offers so many plus points and advantages from the very beginning. The following are just a few of those advantages and plus points:

It’s Convenient
Provides An Ideal Place To Collect And Drop Of Your Car
Car Rental Provides Perfect Transfer To And From The Airport
Eliminates Waiting For Public Transport
It Eliminates The Hassle Of Navigating Through Busy Public Transport Systems With Luggage
Eliminates Waiting For Other People At The Airport
Provides You With Transport Throughout Your Stay
It Provides Freedom From The Start Of Your Trip
Allows You To Explore More Of Your Chosen Destination

Car Hire Is Not Always The Best Choice:

Let’s be honest, although car hire is a great choice for many people, it may not always be right! There are definitely times when car hire is not required and would simply be a waste of money.

If you are visiting a major city for a couple of days and are only planning to stay in that city, then car hire may not be the best option for you. Most major cities have good public transport connections with the airport and surrounding areas. As a result, once you are in the city, the public transport networks generally provide adequate means of transport to get around.

Sightseeing Bus Tours:

Many major cities also offer City Tours or City Passes that allow you unlimited travel on the public transport network. These often provide the ideal solution for your travel in major cities. They allow you to see the major sights and attractions in a short period of time. As a result, they are the perfect option, if you are visiting for short periods of time.

However, if you are wanting to explore a little further afield or you have landed at an alternative airport a little further away from the city, car hire could well be the most viable option.

If you choose to hire a car, there a certain things that you need to know. These will help you find a better deal and also make you more prepared when you hire your car.

Things You Need To Know When Hiring A Car From The Airport

The following is not designed to scare you but it is designed to help you understand and avoid the hidden pit falls. These pitfalls may end up costing you money were you not familiar with them!

Don’t Forget What You Are Hiring:

Although car hire does provide many added bonuses, you must not forget what it is you are hiring. Cars themselves are very expensive items and you must take this into account. Car hire is a fantastic facility that is available to you from most places around the world. When you hire a car, you are generally given a relatively new vehicle (in most cases) for your rental. However, you must not forget, you are also liable for that car whilst it is in your possession! Yes, that also means you are also liable for any damages that it may incur!

Many people actually forget this fact or just get a little complacent when booking their car rental. As a result, they then wonder why they receive charges on their credit card once they return the car to the car hire company.

I do not want to scare you by saying so but I truly believe that this point should be mentioned. As a result of doing so, it will help you save yourself from any unwanted charges!

Read The Small Print And Terms & Conditions:

The last thing you want after hiring a car is any unwanted bills after returning the vehicle. When you hire a car, you should make yourself aware of and familiar with all the ‘Terms and Conditions’. You should also read the car hire companies own policies regarding rental. Each car hire company has its own ‘Terms and Conditions’ and Policies with regards to what is covered on your policy. This is one area that many people fail to understand when they hire a car. Due to this oversight, they are shocked when they incur additional charges from the hire company. These charges are generally after returning the car to the car hire company at the end of their trip.

Remember: The car is someone else’s property and you should respect that. Failing to respect and look after your car during your hire will result in you being charged. Returning it damaged means that the car hire company will need to repair the vehicle. Unfortunately, they will charge you the excess fee!

However, the good news is that you can protect yourself from these high charges. You can read more about car hire excess and how you can cover yourself, on the following page: Car Hire Excess Insurance

The following tips will hopefully shed a little light on what you need to look out for when you hire your car and as a result, will help you save money on your booking and save you incurring any unwanted charges.

Factors That Determine The Cost Of Your Car Hire:

Everyone’s personal requirements, circumstances and budgets are different. As a result these play a major factor in the price to which you are quoted for your car hire.

To help find best price on your own car hire, he are a few things to consider before booking. These are all factors that will determine how much you pay for your car rental.

Location:

Location can play a large part on how much you pay. As you can imagine, collected your car from one of the major tourist destinations, will increase the premium. Major airports and cities, all generally command a higher price, although this is not always the case. There are times when you can find great deals, so just shop around and compare prices.

Duration:

Obviously, the duration of your rental will be a huge factor in determining how much you pay. The longer you hire your car for, will certainly increase the price. This said, many companies do offer better deals for longer rental terms, so this is also something to look out for.

Dates:

Supply and demand is one of the main factors that will determine the price of car rental. As a result, during peak periods throughout the year, car rental will be at a premium. If you can avoid travelling at these peak periods such as school holidays, it is advisable to do so. However, many people cannot avoid these peak times and if you are one of those people, it is advisable to book your car rental well in advance.

Age:

Age is another factor that will determine the price you pay for your car hire. Most car rental companies do have an age requirement or charge an additional fee for younger drivers. Once again, if you are under the age of 25, you should check the terms and conditions before booking.

Type Of Vehicle:

The type of vehicle you hire will have a large impact on the price you pay. Most car rental companies offer a wide choice of vehicles to hire. Obviously, the larger the vehicle and bigger the engine, the more money you will pay. If you do not require a large car, it is advisable to just go with one of the economy models. Doing so, will keep the cost to a minimum!

Laws And Regulations For Car Hire:

Before travel, you should make yourself aware of the driving Laws and Regulations of the country to which you are visiting. These Laws and Regulations should be adhered to and failing to do so will result in it costing you money! Every country has different Laws and Regulations regarding driving and the country you are visiting will probably have different Laws and Regulations to your own native country. Many countries now issue spot fines for minor offences such as speeding, no wearing seat belts, not carrying snow chains and even laws such as not having your lights on in very short tunnels! These minor offences will cost you money and have cost me in the past so be warned, they do happen!!

The best way to find the best deals on car hire is to pre-book your car in advance before travel.

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