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When seeking cheap car rental, many people prefer to book holiday or business car hire in advance. Hiring a car is usually a must for most business trips, unless you are being picked up at the airport by a hotel shuttle. Driving a company car is fine for short trips, but when you have long distances to travel, or even overseas, then you'll have to rent a car and you'll want something appropriate for your needs.
Holiday car rental can be even more stressful for most people, particularly if they a large family -- two adults and three or four children. It's bad enough having two children in the back of a small car let alone three! You likely know what I mean. Combine that with the usual airport delays during the holidays, things can really start to stress you out.
On vacation you might need a 4x4 SUV -- or even a 12 passenger shuttle van for those wedding parties -- that can fit your whole family comfortably and without complaints the whole way! These are not always available at airports, so you could have a problem if you don't book your car rental in advance.
That's fine if you're seeking a cheap rental car in your home country, but you may have difficulty doing so when traveling abroad. It's difficult enough booking a car in New York when you live in Texas, but try making an advance booking in Costa Rica when you live in California! Wouldn't it be great if you could find a simple way to book a car for your holidays from your own home? Or better yet, to have your office assistant do it for you?
Most people prefer to book their car in advance when going on vacation or for business trips. You've already got the dates that you have off from work, so the last thing you want is to miss out of a few of those days! Car rental is cheaper the earlier you can book it. Doing so online makes it that more convenient, guarantees the type you'll need without having to make due with 'what's available' on the lot when you arrive. Some people take a more haphazard way to travel -- booking their airline tickets and hotel in advance, but leave their rental car to pure luck. If this is you, best of luck! I couldn't do it that way...
Cost Advantages to Cheap Car Rentals
Cost Advantages to Cheap Car Rentals
There are several advantages of booking your holiday car rental in advance, not the least being cost. Most car hire agencies will charge less for an advance booking than if you simply turn up at the counter, so booking your vacation or business car rental in advance will most likely save you money -- particularly if you book a car online. Sometimes that's not possible with business trips, but you should at least know your flight's arrival time. You can book your car online in advance for that time and likely get a better price than somebody walking off the plane and trying to get an affordable rental car at the airport kiosk.
There are other advantages though, not the least being the choice of car models you may be offered. Reserving a car in advance enables you choose the car you want -- at least up to a price point. If you hire a car from the airport, you're restricted to what they have available that moment -- not just what is available for an airport car rental, but what is left period! This is particularly true if you're one of the last people to exit the plane and are now at the back of the queue!
It's not easy to find a car to suit you if you have five or six in your party, and lots of luggage. In fact, you might not find anything and have to pay for a couple of taxis to your hotel just so that they can help you out with renting a car large enough for your needs. It's far better to have booked your holiday car rental in advance.
Cheap Car Rental Price Comparisons
Cheap Car Rental Price Comparisons
If you know the type of vehicle you need, you should be able to compare cheap car rental prices across several car hire companies and also compare models, using the standardized SIPP codes, to meet your specifications. By reserving a car in advance, you will be able to use a search engine and be shown a range of vehicles in order of price for any country you want. Please note: For Costa Rica and other countries such as Ireland, Italy, and New Zealand, the rental process is more involved particularly due to the country-mandated Mandatory Third Party Liability (TPL) that will be added to the rental total. Some rent a car companies do not disclose this until you're standing in front of them -- mainly due to portal travel sites like Expedia, Kayak, and others. Make sure your quote includes all of the fine print and understand what the small charges are for because they can add up rather quickly!
Perhaps you have different collection and drop-off points. So how would that affect the cost of your car rental? Each company has their own delivery fee for the popular destinations, but unfortunately, it is also one of the things that's difficult to determine and may not even appear on the quote until you take possession of the vehicle. My advice, visit the local websites of the agencies you think make the top of the list. Browse their pages to see if that information is readily accessible or if you have to jump through hoops to get an answer. Do business with upfront and honest agencies. Check out TripAdvisor.com or Google search results for customer reviews. Go with a winning brand instead of being another victim of 'eenie meenie miney mo'.
3 Kids + MINI Cooper = Poor Planning!
3 Kids + MINI Cooper = Poor Planning!
These things are not easy to do and people generally get aggressive once the plane lands. From being the first to stand up and getting their baggage from the overhead compartment to running across the tarmac to get to the Immigration and/or Customs lines first, all in the hopes of reaching that rental car counter before anyone else. Why? Because they didn't plan ahead and book a car before they left home. Besides those things that you are actually able to plan for, there are external circumstances which are outright out of your control. Things like natural disasters, traffic, car accidents, and just the plain ole weather. All of this just compounds the stress of being able to get a hired car. Will the vacation car rental you need still be available? Why put yourself through all that? Not to mention the elephant in the room. What if you CANNOT get a car?!! Shutter to think about it, but it DOES happen. Three kids and a wife, and all you can get is a MINI? That's taking cheap to a whole new level. Not to worry, it'll be an experience that you'll never hear the end of...
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