When you're on holiday you may get the urge to venture away from the organised coach tours and their deadlines, after all you are on holiday and don't expect to be told when and where to be at a particular time of the day. The common solution for many tourists every year is to hire a car and go where they please.
Car hire is a huge part of the tourism business at many resorts, typically you'll see multiple car lots when you are on holiday; some main brand chains, some local car rental merchants all with the same goal of loaning you a car for the duration of your holiday.
When you choose to hire a car there are some do's and don'ts and there are even ways you can cut back on the cost by booking it before you leave for your holiday. What follows is a few pointers to make sure you get a safe and reliable car for touring your holiday destination.
Firstly, booking online before setting off can help save money with the main chain Car Rental companies like AVIS and Hertz. Even better than that they can help you guarantee that you'll get a car as many of these chains will be popular and to make sure you aren't left without a set of wheels then booking in advance can help ensure you'll not be left disappointed.
When you arrive at your destination you'll need to collect your car, this could be a local branch near your hotel or it could be at the airport itself, either way, assuming you've booked your Car Hire online then you'll need to present your booking information or a reservation voucher at the desk and sign documents which you should definitely read through.
These documents will often contain all the liability clauses and legal details so make sure you read them carefully and don't sign for anything you aren't comfortable with, after all there are plenty of other car hire firms who will be vying for your business.
Once you've signed all the legal documents then you should get the keys to your vehicle, before you tear off the forecourt give the car a good once over, check all tyres are OK and show no obvious signs of wear, better you discover a dodgy tire here than when on the windy mountain roads! If there are any dents or scratches on the vehicle then make sure you point them out to the dealer and possibly get it written on file, it's not unknown for some dubious dealers to try and blame you for damage that the car may have suffered prior to you driving it.
Assuming everything's in order then you're free to go and explore, the main thing to remember is that there may be different driving customs and rules in that country, such as the obvious driving on the wrong side of the road to the less obvious legal requirement to have a warning triangle on board. Make sure you return the car in the state you got it, free of any clutter and an adequate level of fuel, normally half or full tank.
Hopefully this guide will have helped you understand Holiday Car Hire a bit better, renting a car can be a bit daunting in another country with a car you've possibly not driven before but most of these problems can easily be solved by asking the dealer about driving customs for that country before you leave the branch. So get out there and discover a bit more of the country you're holidaying in this year.
