Car Rental Tips : Making Your Tour Memorable
Choosing a Vehicle
Think carefully about what kind of vehicle you’ll need. If you’re traveling with children or with a lot of gear, you may want a large sedan or SUV. If you’re simply looking to save money on rental rates and gas, you’ll want to reserve the smallest available model.
But size isn’t the only factor. Looking for something environmentally friendly? Check out our Green Travel Resources. Can’t drive a stick shift? Be sure to reserve a car with automatic transmission. (In many countries, a manual transmission is the norm — so read the fine print before booking. Learn more in Renting a Car Abroad.) Also, be sure that the company offers any extras you might need or want, such as a ski rack, car seat or GPS system.
Booking Your Car
How long will you be renting? . For rentals of a week or longer, you may get better rates from local companies, particularly dealers car rental Costa Rica. Remember, however, to be wary of local companies if you plan to drive a lot; if you break down or get into an accident, they usually lack the support services of the majors.
Always shop around. Check the major booking engines and aggregator sites (such as Travelocity and Kayak) to get an idea of what rates are available, but you should also visit the car rental companies’ Web sites as well — they’ll often offer exclusive discounts, and you’ll avoid booking fees. Don’t forget to check out our selection of discount car rental deals before making any reservations.
To lower your rate, ask about discounts for any major national organizations, frequent flier programs and credit card programs you may belong to. They’ll frequently offer deals on car rentals. Those offered through AAA can be very good. If you’re employed by a company that frequently rents cars, they may have a negotiated rate. Make sure to check.
Before you book online, do an Internet search for coupon or promotion codes to put into the booking engine of your car rental company’s site. Just type in the name of the company followed by “coupon code” into the search field and you’ll often find special promotion codes that could save you anywhere from 5 to 20 percent off the cost of your rental.
If you’re not already, consider joining your car rental company’s loyalty program when you book. These vary by company, but most of them are free and entitle you to certain privileges when picking up your vehicle; your information will be on file ahead of time, allowing you to simply jump into the car and go rather than standing in a long line or filling out paperwork. You could also be eligible for special discounts or free upgrades.
Understanding Your Rental
If you’re booking online, read the terms and conditions carefully before confirming your reservation. If you’re booking on the phone, ask the agent about restrictions. Be sure you understand the conditions of your reservation. Is there a penalty for no-shows? How long will the car be held if you’re stuck in traffic on the way to the pickup station? Is there a fee for additional drivers and must their names be listed in the contract? Is your 20-year-old daughter old enough to drive the car? (For liability reasons, this is important.)
If pertinent, ask about any restrictions on interstate travel. For your own protection in case of breakdown, be sure the company has offices in all the states on your itinerary.
For one-way rentals, ask about drop-off charges. They can be exorbitant.
Always get a confirmation number. For airport rentals, be sure to give the customer service representative your flight number and scheduled arrival time. This will usually protect your reservation if the flight is delayed.
The True Cost of Car Rentals
Buyer beware: The rate you see advertised in big print may become so inflated with state and local taxes, airport surcharges, additional driver fees, insurance, gasoline bills and drop-off charges that you end up paying more than double what you expected. Learn more about these extra charges in Car Rental Hidden Costs.
Also, the advertised rate may be valid only in off-season Florida or California, when many cars are idle there, but not where you want to rent. Finally, the rate may be only for a car size that you would find unsuitable.
In recent years, the major booking engines have become more transparent about rental car rates, and they now usually show you the total cost of your rental, including estimated taxes and fees, early on in the booking process. Travelocity offers total pricing, which guarantees that the company’s estimated amount will be within one percent of the actual rate.
Like the airlines, the major auto rental companies have adopted “yield management.” That means that their computers can quickly readjust prices according to changes in the supply of cars available, and so the rental rate you are quoted is valid only at that moment. Unless you reserve immediately, the rate is likely to change.
At Pickup Time
If your first drive will be from an airport to a hotel for the night, why not take a shuttle van to the hotel instead? Doing this may save you the price of a day’s rental. Even if you must drive the same day your flight lands, you may not have to get the car at the airport. By picking it up downtown, you can often avoid hefty airport surcharges.
If you have personal auto insurance or charge the rental to a major credit card, you will probably be covered at least for collision damage — so you shouldn’t have to purchase the car rental company’s collision or loss damage waiver (CDW or LDW) insurance. If in doubt, ask your insurance agent or credit card issuer.
Before you drive away from the pickup station, inspect the car carefully for body damage. Be sure the lights and turn signals are working properly, and check the mileage odometer. Report any defects at once.Familiarize yourself with the workings of the car before you leave the lot. Check which side your gas tank is on, and learn how to use the headlights, windshield wipers and turn signal. It may seem obvious, but you’ll also want to memorize the make, model and color of your car — that way you won’t lose it the first time you park in a busy lot! For more, see Getting to Know Your Rental Car.
Returning Your Car
Be wary of prepaid gasoline plans. Always fill the tank yourself before returning the vehicle so that you’re only paying for the amount of gas you actually used. Try to avoid the gas stations right near the airport where you’re dropping off your car — the prices tend to be highest there. Instead, fill up a few miles away. Even better: Check GasBuddy.com before your trip to find out where the cheapest gas stations are in your area.
It may seem counterintuitive, but returning your car early may actually cost you money. You’ll often pay an early return fee (usually about $15 a day), but even worse, your rate structure will most likely change and you’ll be responsible for the difference. Of course, returning the car late could cost you too — many car rental companies only give you a 30-minute grace period before beginning to rack up the late fees.
Before leaving the vehicle, check to be sure you haven’t left any personal belongings. Don’t forget to check the trunk! The most common lost articles include cell phones, sunglasses and umbrellas.
Be sure that the check-in attendant inspects the car’s body in your presence and that you agree about any damage. Examine your rental agreement carefully for all charges and make sure they credit any deposit to your account while you wait.
Cheap Car Rentals – Making Your Vacation More Relaxing
It is very interesting to know that Costa Rica is everlasting packed with tourists regardless of the season. Possibility of getting cab at required time is nearly zero, so tourists mainly emphasis on Rentals Car. More over to ensure best travelling facilities, large numbers of car rentals companies are running in Costa Rica which provides reasonable prices of rents and a lot more.
Before contacting Car Rentals in Costa Rica, ensure you keep some important facts in mind. In order to get economical as well as suitable package, do searching on internet to get you aware of quotations of numerous rentals car companies. Also, compare these quotations. Check additional privileges packages offered on renting a car to you as they reduce rental cost to great extent.
Before considering Car Rentals in Costa Rica, make sure you focus on some important things.
• Make use of web to find out quotes of various rentals car companies and compare all the quotes to get suitable and economical package.
• Check out for extra privilege offers or packages provided by the companies that cost you much less on car rental.
• Make sure you ask for hidden charges like taxes, charge on additional things in car etc before you are done with the deal.
• Age policies of different rental companies must be check as it is not same for all the companies but if you are 25 years old, then you will be accepted by any company.
• Make sure you choose Rental Company, near to your home to make it cost effective.
So before interacting Car Rentals Costa Rica, make sure you have above tips in mind.
Rent a Car – Without Busting Your Presupposition
Rent a car and you will find yourself quickly confused. You’re standing at the rental counter with a line behind you, trying to decide if you want to rent a compact car, an economy car or a midsize, while they’re asking you questions about insurance and damage waivers. What decisions should you be making and how much should you know before you go to the counter?
Shop online for car rentals first. You don’t have to stand in line battling for the last economy car on the lot or feeling pressured by salespeople who are eating away at your presupposition bit by bit with options and waivers. You can take your time online and shop for the exact type of car you need with the options and details you want. You can even rent a car online and never have to set foot at that counter, if you’re lucky.
Get out your calculator and add up all the charges. Something that seems like a deal might not be after you add in fees, taxes, insurance, and extras like coverage on additional drivers using the vehicle.
Look for the best rental deals. Sometimes there are daily rate, weekly rate, or weekend rate specials on a particular category or even make and model of car. Use any group affiliations or discounts available to you from your insurance company or places like AAA.
Choose a smaller car. When you rent a car, decide what size car you really need. The smaller the car, the cheaper the rate will be. Because of this, car rental companies often run out of cars in the compact class and will try to bump you up to another category. Insist on the compact car. They will eventually give in and offer you an upgrade for the same price, rather than see you rent elsewhere.
Be informed of all the restrictions that come with your rental plan. Look out for mileage restrictions or restrictions on where you can take the car. Some “good deal’ rates are based on local driving only and may come with restrictions on crossing state or provincial borders.
Between your automobile insurance and your credit card, you very likely have all the insurance you will need. Before you decide to pay extra for insurance, check with your credit card company and auto insurance agent to determine what, if any, “extra” insurance is really necessary.
Do not pay ahead for gasoline. Make sure the tank is full before you leave the lot and refill it at a gas station before you return the rental car. When you rent a car, you are responsible to return it with as much gas as was in the tank when you left. If the tank is less than completely full upon your receiving the car, have someone from the agency make a note as to where the gas indicator is pointing or have them fill it all the way. When you bring a rental car back with less gas in it than when you left, you will pay a lot more than market price for the gallons needed to match the level.
Try to incorporate some of these tips, and you should be able to rent a car without busting your presupposition wiht car rental Costa Rica.
Costa Rica – Your Place in the Sun
In Central America, just south of Nicaragua and north of Panama is Costa Rica. Costa Rica has the Caribbean Sea to the east and the Pacific Ocean on the west side. Therefore, the majority of Costa Rica’s borders, sixty-five percent, are coastline.
Although a relatively small area, about the size of Vermont and New Hampshire combined, it has everything one could want in a vacation. Beautiful white sand beaches, great surf, active volcanoes, natural hot springs, and towering rain forests are just some of the sites in Costa Rica. Site seeing in the area is relatively simple via car rental Costa Rica or public bus.
A number of the principal mountain ranges are volcanic, and visitors can easily visit many of these areas. In the province of Cartago, for example, which is not far from the capital of San José, you will find Irazú volcano, which erupted in the early sixties. Poás volcano, located in the province of Alajuela, has one of the largest active craters in the world. In addition, Arenal volcano, in the northwestern region, delights thousands of visitors each year to a constant stream of red, hot lava rocks tumbling down its slopes.
Picturesque forests grow in the crater of the dormant Barva in Heredia. Arenal, a young volcano in the northern part of the country is constantly active (and is the site of a spa with natural hot springs). The country’s highest peak, Mount Chirripó, is not volcanic; it measures 12.412 feet. On a clear day one can see both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans from atop Mt. Chirripo.
The capital of Costa Rica is San José and is a good starting place for exploring the country. It is conveniently located in the center of the country and all the bus lines stop here. The port of Limon on the Caribbean Coast has quite a different atmosphere from the capital. Life is easy going on the Caribbean coast compared to the city life in San Jose.
San José is located in the Central Valley region of the country. Evenings in San José can be cool do to the high altitude, but you will not forget that you are in a tropical place even in this bustling city. The city itself is busy and filed with traffic. There are many things to do, but travelers often miss these sites choosing instead to head straight from the airport to beaches or rainforests. Although San José is not the most beautiful city in the world, it is generally safe and has a lot to offer tourists.