Friday, 25 November 2011

Golden Rules to Rent a Cheap Car

If you are traveling to America, this is certain that you will need a car to get around. Car travel is the most commonly used as well as the most feasible way to get around in most American cities. Renting a car in today’s scenario has become as easy as tramping through the rows of new cars and choosing one for a test drive. But for an average traveler, it is not as easy as it seems. For them, renting a car involves several considerations. Here are few golden rules to rent a cheap car and make it a satisfactory and reasonable experience. 

Pre-book When Renting a Car
Almost all car rental companies and experts suggest that an average traveler who is looking to cut car rental costs does not have the luxury to do pick-any-car-and-drive-off. Those who are on a budget travel must pre-book their set of wheels in order to save money on car rentals. Moreover, they can check deals listed on the websites of car rental companies. There is a tremendous advantage of booking a car in advance. Most car rental companies welcome this act of their customers and therefore, introduce special offers to encourage them to make advance bookings.
 
Do not Buy Gas from Car Rental Company.
Most car rental companies offer cars on rent with tanks filled with gas on the terms that the driver will return the car with a full fuel tank. This is where customers get ripped off on gas mark-ups. The car rental companies often have 100 percent mark-ups on fuel refilling. This means consumers pay almost twice the actual price of the gas on refilling the tank. To avoid these pitfalls, one should not buy gas from the company; instead they should get their own gas.
Discover the Facts on Hidden Charges
Carefully go through the terms and conditions of a car rental contract before you rent a car. Ask all the potential charges and approximate bill amount so that you can calculate how much they are overcharging. If you are not convinced with their services, you can look for other car hire outlet and check the prices.

Hiring a car, nowadays, is not difficult but the matter of concern is how to rent a cheap car. You can avoid paying extra to your car rental company if you carefully follow the above tips.

Monday, 21 November 2011

Rent a Car San Diego to Explore City Attractions

Located in Southern California, San Diego is known for its ultimate weather and miles of beaches. It is an incredible place to spend your vacation at anytime of the year. If you want to escape the hustle and bustle of big cities such as Los Angeles or San Francisco, you can drive to San Diego for a relaxing and refreshing break. Since its establishment in 1769, the city has passed from Spain to Mexico to America; thus, offers a unique blend of different cultures. Influences from Spanish and Mexican cultures can still be felt in San Diego. The metropolitan area of San Diego is large and sprawling. Even after that, car travel remains the most efficient way of navigating the city and surroundings. You can rent a car San Diego prior to your visit and drive towards your favorite destination as soon as you are in city. Not only visitors, even localities prefer renting a vehicle for nearly all their transportation needs. The best part is that the parking is metered in San Diego. Coins, parking meter cards and credit cards are accepted by parking meters.

San Diego offers numerous things to see and do to its visitors. You can drive towards Balboa Park. Neoclassical Spanish architecture, a beautiful clock tower, museums and flowering gardens make it a place worth visiting. Whether you are with family or your partner, it is a must see place. San Diego Zoo located in the park is a premier zoo in North America. It accommodates some of the rare species of creatures on the planet. You will need a full day to explore it thoroughly. Sea World is another major attraction in the city that gives visitors a chance to interact with aquatic animals in an exciting way. It hosts many shows, displays and enclosures all through the year. La Jolla is an upscale community that offers ocean cliffs, beaches and secluded coves, dozens of cafes, restaurants and high-end shopping outlets.

San Diego is home to numerous unique beaches at Imperial Beach, La Jolla, Pacific Beach, Ocean Beach, Mission Beach and Coronado. You can indulge in a wide range of activities such as swimming, surfing, sailing, boating, whale-watching, hand gliding, kayaking and scuba diving. In order to thoroughly explore all these places, you will need a personal conveyance to get there. Almost every big car rental company operate in the area but Hertz allows you to rent a car in San Diego at very reasonable prices. You can also reserve a vehicle by visiting their website. 

What to Consider While Comparing Various Car Rental Deals

The car rental companies differ in their core services, additional benefits and support services, terms and conditions and of course, special offers and car rental deals. Their job is to cater to the unique needs of their customers while maintaining a specific percent of mark-up. If you are traveling on a budget, it is obvious to look for cheap deals that not only fit your budget but also suits your specifications. To hit the best deal, you can compare car price quotes from different companies and choose the best among them.


Compare Price
The most obvious consideration when booking a car is price. It depends upon the time period for which you want to rent a car. More the number of days, the lesser is the amount that you need to pay per day. However, whatever your needs are, you can ask for car hire price quotes from different companies and compare them. If you come across some promotional car rental deals in off season or festive season, you can consider them also.

Compare the base price first of all and then look at the insurance surcharges and coverage included. The insurance amount may or may not include collision damage waiver, theft liability waiver, windscreen breakage insurance, third party insurance and personal effects insurance depending upon the company.
Also do not forget to check distance surcharges. Some rental agreements have a limit on distance that you can cover during the renting period. They will charge you for each additional mile that you have driven the car. See if car hire deals limit you over the distance that can be covered or offer you unlimited miles.
Additional surcharges can also be found if you carefully read the car rental documents. Make sure that you know how much it is going to cost you.
Car Type
Before finalizing a particular deal, do not forget to check the type of car on which it is valid. See if it offers the vehicle that you want and meets all your needs. If not, drop it and move on to the next. Check the room for the passengers and luggage, manual or automatic drive, navigational unit and road clearance.
Payment and Security Deposit
Most car rental companies require some amount as security deposit. Compare the sum that different companies charge while renting a vehicle. Sometimes, the security deposit is not fixed in the car rental deal. In such a case, you must contact the company before availing such deals.
Once you are through with the process, you can avail a deal that you think suits you the best.


How to Find Out the Nearest Car Rental Locations

Traveling by car can get you places conveniently. It also offers a great flexibility to explore various locations at your own pace. Renting a car is no longer a tough task, especially when companies offer you the facility to pick-the-car-and-drive-off. There are numerous options available in the markets that meet all specific requirements of the travelers. What you need to decide is whether to book the car right from the airport or some other location while traveling to a foreign country. Of course, you would want to go for the most convenient option but it may not guarantee you the best price. The rule of thumb is greater the convenience, more expensive is the service. In such a scenario, it becomes important to find out all the nearest car rental locations so that you can pick a car from there and save some money.


Finding the Nearest Car Rental Locations
Airport car rentals offer maximum convenience especially when you are travelling to a foreign country. As you are not aware of the localities, it is difficult for you to find the other car rental locations that are nearest to the airport. Additionally, you wouldn’t want to walk with so many baggages to look for a car hire location nearby. One of the alternatives is that you get into an airport shuttle and get to your destination and then enquire from your friends and acquaintances about the car hire outlet in your vicinity. If you are staying in a hotel, the hotel help desk can also help you with this.

The other option is that you do some research prior to your visit and find out all important details about various car hire locations in the city you are travelling to. Internet serves as the best source of information. You can check what all locations your car rental company serves in the city and find their addresses. You can then refer a city map and get an idea of a particular location that is nearest to the airport. You can also Google it and find out.

The third option is to contact the company and speak to a customer care representative to resolve your doubt. You can also send them a mail mentioning your query. They will revert in shortest time possible. Once you get complete information, you can then reserve you vehicle in advance.  

Sunday, 20 November 2011

Book Car Rental Charlotte to Get Around in City Conveniently


Charlotte is the largest city in the American state of North Carolina and is primarily known as an ambitious city. It is the major center for finance, technology, industry and entertainment in the state. In the past, the city was known as a business center but currently it has been developing its tourist industry for over a period of time and now it is counted in one of the most visitor-friendly districts in the North Carolina. Heavy growth in Charlotte has made it one of the most successful cities in the southern United States. It draws millions of business and leisure travelers annually from across the world. Like most other American cities, you will need a personal conveyance to get around in Charlotte also. In fact, it is the most preferred method of transport in the city. Car rental Charlotte is easily available in any part of the city. Many companies operate here offer a wide range of car rental options but Hertz is the most preferred car rental company among residents as well as outsiders.  

Despite being a business city, Charlotte has a fair share of leisure attractions. There are numerous historic sites and museums scattered throughout the city. The Mint Museum showcases decorative arts, colonial and historic costume selection, Art of the Ancient Americas, North Carolina ceramics and coin collection. Discovery Place is one of the nation’s most acclaimed children’s museums that focus primarily on sciences and organizes special exhibitions. Levine Museum of the New South presents an excellent introduction to the South’s history. It is worth visiting if you are interested in learning about the rich history of the state. Carolinas Aviation Museum is for aviation fanatics. It exhibits a wide variety of historic and restored airplanes.

Charlotte is home to numerous theatres and studios. If you are interested in watching cultural performances, you should drive down to the Children’s Theatre of Charlotte for weekend evening performances. Actors Theatre of Charlotte is a highly awarded professional theatre since 1989. You can witness diverse dramas and musical performances. The late night shows are free whereas for other shows, the ticket prices vary according to the age of the individual and time schedule of the performances. Shakespeare Carolina produces the plays written by William Shakespeare during the summer. In order to conveniently explore these locations, it is best to book car rental Charlotte and drive at your own pace.

Explore the Historic Attractions with Car Rental Charleston


Charleston is a seaport city in the American state of South Carolina. The city still has its historic downtown with buildings that are hundreds of years old. It still does not have very tall buildings due to the city’s height restriction ordinance. This gives Charleston a medieval look and makes it stand apart from the rest of the American cities. Being a major seaport on the eastern seaboard of the United States and a historic town, it is major tourist destination. Charleston attracts both domestic and international visitors all around the year. The best part is that you can still witness the generations of architecture and see the buildings from last many decades in different architectural styles. It is also known as ‘the Holy City’ because it accommodates numerous churches. Exploring this historic town is a lifetime experience. You can book car rental Charleston and drive down to all places of interest.


When you arrive in Charleston, the thing that surprises you the most besides its medieval appearance is its dialect. It varies from standard American English and people have more of a Southern Coastal Accent containing British influences. Generally, it is easy to get by with American as well as British accents but in Charleston, some speech may be difficult to understand for individuals who have learnt Standard English. You can also find some people speaking in the dialect ‘Gullah’ of English that is almost incomprehensible even to most English speakers. You may also encounter people speaking Spanglish which is an odd combination of Spanish and English. It does not feel that you are in an American city rather sometimes it feels as if you’re in an entirely different medieval town where you are still trying to decipher the language.

Charleston offers a wide variety of historic attractions to its visitors. The Battery and White Point Gardens with the elegant historical mansions along the Promenade should not be missed during your trip. Fort Sumter is the island site of the start of the civil war which is now a national monument. Charleston Museum showcases the history of the city through displays and exhibitions. French Quarter between S. Market and Tradd is known for its art galleries churches and historic architecture. The city also houses building from various architectural styles including early Colonial, Georgian, Federal, Greek Revival and Italianate to Victorian. Exploring this historic town is a lifetime experience. To get around in the city and see the places of interest, you will need a personal conveyance. You can book car rental Charleston and move around conveniently.