A cross-country vacation is a wonderful, unique experience. You will be able to cover various states, seeing diverse sites, interact with all kinds of people and doing fun activities! When planning a cross-country trip, you will need to plan a lot ahead of time to ensure that your trip runs smoothly. One of the biggest and most essential things to plan is your car rental options. Here are 5 things to consider when you are renting a car for a cross-country vacation.
- First you will need to determine when you want to leave on your cross country trip. This will help you to reserve your car in advance. The earlier you reserve, the better. Reserving earlier will ensure you are able to get the kind of car you want or need. In addition, it can often save you money with early bird fees and other incentives.
- Next, decide which kind of car you want. If you are traveling alone or with one other person, a small car or sedan is the bed option. These are usually more energy efficient so you can save money on gas during your road trip. If you have a larger group, you may need to reserve a larger vehicle that can hold each person as well as all of your luggage and supplies during the journey across the country!
- When reserving your car, you will want to ask about late fees. Often when traveling cross country, you may under estimate how much time it will take or traffic on your way. Ask about how flexible your car company will be if you go over. Find out how much it will cost to reserve the car one or two more days. In addition, find out what time the car needs to be returned on a certain day to avoid extra charges or fees.
- Make sure you ask about insurance. If you have your own insurance, call your company to make sure you have coverage for rental vehicles as well. If you do not have insurance, ask the car company about buying short term insurance so that you are insured and covered in case of an accident or emergency. This is necessary and you will not be able to rent without.
- Finally, find out if you can drop off the car in a different location than where you picked up the vehicle initially. Some travelers choose to drive across the country and then fly back home afterwards, so you won’t be able to return the car where you started. Many companies are able to accommodate this if they are country wide with different stores. Be sure to choose a larger company that can be found in multiple states to allow yourself more flexibility.
When renting a car in the U.S. or looking at Car Rental Portugal, these tips will help you significantly. When renting a car plan ahead and reserve early, choose the kind of car you need and consider efficiency and space, ask about insurance and drop off locations, and also look into late fees. These considerations will ensure that your cross-country trip runs smoothly.