Picture this: you enjoy a perfectly smooth flight, arrive at your destination airport, find the car hire desk you’ve booked with, they give you a lovely new vehicle, better than you expected, and you’re out of there and on the road in ten minutes. That’s how it should be, but how often does it really happen? You need to think about maximising convenience with airport car hire.
Compare Prices
Now and then you can find a surprising bargain, so don’t go for the first name you see and don’t assume the big names are the cheapest. Take a little time to see what they have to offer in terms of size and quality, then see if they can do the dates you need.
Book in advance
To stand a good chance of getting the car you want, you need to let them know. If you turn up unannounced, they may well only have something smaller or bigger than you want, and maybe a make you don’t fancy. When you wanted a good quality medium size car, you could pootle out of there in a tiny sewing machine on wheels such as was fashionable during the Cold War.
Find Out Exactly Where the Desk is
Car hire desks are not always where you might expect them to be, so just ask them when you book and if necessary make notes, so you don’t end up heaving your luggage around the whole airport.
Don’t Forget Your Documents
It is increasingly common in the UK to be asked for photo ID, as it has been in other countries for many years. Obviously, you’re going to need to show your driving licence. Is it up to date? Address current? And your credit card? If you don’t get around much, you need to make sure you’re prepared. The person on the desk isn’t out to get you, but rules are rules.
Don’t Cut Corners on Insurance
When money is tight, insurance is often seen as a way of saving money, but sometimes it pays to fork out a little extra for peace of mind. Hoping for the best has never been a wise move in this respect.
Read the Contract
The important parts, anyway. Nobody reads the small print, but you need to know what you have committed yourself to, particularly with the insurance. Also, simple things like where to return the car and at what time can have a big impact on your rental experience. Does it come with a full tank and have to be returned with the same? If you don’t do that, they may have some exorbitant rate for topping it up.
Check if Over for Damage
This is another thing we all take for granted, just as we don’t concentrate on the safety talk on the plane. But in the event of returning the car to find yourself dealing with a fastidious person trying to make a name for themselves, you could wish you had been paying attention and noticed something that wasn’t marked on the paperwork. Again, they are not generally out to get you, but you can’t be too careful tamil biography.
