I have rented a car internationally one time and it was on my trip to Bulgaria. It was a very worthwhile expenditure, but there are some things I should have done to make it cheaper. I scraped the side of the car when parking it and, fortunately, I had purchased supplementary insurance to cover that. Unfortunately I never ended up sending in the paperwork to get the refund for what I paid to cover the scrape, so never got that back. (I know, right?!?!) Here are some other tips on how to save money on a rental car, called a hybril in Sweden, when traveling.
That doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a more secluded beach and make your own fun in the off-season or drive to areas that aren’t on the “tourist map” to take in the culture in a different aspect.
Rest assured, you won’t be hard-pressed to find flights to your favorite locations abroad, find budget-friendly accommodations, and get the best deals on car rentals with the ideal availability.
Car rental on a trusted site like https://www.hyrbilguiden.se/ deems a priority many are not willing to forego on their travels since visiting any location requires independence to meander the countryside or cities and towns at leisure. Even in the states, public transport offers stringent scheduling that doesn’t often work well with touring, nor do taxis since they’re usually restricted to the cities (and can be expensive).
Needless to say, car rental is not necessarily inexpensive, especially in Sweden. In fact, it can be quite costly, but there are ways to save even at the height of the bustling peak season. It’s a matter of research and preparedness for the optimally planned trip. Let’s check out some ways to save on car rentals in any season.
How Can Travelers Save Money On Rental Cars In Any Season
The ideal way to travel in any country is via road trip. In this way, you can see sights that aren’t necessarily on the “official” tourist attraction itinerary. That can include the quaint little towns or villages where the locals might strike up a conversation to share some local history or culture.
Despite the appeal of driving, the cost can be off-putting, especially in countries where the price can prove excessive for hiring a car. Still, most people aren’t willing to deprive themselves of the freedom that renting a vehicle affords them, choosing instead to find ways to budget the cost into their travel expenses.
When this is done wisely, you can save quite a bit. It just takes a bit of research and careful preparation so that you can enjoy the experience without the idea of a budget running through your thoughts. Read here for guidance on budgeting with car hires. Some tips to help you prepare include:
Book a vehicle far in advance
Waiting until you arrive at your destination is really risky, especially if it is the height of the season. Finding an availability in a sought-after location where there might be a shortage of vehicles, to begin with, could prove challenging.
Plus, in many of the international regions like Sweden, you’ll find even in the larger cities and the towns and smaller villages that the streets are exceptionally narrow, meaning you’ll need a compact car, so these will go quickly.
No one wants to get stuck with a massive SUV to maneuver through these areas risking damage to the vehicle. Instead, it’s wise to book well ahead of your scheduled vacation, roughly five to six weeks, probably around the same time you schedule your flight.
Check rental agencies outside the airport location
It’s absolutely much more convenient to hire a car when you get off the flight at the airport. It’s also much more expensive because everyone understands that this is much more convenient, charges a fee for that convenience plus excessive price points.
Fortunately, travelers will typically find rental agencies close to the airport that don’t have these fees and offer much more budget-friendly charges. Even if you need to take a taxi a few minutes to the nearest car hire agency, you’ll still save considerably more than if you were to book at the airport.
Another option is to avoid the larger international airports for rentals instead traveling to a smaller airport to book closer to your destination. These will likely have minimal fees compared to the more popular, well-known airlines.
Avoid rental insurance if possible
The basic insurance with a car hire agency only covers liability. For comprehensive coverage, the cost is extensive. The suggestion is to use your personal automobile insurance carrier if you have a plan that offers rental car coverage as an arm or a premium credit card with prime car rental coverage as a part of the plan in place of what the car rental agency offers.
It’s essential to have good coverage on the vehicle. Driving in another country where the rules are significantly different from your own country and the unique traffic pattern can result in fender benders or accidents.
It’s also wise to check into roadside assistance or to see how the country handles this in case the car develops issues while you’re driving.
Avoid the GPS option
The GPS charge, roughly $15-$20 each day, is avoidable if you use offline map downloading for your smartphone to navigate throughout any country (don’t be afraid of old-school paper maps either).
Even without a signal or Wi-Fi, you’ll have distinct directions. Still, it’s essential to ensure the phone is in a hands-free location since most countries prohibit mobile use when operating a vehicle.
Not to mention you don’t want to be distracted when you’re in unfamiliar territory and need to be paying attention to the traffic pattern and the roadway signs anyway.
Fuel up the tank yourself
You’ll find it convenient to leave the tank for the car hire agency to fill when dropping the vehicle back to them, but it won’t be for your wallet, especially if you received the car with a full tank.
When you get a full tank of gas upon pick up, it should be returned with a full tank, or the rental company will attach a premium fee to your credit card. Even if you don’t receive it with a full tank, make sure to handle the fuel yourself, so there are no surprise fees that you didn’t anticipate.
Disputing charges can take extensive time and aggravation that typically ends in little success.
Schedule one driver for the trip
Try to designate one driver for your road trip. As a rule, most rental agencies will charge additional fees when travelers choose to take turns at the wheel since there’s an added liability.
It can prove a complication in a different country since many have rules with license and driving experience of the motorist operating the vehicle.
However, if you will be driving for long distances, the expense and complexity are worth it to avoid fatigue behind the wheel for one person. That can be dangerous so weigh the options before ruling this out altogether.
Ensure you meet the age requirements
In many countries, drivers will pay a fee if under a specific age and attempt to rent a car. In the United States, drivers under 25 will run into that charge. A good way to avoid that is to travel with someone older who will be doing the driving.
There are also insurance companies that will waive the young driver fees with rental agencies that participate. Still, it would help if you did your due diligence in finding these agencies to take advantage of those benefits.
Pick up and drop off
When picking up a hire car, it’s to your benefit to ensure that you can drop the vehicle back at the exact location to avoid “one-way” rental fees. You might have to adjust your travels to make this concession, but it can save considerable money.
Another way to save is to be sure that you’re on time when returning the vehicle. That few minutes will make a substantial difference in cost, potentially a whole other day’s charge. Regardless of what you need to do to make it on time, make those arrangements.
If you want to keep the vehicle for an extended period, that can actually save money. The longer you have a rental, the greater the value.
Inspection
Primarily, a motorist can save money when hiring a vehicle by inspecting the car before ever taking it from the agency. No one wants to be charged for something wrong with a car they had no hand in.
It’s wise to work with the representative to inspect every aspect of the car, taking photos on a smartphone to document the interior and exterior. Ensure that the vehicle operates optimally before driving off, test driving in the lot, including all the features, windshield wipers, headlights, turn signals, brakes, and the car has all the necessary fluids.
Every driver should make sure to learn the functionality of the vehicle before getting into the heart of the traffic, so there’s no need to search while in motion. That’s when accidents happen, and expenses incur.
Final Thought
With these few tips, you can travel with perhaps a lighter budget regardless of the time of year you choose to do so. For someone who isn’t concerned about when they go on holiday, you can save a considerable amount by choosing the least busy time of the year. Rates for everything are much friendlier including flights, accommodations, and hiring a car, plus you get the attractions all to yourself.
Do you rent a car when traveling? What are your tips to save money?
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