Car rental is the best way to enjoy far away vacations. You travel by plane, then you rent a car at destination: you travel fast, and still you can enjoy the freedom of moving around the place, so you can visit a large area.

However, you need to be careful when you rent your car, in order to avoid trouble:

• Try to book your car on the internet, before your arrival. If you travel in full season, you might have the unpleasant surprise that all cars are booked and you’ll haved to walk or take a bicycle.
• Ask if your car is insured, and what does the insurance cover (many drivers, calamities, vandalism, theft…)
• Read your contract very carefully, to see in what conditions you are liable for responsibility: small damages, scratches…
• Always return your car refueled. Some car rental companies may charge you additionally if you forget to do this.
• If you don’t travel with a large family, a small car can be better than a big one, in terms of finding parking spots and in terms of fuel consumption. Gasoline is becoming more expensive every day, so why to pay more, if you don’t need such a powerful or big car?
• Check the car before signing for it: look for small damages and write everything down, because you don’t want to pay for what others did.
• Compare prices from more than one car rental company: you may have the surprise that smaller, little known companies have better prices than the big ones, and they offer the same services. Again, why to pay more when you can pay less?

If you are careful at those details, you’ll surely have a good time in your vacation, and you’ll see how good it is not to have to travel a few days until you reach your destination (although the journey may have its charm, sometimes).