Planning a road-trip is not always easy and there are a lot of things to think about and consider, especially if you are planning it for other people as well which is why I have created this checklist that you can use when planning and travelling. Hopefully this makes your life a little bit easier and your trip planning less daunting!
I have divided this article into four sections: Before the trip, The trip, End of trip and a summary in the End note. You will also find some tips to reduce cost near the end of this article. Feel free to jump to the section that is more relevant to you if you are short on time, otherwise I would suggest reading the whole article, hopefully there will be useful information to you!
Section 1: Before the trip
- Compare and contrast
This is self-explanatory and is linked to the point below. Before you book anything, make sure to look around, compare prices/offers/reviews, some websites may offer discounts during the year. The first website I usually go to is Rentalcar (and it’s usually where I end up renting the car from). It’s a comparator website so the job is already done for you. You can compare prices across different providers and filter your research as well. Other websites you can look at are Booking, Kayak and Kiwi.
- Do your research
After you have found the website you want (and possibly the car you want), make sure you have everything you need to rent the car. Be aware that most providers will request a credit card (NOT a debit card), this is for insurance purposes and they have to be able to charge large amounts of money on your card in case something happens. This is also in case the company wants to put a deposit on hold before your trip (in this case, most of the time the money is not actually debited from your account, it is only ‘on hold’ in case of damages). Also if you are planning in advance, have a little look at your credit card to make sure it will still be valid at the time of your trip!
Depending on the country you will be driving in, some require an international driver’s license as well so again do your research on this. Sometimes, just a certified translation of your original license is enough as well.
Another thing to note is the age limit of some providers in some countries. If you are under a certain age, you will have to pay an extra fee for young drivers (this happened to me on a US road trip, the “young driver” limit was 25 years old). So be sure to take this into consideration when planning your spendings for the trip if this applies to you.
When looking at cars, decide also if you would like to drive an automatic or a manual (sometimes you will not have a choice so make sure you can and are allowed to drive both). It is possible that some cars will have a Sat Nav but it will not always be the case so you will either need to bring one with you or get a local sim card so you can access Google Maps on your phone depending on what’s best for you (I always recommend getting a local Sim card anyways, it will make your life a lot easier!).
Once everything is decided and you are ready to pay, read the terms and conditions, all the paperwork, find out if you need a travel insurance, what insurance is included in your package, what kind of mileage is included as well and what is the fuel policy (some providers will ask you to refill before you give them the car back) and check how much the deposit is.
Depending on where you are going, check your itinerary, if you are planning to cross borders, make sure you are allowed to do so with the rented car. It is always good to ask about this in case of doubt.
You will also have to decide the pick up and drop off locations. Airports are always the best idea and it is the easiest, most providers will have their branches inside or near the arrival terminal. Remember that it’s always best to pick up and drop off the car at the same location as this will avoid extra cost.
And lastly, check the driving rules of the country you are visiting (most of the time, they should not be that different but you never know!).
- Get insurance
This is an absolute requirement to rent a car with any providers so you won’t be able to get a car without it.
When I was younger, I used to be included in the family insurance package my parents had and the car insurance was part of it so I didn’t have to worry about it. You can also buy a travel insurance exclusively for the trip (which I recommend anyways) and check that it includes driving a car abroad. Make sure to read the conditions of the online provider too as some insurance cover is included in the final cost. For example, if you rent through Rentalcar, most of the time, “Theft Protection, Collision Damage Waiver (CDW), local taxes, airport surcharges and any road fees” are included in the rental.
Another option is to get it directly from the car rental provider but be aware that this will always be more expensive. Otherwise, they are various websites from which you can obtain insurance if you need it.
Section 2: The trip
- Pick up your car
You have just landed and you are going to pick your car up. They will probably try to sell you extra insurances or other things, you don’t need anything else. If you have gone through a legitimate provider, everything you need will already be included in the price.
Please note that the person who made the booking is considered the “main driver” and only that person can pick up the car. They will check for ID, driver’s license and credit card to make sure everything matches so be mindful of this when entering your details during the booking process.
Sometimes, you will not get the exact car you have chosen on the website; this is because on the website, you pick in a category of cars and when you get there, you pick one car from that category.
You will probably be excited to start your trip as soon as possible but before you leave with the car, take pictures and videos of the entire car! This is to avoid any issues when you drop it off at the end of your trip and the agent trying to make you pay for a bump that was already there when you picked up the car. Please don’t skip this step as this happens quite often with providers and if you have the evidence available, it will make it easier for everyone. Extra note on this: they might check for timestamps on the pictures you took so make sure you do it before leaving the car rental office and NOT during the trip or right before returning the car.
Take also a picture of the mileage counter before setting off (you can do the same when you drop the car off), I think it is always nice to know how many km/miles you have driven during your road trip.
Before setting off, check how to use the features on the car (headlights, windshield wipers,…), and also check that the papers you need are in the car or that they gave them to you at the counter.
- Drive carefully
That’s it, you are on the road! Be careful and stay safe, you do not want to have to pay a fee for damage to the car (that will be expensive!). Try to look for safe parking and your best option is to get free parking at your accommodations as much as you can so you don’t have to struggle every time.
You should also be careful to drive the speed limits as otherwise the fines will be sent to the agency and they will forward them to you. Don’t think that because it’s a rented car, you will avoid paying them.
Section 3: End of the trip
- Return your car
Sadly, it is already the end, time to go home…
Depending on your policy, fill up the tank or return the car with as little petrol as possible. You don’t have to clean the car before you give it back but make sure you don’t forget anything in it (including under the seats and in the boot). Take the second picture of your mileage counter, get the car checked before leaving it and use the pictures you took before if necessary. I would suggest to keep those photos/videos until you get your deposit back just in case. Once everything is agreed on, head to baggage drop and through security because it’s time to fly away!
- Follow-up
Once you are home, make sure you get your deposit back and if not, don’t hesitate to get in touch with the provider.
10 tips to reduce the cost of your rental car
- Compare the prices of different providers (most providers offer the same type of cars anyways and if you’re not looking for anything specific, it will be easy to pick the cheapest option)
- Choose the SAME pick-up and drop-off location
- Only have one designated driver (adding an extra driver means extra fee)
- Bring your own GPS/Sat Nav system (the GPS is not included in most car rentals; it can be available for an extra fee)
- Make sure your driver is not considered a ‘young driver’ (obviously this is not something you can control but some providers might not charge extra for this)
- Get free parking at your accommodations (this will avoid having to park the car in the street and avoid any potential damage to it)
- Don’t leave any valuables in clear sight when the car is parked (if you leave your laptop on the seat, you risk people breaking into the car to steal it)
- If you bring your own GPS on the trip, put it in the glovebox when you are not in the car to avoid people breaking into the car to get it
- In addition to the point above, if you use a suction cup for the GPS that sucks onto the windshield, make sure it doesn’t leave a mark when you remove it as this will indicate to a potential thief that there is a GPS in the car
- Remember that you will have to pay for any damage to the car so when you drive, just be careful!
End note
So here’s your ultimate summary checklist for renting a car abroad:
- Compare providers and prices
- Research for what you need (international driver’s license, insurance,…)
- Take pictures and videos at pick up
- Try to avoid damaging the car during the trip
- Make sure you get someone to check the car at drop off
- Follow up for deposit if necessary
That’s all you need to know for your next road trip, hopefully this will help you in your planning. Let me know if you have any questions about this or anything else! If you have any other tips, please leave them in the comments below so we can help each other create those memories.
Love,
Marine
xx