Renting a car is great in many places. Of course, we also use public transportation, but many regions further in the ‘wild’ are easier to reach by car.
That’s why we sometimes rent a car. Two persons are just perfect. You can choose the cheapest car and share costs, which makes it even cheaper 😉
Solo travelers will have to pay more. If they don’t have to switch every penny, it’s still a good idea. A group of more than two persons can also share costs. But you have to choose a bigger car, which is often very much more expensive.
What you should consider
Of course, the price shouldn’t be the only criteria to choose. For you own safety you should also think about the boring parts of renting a car:
With our without deductible? Who is covered as a driver?
What is the insurance sum (just in case)?
What about the infrastructure in the country? Road conditions? Corruption of police, authorities, and renting companies?
Bad for us, if there are only few renting companies, because they will be more expensive. That’s why we chose not to rent a car in certain countries.
In case of city trips, cars are often a bad idea. Public transportation or maybe by taxi is easier and cheaper most of the time.
Our recommendations so far
Florida: Everything’s OK, just perfect for a road trip. Often, a minimum age of 25 is required or you pay an extra fee. But we payed it and it wasn’t too expensive. Attention: They often tow away your car (especially rental cars) in Florida. There are even people who cooperate with towing services. In Miami it happened to us: 300 bucks and lots of trouble – we were young and naïve, but afterwards we learned from it 😉
Sardinia, Sicily and Algarve: Just perfect. The infrastructure is made for cars. Not having a car is definitely a bad idea – you would just miss too much.
Curaçao: Small but beautiful – Also no problems here, everythings’s fine and easy.
Where didn’t we rent a car (based on countless opinions by other travelers): Turkey and Cuba. You risk being ripped off and nobody will support you (if you made a positive, please let us know!)
Travel guides and the internet offer loads of information. Attention: you will always need a credit card, renting a car (in Germany our recommendation is: DKB)
What are your experiences concerning rental cars? What countries can you recommend? We are looking forward to your opinions!
Leave a Reply