10 Tips for Getting Rental Car Deals

Most of the time when we travel, we rent a car, but it depends on where we go. Some destinations are easier to get around by car, like Orlando or Los Angeles, and some places are not or it's just more convenient to use public transportation. Of course, there are those destinations we've rented a car in and either wished we hadn't or did a little more research before we went, like Ecuador. It's always smart to know how things work in the city you'll be traveling in. Security and roads without signs aside, here are my top 5 Dos and Don'ts of renting a car.

Do Keep Looking Until the Last Minute because rates can fluctuate wildly. Most of the time you make a reservation and don't have to give a credit card or pay ahead, even with some aggregators such as Hotwire, so it just makes sense to watch for price drops all the way up until the day before you leave. There's no penalty for cancelling and rebooking, so do it if you can save a buck...or $100. It's been known to happen and keep an eye out for promo codes.

Don't Take the Prepaid Gas Option. While every once in a great while this is actually a deal, 99.99% of the time it is a total rip-off. Unless I'm in Europe, I should never have to pay $8+ for a gallon of gas. The rate is usually posted and, though it sounds really convenient, it's just another way for them to extract every last cent from your wallet or, more specifically, your credit card. The same principal goes for their GPS system. If you have your own or usually use your phone, bring it with you and save $15 or more per day. If your personal GPS gets stolen, it'll be a lot cheaper to replace.

Do Reserve the Smallest Car Possible. I almost always book a compact or economy car. There are only two of us and they are comfortable enough. The smaller the car, the cheaper the rates and the less you'll have to pay to fill up at the gas station. A bonus is that the smallest cars usually sell out first, so you get upgraded for free to the next car size available. Note, if you change your mind once you get to the rental counter, you can always upgrade on your own, but you can't downgrade, so pick the smallest size you are comfortable with. Three of my last four rentals were upgraded, since my flight came in in the evening and all the economy cars were gone. Bummer for me, right?

Don't Get the Insurance. If you have a car with insurance at home, it's highly possible you are covered in rental cars. If not, the credit card you are using to rent the car probably protects you. make sure to check all possibilities that you already use before adding an extra $16+ per day to your rental. There's no sense in paying more when you really don't have to, even when that "only bring back the steering wheel" thing sounds awesome. It's designed to.

Also, check your major credit cards. Many of them have built-in insurance, which means if you use one of those to rent your car, you are double-covered. {FYI - If you're trying to rent out of your own country, you may have no option but to take their insurance. You should look into what your current insurance covers. You may also need to get an International Driver Permit before you travel and put up a hefty refundable deposit for your rental. At that point, it's often cheaper and less hassle to take public transportation.}

Do Look at All Rental Locations. The airport isn't the only place you can rent a car and sometimes looking offsite can be more affordable. If the hassle is worth it for the price difference, that might make less of a dent in your budget. In fact, the government imposes fees on rental companies at the airport, so those are passed on to the customer. Sometimes it's significant. Sometimes it's just a few cents a day. 

Don't Forget to Sign Up for the Rewards Program. It's free, it's easy and all your rentals give you points towards things like upgrades and free days. Those sounds like fantastic things, but the reason I really do it is for the increased savings. Members get access to special promos and discounts.

Do Check the Weekly Rates. If you'll be traveling for 5 or 6 days, it can sometimes be beneficial to check weekly rates on rental cars, because they come with a price break that may just be cheaper than paying for separate days.  Make sure to check the fine print and see if you will be penalized for bringing the car back early. Most of the time you won't be, but some rental companies have caught on and want to squeeze as much money out of you as possible.

Don't Rent With Your Debit Card if possible. If you do, the rental company often takes your rental total and a deposit when you pick up your car, leaving you with hundreds of dollars less in your bank account that you probably counted on using on your trip. If you only have a credit card for car rentals, it will still be more convenient than not having one at all.

Do Use Ebates for Extra Savings. Ebates gives you cash back on things you're doing everyday, including going on vacation. Sign up for free, then click through them to get to our favorite travel merchants, including a whole list of car rental companies, to get cash back and even current promo codes to save even more.

Don't Rent a Car for Your Whole Trip if You Don't Need To. Sometimes you only want a car for certain things. If you have several places you plan to drive to, then plan to do those things on consecutive days, so you only have to rent a car for those days instead of all of them. It seems like common sense, but many people never think about doing it that way and waste money they didn't have to.

*BONUS* Do Make Sure to Check Out Ride-Sharing Sites. You may already be using Uber and Lyft to get around, but why stop there? If you want to drive on your own schedule, rent someone else's car while you're in town. See locals who can spare their wheels while you're visiting on these great sites: Turo | GetAround | FlightCar 

ZipCar - Unlike these others, these are shared cars in a city. Rent it by the hour. Pick it up and drop it off at a designated location.

Renting a car is not often all that fun, but I enjoy driving other places that aren't at home. Learn the ins and outs of renting before you get to the counter, that way you don't end up being that person who asks 900 questions and making everyone behind you want to run you over with their car. Somehow, I always get stuck behind the three people who've maybe never rented anything before and am reminded of being at the post office and the bank. If you can fill out all your info before you get to your destination, which is an option on some sites, especially if you've rented from them in the past, do so and you'll be in and out as quickly as you can sign the forms and get to the garage. You'll be on your way faster and everyone will be less stressed out. 

What are your tips for renting a car, in general or more affordably? 

Prepping for Your Next Road Trip

I'm getting geared up for my next road trip, you guys. In March, I drove alone from Portland to Vegas and back. I was basically just trying to save money, so I did the drive each way in one day. I don't know that I'd recommend it, as it's very long and much of it is boring and out in the middle of nowhere. Next year I'll be flying, but only because it'll be snowy in February. I like my alone time and had fun on my own, but it would have been nicer to spend less time in the car and more time checking out stuff along the way, but that would have defeated the purpose for this mostly business trip.

So, when you want to take a real road trip, to save money and also see more than you would on a plane, you're going to want to make it more fun than frantically looking for a place to pee along the road when one side is a cliff and the other is a rocky beach, hoping you don't have to use your empty Starbucks cup. I wasn't proud of that either, but I was lucky enough that the beach had a public restroom and I didn't get murdered. Here's how to make your road trip awesome.

I love a good road trip and have done my fair share of them in my life. The first thing you should do to prep for your trip is to get your car checked out if you are driving your own and not renting. Make sure your tires are good, your brakes don't need replacing (because stopping is really important), you get an oil change and everything else is in good order. Got AAA? Then don't forget to keep your card handy. If one of your credit cards has roadside assistance, make sure you know all the details and know the numbers to call if you need them. Keep an emergency kit in your car, just in case, and a spare gallon of water to avoid overheating. It happens.

Once you've made all the boring and necessary checks on your car, it's time to start packing. Even though I have plenty of room in the trunk (and backseat), I still try to pack light. I don't want to drag a ton of bags in and out of hotels everyday and it's nice to have spare room in your car for any purchases your may make along the way. On my way to Vegas, I kept it to one small carry-on for my clothing, the small cooler you see here and the insulated Trader Joe's bag for other food, goodies and disposable plates, utensils and paper towels. I definitely came back with more than I left with. 

If you're traveling as a family, space is at a premium anyway. Don't bring your whole closet. One carry-on per person is enough. A cooler with drinks, snacks and sandwich fixings is a must, especially if you're trying to save some money on your drive. Plus, if you go with kids, they always seem to be hungry at different times throughout the day, so having healthy snacks to keep them satisfied is important. Toss a back-up carry-on bag in your trunk for rounding up purchases in one place, and a few reusable shopping bags for grocery shopping, dirty clothes and other miscellaneous things.

The best part of a road trip is the stops along the way. Know some of the fun, obscure, interesting and popular things to do on your route. I plan at least one or two of these per day to break up the monotony of sitting in the car and staring out the window. A great app to use for finding these things on main highways is iExit. It's free and will give you everything from places to eat, attractions, shops, rest areas and even animal hospitals, if you're traveling with a pet. I like that you can plan ahead by using the app without actually being on the road, but you can use it on-the-go. 

If you are a AAA member, you can order free travel books for states you'll be traveling in. These will give you maps and suggestions for where to stop and what to do as well. I've used these in the past and stopped at cool and kitschy places. You'll also find hotels and motels along the way that offer discounts to AAA members.

  

Sometimes you just need to get out and stretch your legs. Being in the car for long periods of time can make your legs cramp up and make you feel blah. See an interesting turn off? Stop! Run around, take a quick walk, take some pictures, check out a tourist attraction or make yourself a sandwich to tide you over until lunch or dinner. You'll be glad you did.

Keep your eyes open for rest areas, because if you have to wait 126 miles until the next one, you may just want to get out and make yourself go. iExit can help you find the next stop, so you don't give up and pee behind a bush (if there even is one). When you road trip alone, it can be really important to know what's coming up for your safety. I've got a thing against rest stops in general, because they can be scary, especially at night. 

I look for stops that are large, bright and clean. I've been known to make my husband stand in the doorway or go in with him to the men's side if the place is deserted. As a solo road tripper, I won't stop at a place when I'm the only car or if almost all the vehicles in the lot are semi trucks. If there are fast food locations available, I'll choose to go in and buy a drink or some fries and use the restroom there. 

I always send a message to someone every time I stop, which means you should keep your phone charged while you're traveling. I like to be safe and cover all my bases. One of the ways I do this is by using the Voxer app on my phone. It works independently of your texting and doesn't use data. It's free and you can send text messages of any length, photos or voice messages to anyone else with the app. You can see when it has be delivered to the other person, when they've read it and they can see where you sent it from by clicking on the message details. 

If you're out of the country, the app works on WiFi and lets the recipient know when the message was sent, instead of when they received it, and sends any backed up messages once WiFi is available again. Did I mention it's free?

Looking for the cheapest gas available along your drive? Put the GasBuddy app on your phone. If not, iExit can tell you which gas stations are coming up. There's nothing worse than running out of gas...especially if you're in the middle of nowhere. 

Pack activities and a map. You may have a GPS in your car, but I can tell you there are places where it won't work. Make sure to keep a map in  your car for that reason. I also like to print out full directions for my trip, in case I can't use my technology. Bring your iPod, your phone if it's got music downloaded on it or a selection of CDs that will make your time more enjoyable. I like to listen to audio books when I road trip. It's fun and makes the time fly by. It's the people in the backseat that need activities. Bring a notebook, a tablet for books and movies, magazines, games and toys to keep them busy. If you need ideas for the kiddos, check out my Pinterest road trip board.

Now you're ready to have a fantastic trip. I'll be packing soon for my trip to Montana, which will include my mom and dog, so it'll be quite interesting and probably really fun (and a bit challenging). What are your favorite road trip tips?

Travel Gifts for Mother's Day

Mother's Day is right around the corner and if you haven't come up with a great gift for your mom (or sister, wife, grandma or daughter) who loves to travel, then you still have some time to snap up something good that'll make you look like a hero that knows her so well. No matter what your budget, your gift can be useful, thoughtful and something she'll love. 

Budget

Your mom loves having great hair. You know how I know? Because everyone loves having great hair. Help her get awesome hair while she travels by getting her a fantastic mini hair appliance like Conair's mini flat iron, which I have and works better than my full-size one. Get one for around $15.

Make sure you can follow your mom's travels on Instagram or Facebook by getting her a battery backup for her mobile. When she can keep her phone charged, she can call you to tell you all about the fun she's having and you can call her to check in and tell her you love her. I have this one and it can charge your phone 2 1/2 times before it needs to be recharged. It also has a flashlight and comes in at a cool $16.

Don't you like to chronicle your trips to remember later? I bet your mom would enjoy that, too. Get her a fun and fab travel journal to keep track of all the places she ate, the museums she visited and the people she met along the way. This awesome one is really affordable at under $12.

If your mom loves to lounge by the pool or play on the beach, then you need to get her a waterproof phone pouch. It keeps water and sand out, floats and still lets you talk, text, play games and take pictures. Last time I was using mine in the lazy river, a lady floating by asked me all about it. This would be an excellent gift to go with something else, because it costs just $10.

Give your mom the gift of travel inspiration with a subscription to Travel + Leisure Magazine. She may not have the money to stay at the included hotels, but I find it's a great starting point for planning where I want to go and what I want to do there. Get 12 issues for just $10.

Moderate
Keep your mom safe from pickpockets and other thieves with a great travel purse from Travelon. Look for anti-theft features and slash-proof straps, so she never has to worry about someone stealing her money, passport or other necessities wherever she goes. You'll be looking to spend between $40 and $80.

I bet your mom likes to be organized...especially when she travels. Get her some of Lewis N. Clark's fantastic packing cubes, like the fun new expandable ones, so they fit everything she needs in her carry-on. These can run $10-44, depending on size and set.

Everyone needs a good pair of flats for walking in style. Butterfly Flats makes beautiful ones that are also comfortable and versatile enough to wear with dresses, pants and shorts, plus they fold to take up minimal space in your bag. You know your mom's shoe size, pick her out a pretty pair for around $40.

Purchase some rest and relaxation that your mom can choose herself. There are thousands of B&Bs all across the country that are part of a network. Get a BedandBreakfast gift card so she can find the perfect getaway for herself. Purchase in any denomination.

Splurge

Everyone likes to look fantastic in their vacation pics and also feel comfortable and stylish. Find an upscale piece for your mom at Anatomie, luxury travel clothes for women. Prices are steep and range $100-$300, but they are classy and made really well, so she'll be wearing them for years to come.

Give the gift of experience and save her money with either a CityPASS or a Go Card from Smart Destinations. Both save up to 50% off a city's most popular attractions and saves her from waiting in the ticket line, which is always the worst. They start around $45 and go up from there depending on the city being visited.

Does your mom travel to rainy climates? If so a waterproof carry-on should be something she has. I have the Lojel Nimbus and love it, especially for Oregon. It has double spinner wheels, easy-to-grasp rubber handles, is lightweight and holds quite a bit. It's runs a bit much at $238, but it's guaranteed to last her many years.

You know what's awesome? Having noise-cancelling headphones that are also wireless and can help you sleep on the plane and are adjustable to fit everyone's head. Get her a pair of Sol Republic Air Tracks for around $70 and she will love you (even more than she already does).

Let her go farther for less by gifting her air miles or a gift card to her favorite airline. They come in any denomination you choose (or in quantities of 500 for miles), so you can work with the budget you have and, if you want to gift her your air miles, it's even more affordable.

What are you doing for the mom in your life for Mother's Day on May 8th?

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