Everyone knows that travelling isn’t cheap. That does not mean that you have to be a millionaire to go on a fun holiday once or twice a year. Especially for frugal people, there are ways not to spend too much money on holidays like going to the cheapest travel destinations in the world or always keeping their eyes open for ticket offers. It seems that many people place car hiring at the pricey end of the travel spectrum.
If you follow the money-saving tips on car hire that you will find below, you will see that it is a cost-effective and convenient means of exploring any destination.
Tip 1: Make your booking as early as possible
Our simplified definition of demand says that the more people buy something, the higher its price will get. This means that if two people hire a similar car for the 10th July, i.e. during the peak season, the one who made the booking a month before the pick-up date is likely to pay a lower price than the person who made the booking a week before.
Tip 2: Know what to look for
If you are a mountain lover, it will not be wise to hire a city car; even though it will definitely be cheaper compared to other vehicles, it will not be able to take you to the mountainous terrains you are dreaming of.
Knowing the price ranges for the type of vehicle that you are interested in will help you discover great offers in the specific car category.
Tip 3: Know where to look
Once you know the criteria that the ideal hire car should meet, you should open your browser and look for it. One way to do that is by finding all the car hire firms in the city you are going to travel to and examine their fleet.
A faster way is to visit a price comparison site such as Enjoy Travel as it will show you all the available cars in the area, making the comparison much easier.
Tip 4: Pick-up and drop-off times
A car hire tip that many people don’t know is the fact that there are car hire firms which offer discounts to people who choose to pick their preferred vehicle up or drop it off on the weekdays or at hours when they aren’t usually busy.
This is something that not all businesses do, but it wouldn’t hurt to experiment with the times and dates before completing your booking.
Tip 5: Avoid extra charges
Hiring a car comes with its own set of responsibilities. Each car hire firm is clear about the extra charges that it may impose. Not dropping the car off on time, not filling up the tank or causing damages to the vehicle are legitimate reasons why you may be charged extra.
However, if you return the car in its initial condition, there is nothing to worry about.