Hitting the Road? Steer Clear of Trouble With Cheapflights.com's Rental Car Tips

BOSTON, MA--(Marketwired - Mar 9, 2016) - Of all the summer vacations out there, there's something special about a road trip. The inherent freedom to explore new places at your own pace, the ability to linger at beautiful spots along the way -- it all adds up to a relaxing voyage of discovery. If you're flying to another continent or across your own, that usually means renting a car. The experts at Cheapflights.com, the online leader in finding and publishing travel deals, have come up with Hitting the road: Top tips for renting a car around the world to help you get on your way.

Renting a car in another country has its own challenges, including lining up insurance, having the proper license, and knowing how to navigate a new place in a foreign language. Cheapflights has the details on those key steps and more in its guide to hitting the road. Read on for a sampling of the advice:

• Do your rental research: In nearly all corners of the world, it is possible to rent a car. However, the rules about eligibility vary and can depend on factors like your age, the type of license you have, and which company you are renting the car from (a local mom-and-pop shop versus an international chain).
  
  
• Get licensed: Confirm that your local driving license will suffice, or whether you need a local license (which will require some pre-planning) or an International Driving Permit, in addition to your own license. These permits can be obtained from these two agencies: American Automobile Association and the National Automobile Club.
  
  
• Get insured: Find out if your own car insurance will cover your rental car when traveling abroad, and whether it meets the minimum requirements of your destination country. Make sure it includes liability insurance, and if you are underinsured, shop around. Many credit cards provide coverage, but read the fine print: it may require you to decline the rental car company's insurance to be valid. If you've purchased travel insurance, see if the policy covers accidents or injuries resulting from a car rental.
  
  
• Shop around: There are tricks to be a savvy rental car shopper. Some ones include: book ahead of time, especially in smaller locales where inventory may be limited. Pay in advance as well to lock in the rate and make the process easier when you arrive. Avoid renting from the airport for cheaper rates. Ask about discounts and hidden fees, like extra drivers, car seats and GPS. Be sure to book the right size vehicle for your group. In Europe, book through a member of the European Car Rental Conciliation Service, an organization that helps customers with unresolved complaints. Make sure you check whether your car is manual or automatic transmission. Manual can be cheaper than automatic, but don't opt for it if you can't drive a manual.
  
  

For more tips on these topics and details on safety issues, the rules of the road and finding your way around, check out Cheapflights.com's Hitting the road: top tips for renting a car around the world at www.cheapflights.com/news/how-to-rent-cars-abroad.

About Cheapflights.com, part of the Momondo Group
Founded in 1996, Cheapflights is a leading global flight comparison and deals publishing platform. It is now a market leader in the UK, U.S., Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand generating over $3 billion in global downstream revenue for its partners as it expands into numerous other territories. More than 120 million users visit its websites and apps each year, receiving more than two billion search results a month from across 900,000 routes. The 10 million strong opt-in subscribers to the Cheapflights newsletter receive the best deals from over 120 travel businesses -- for whom it has driven more than $65 million in revenue this year. Together, the Cheapflights platforms generate enough bookings for its partners to fill a Boeing 747 every five minutes.

In 2011, Cheapflights became part of the privately owned online travel search and inspiration network, Momondo Group.

Follow us on:
Twitter: twitter.com/cheapflights
Facebook: facebook.com/cheapflights
Instagram: instagram.com/cheapflights
Pinterest: pinterest.com/cheapflights