Most of us, when we go on holiday go away to get away from it all, so the
first thing we all want to do when we pick up our holiday car hire from
your airport, is to get in the car and get to our accommodation. That is
exactly what I had done for the 3 or 4 times I had previously visited
Spain.
Then one day after searching on the Internet, I found a car hire broker
who was offering their cars considerable cheaper than the company I
normally used. I was suspicious, so I read through the terms and condition
and discovered that although they were advertising fully inclusive
insurance, there was some small print that explained that not everything
was included. I then went back to my normal holiday car hire provider and
was shocked find that they also advertised fully inclusive insurance
package, but offered the same conditions in the small print. I had spent
many holidays in Spain and had previously hired a car not knowing that I
personally was responsible for certain charges should an incident occur.
In short fully inclusive does not mean everything is insured.
Here are the conditions that are part of some Spanish car hire agreements.
Fully inclusive insurance may not include, tyres, wheels, windows and
sometimes the underside of your car. So-
If you catch a kerb and damage a tyre, it is your responsibility to
replace
If someone smashed a window to steal the stereo, you may be responsible
for the window.
If you run over a manhole cover or serious bump in the road, (not unusual
in Spain) and damage the underside of the car, you may be responsible.
But I also discovered that an excess payment is also required for damage,
that can't be proved to be done by another driver, in this case 200 euros.
This hit home, when I picked up my next car from the airport, drove it to
my accommodation, then ½ hour later I realised there was a substantial
dint on the wing. I have no idea whether this was done prior to picking up
the car, or during the ½ hour after it was parked outside our
accommodation. What I did know though, was I had not hit anything and I
was now liable for an excess payment. I rang the car hire company, and
fortunately they understood the damage could have happened back at the
airport and wavered the fee.
Of course like me you may have visited Spain many times and never had an
incident and decide that it is not worth the extra payments. But by
knowing the situation at least you can make an informed choice when you
next pick up your holiday car from the airport.
To summarise, make sure you read the small print of any Spanish holiday
car hire agreement. Fully inclusive does not necessarily mean everything
is covered for all eventualities. There may be an excess payment should an
incident occur, unless you pay extra. Happy Spanish motoring!
Mark is webmaster for Holiday Car Hire and Direct Line Car Insurance and
La Cinuelica.
The content and materials provided in this
web site are for informational and educational purposes only and are not
intended to supplement or comprise any precise facts, although we have
researched sufficiently for the facts and information to be reasonably
accurate. All content and materials including research papers,
case studies and testimonials summarizing facts have been done by
individuals working for this website. We cannot be held responsible for
any inaccuracies, as we have described that information is for educational
purposes and therefore maybe a few weeks old.
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Helpful Hints to Save Money on Petrol With a Car Rental
in Europe
By Erich Ryan
If you are going to rent a car in Europe while on vacation, fuel costs will be
higher than you are used to. No amount of Pepto-Bismol will lower today's petrol
prices, but being economical with your petrol consumption is just one way that will
help you cut costs while traveling. Here are some helpful hints that may save
you some money abroad!
Renting a car in Europe is a great way to see the historical sights, beautiful
architecture and visit the locations you want to see at your own pace. While
using consolidators and shopping around can help you to find a good rate on a
rental car itself, the cost of petrol is something that many people forget to
factor in when budgeting for a vacation. With some proper planning, you won't
have to take out a loan to pay for petrol in Europe.
Drive Manual. Automatics use more petrol accelerating so if you know how to drive a
manual, definitely rent one. In Europe, most people can drive manual, so renting
an automatic is going to be more expensive right from the get go. If you don't
know how to drive a manual transmission, you seriously might want to consider
learning how. Trips to Europe are usually booked at least a month or two in
advance, so use this time to learn how to drive a manual, if you feel up to it.
Rent the smallest possible car you can. Don't be worried about being pushed
around on highways, or having enough speed. A compact car, such as a VW Golf,
Renault Megane, or Peugeot 307, will compare in size to a Ford Focus, or a
Toyota Corolla, and will definitely have enough zest to get you around if you
are 2-3 persons traveling. A midsize may be more comfortable, but you are
sacrificing 5-15 miles per gallon by booking larger. Consider how much driving
you are really going to do. The purpose of renting a car is to get around, even
if it means being slightly cramped for an hour or two.
Don't floor it at a green light. Your car uses the most petrol going from 0-20
miles per hour, so accelerate slower to use less petrol.
When picking up your rental car in Europe, ask for a diesel at the counter if
you plan on doing a lot of driving. If you are not going to drive much (under
200 km) it won't really matter if you have a petrol powered vehicle or a diesel,
because diesel is currently more expensive than petrol in Europe. The savings in
diesel versus petrol start to show around after driving around 200-250 km. You can
ask for a hybrid too, although they usually cost more to rent.
Rent from an agency who offers a full/full policy. Many car rental agencies have
adopted the full/empty policy, which means the rental car comes with a full tank
of petrol and must be returned empty. This is not good if you do not intend on not
using a tanks worth of petrol, or if the petrol gauge is not accurate. With full/full,
you return the car full, which is just how it is given to you.
Only drive if you have to. Stay healthy by walking or utilize public
transportation once you reach your destination. When you do have to drive, plan
your route so that you are taking the most efficient path. Look on travel forums
and blogs to see if anyone else has driven the trip you want to take. See if you
can find short cuts to avoid cities.
This all may seem like a lot of work, but you will be glad you made the effort
when you spend less on petrol with your rental car in Europe!
Article Source: EzineArticles .com/
?expert=Erich_Ryan
24-Hour Drive versus Hire Car
Travelling to Spain from the UK by land has
always been a feat of endurance, but more and more holidaymakers are taking
on the drive.
While you must take your hat off to those that
try such a huge feat of driving, there are other factors that many
holidaymakers forget about. Driving for those who drive for a living could
expect a more favourable response.
Driving is a tiresome event. From Northern
France to Almeria in Spain you can expect a 1500 mile drive. To speed the
journey up you can use the toll roads through France and Spain. The expenses
for these tolls vary from 10 Euros up the 35 Euros; plus you could expect to
top up your fuel tank about 3 times. Fuel of course in France is more
expensive than Spain, but both cheaper than the UK.
The total cost for tolls and fuel for such a
journey would be: tolls approximately 150 Euros and fuel about 180 Euros.
While that is a toil in itself on your wallet, if you have three other
passengers you will have reached Southern Spain in an economic fashion. The
Channel Crossing can vary with a car and four passengers varying from 120
Euros to 280 Euros. Suddenly the economy is put into question. But don’t
forget you need to find this expense and effort to do the return journey.
When planning a holiday we must consider both
the financial cost and the human cost such as tiredness. Without doubt
tiredness can spoil the holiday for the driver. Once the driver has waken in
the morning he may feel reasonably fresh but by mid afternoon drowsiness and
tiredness sets in for the rest of the day. This lethargy can stay around for
a few more days into the holiday once the destination has been reached.
In this study, a comparison of the long drive
and the costs involved, versus the airfare and the use of a hire car at your
destination airport. Here are the results we found…
July and August are the only months that
differ. So for 10 months of the year the financial cost to drive is more
expensive than to fly out and use a family hire car. In fact the comparison
means that you would save between 50 to 75% of the value of the long drive.
Meanwhile the extra hike in the airfares for
the peak summer season brings the competition to an almost dead heat; with
the only balancing factor being the driver tiredness. Fly and use a hire car
and you will have a driver with you to enjoy the holiday. Drive down and you
may find that the driver is more of a ghost for a few days while he or she
recovers.
The overall conclusion from this study is the
air flight puts less pressure on the family holiday than would a long drive.
For those who thought the drive would be so much more economical need to go
back and check their calculations.
At all major Spanish
towns and at all these Spanish Airports:
Alicante Airport,
Almeria Airport, Asturias Airport, Barcelona Airport, Bilbao Airport,
Castellon Airport, Fuerteventura Airport,
Gibraltar Airport, Girona Airport, Granada Airport, Gran Canaria
Airport, Ibiza Airport, Jerez Airport, La Coruna Airport, Lanzarote
Airport, La Palma Airport, Madrid Airport, Malaga Airport, Menorca
Airport, Murcia Airport, Palma de Mallorca Airport, Reus Airport,
Santander Airport, Santiago Airport, Seville Airport, Tenerife North
Airport, Tenerife South Airport, Valencia Airport, Valladolid Airport,
Vigo Airport, Vitoria Airport, Zaragoza Airport.
Cheap Car Hire or Car Rental
for Spain
The best and most efficient way to get out of and Spanish airport to your
destination is to book your transfer in advance.
It is the most hassle free way of arranging a transfer onto your holiday
villa, apartment or hotel, and the popular resorts anywhere on the island.
Prebook your airport transfer with a car hire company and most of them
will have a driver/representative waiting for you at the arrivals and
transfer you to your destination anywhere.
You can get an automated online quote from car hire companies by simply
filling in an enquiry form on the car hire website.
In fact, because of the steep petrol and diesel prices our website puts on
an average miles per gallon each car is expected to do, as this will be
easier on your budget. This may not measure up the exotic dreams you had
for your time on Spanish soil, but your wallet will thank you for making
the more conservative choice at the car rental agency.
Now, because Spain and its islands are such a popular tourist destination
in the summer, you might be very disappointed when the car rental agent in
Spain shakes her head and tells you that nothing is available. It is best
to reserve your vehicle as far in advance as possible, especially if you
hope to have any luck at the car rental places during the peak periods.
Our Car Hire Company have facilites at all major Spanish towns and at all
these Spanish Airports:
Alicante Airport, Almeria Airport, Asturias Airport, Barcelona Airport,
Bilbao Airport, Castellon Airport, Fuerteventura Airport, Gibraltar
Airport, Girona Airport, Granada Airport, Gran Canaria Airport, Ibiza
Airport, Jerez Airport, La Coruna Airport, Lanzarote Airport, La Palma
Airport, Madrid Airport, Malaga Airport, Menorca Airport, Murcia Airport,
Palma de Mallorca Airport, Reus Airport, Santander Airport, Santiago
Airport, Seville Airport, Tenerife North Airport, Tenerife South Airport,
Valencia Airport, Valladolid Airport, Vigo Airport, Vitoria Airport,
Zaragoza Airport.
