Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Car Renting in Foreign Countries

When someone is traveling to another country, it is sometimes impossible to travel with his/her own car and this is due to some strict measures some countries have put up to curb insecurity. It is therefore important for people who are traveling in foreign countries to look for alternative measures. In addition, these arrangements should be done well in advance to ensure that there are no last minute disappointments. Before making any payments to a car rental in a foreign country, it is important to ensure that one is paying to the correct company and they will indeed get their car when they arrive at the airport or as per agreement. One of these measures is to rent a vehicle to cater for one's needs. In order to successfully rent a vehicle in a foreign country it is important to follow certain steps.

Firstly it is important to make sure that you have a valid driver's license specifically the international driver's license. This can easily be verified by contacting local authorities to confirm. In addition, one is required to bring along their driving license along with the international license. People with American licenses can use them in Western Europe also but not anywhere else. Secondly it is important to contact a travel agency a few weeks before the actual trip with minimum being three weeks, although this depends on individual rental agencies. The travel agency should have all your details and the date of your intended trip and the exact location to where you would want to drive.

Many American car rental companies have European counterparts hence making it easy for most users. Users are able to book as well as cancel reservations through the car rental agencies websites. After that it is time to choose the specific type of rental you are going to use and things to put in mind include model, size and dates to use the car. The other important thing is to determine the pick up as well as drop off points off the vehicle.

Depending on the car rental agency some agencies will allow users to drop off vehicles in a different location from where they picked it up. This is normally done with its own specific rates so it is better if you ask about the rates first before agreeing on anything. Some of the car rental agencies give users options of paying the full amount upfront or paying a small percentage in advance then paying the rest when you arrive at the pick-up point.

Another thing to consider is that different countries have different street signs as well as driving laws and it is therefore important to study this for the country you are visiting. Also one is advised to make sure that his/her automobile insurance policy does not have restrictions or limitations for driving in foreign countries. Language is also a very important factor while traveling to foreign countries and so it is important to learn some of the common traffic words.

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