This obviously depends on where exactly you have booked your rental car . Usually this is at the airport and it can differ depending on the size and reputation of the company. Major car rental companies such as Alamo and Budget (almost) always have an office in the airport itself , so on arrival you just have to follow the arrows to ‘Car rental’ and you will see the counter of your chosen company. However, less well-known companies often have an office outside the terminal and you often have to take a (free) shuttle bus for this.

When booking your rental car, please provide your flight number so the company can see if there would be any delay. It may happen that if you can only pick up your car a few hours later, it has been rented out again and you have to pay extra for a larger model. Also allow enough slack if you still have to wait for your luggage and take the shuttle bus to the office of your rental car company.

Also pay attention to whether you do not have to pay extra for picking up a car at a certain time. For example, a number of offices close after eight in the evening, but for an extra amount it may be possible to pick up your rental car outside the normal times.

Finally, it is essential that you can present your driver’s license , identity card or passport and your credit card , all in the name of the renter (and driver) of the car.
Note that in some countries (outside Europe) you must be able to present an international driver’s license.

Rent a car with an international driver’s license

If you are going to rent a car outside of Europe, you will usually need an international driver’s license.
You can request this from your municipality and it costs between 16 and 25 dollars. Don’t forget that you also need a passport photo for this.

Please note that this is not a replacement for your driving license, but only an addition. You must therefore be able to present both driving licenses at every car rental company.

In principle, you are rarely asked for this international driving license when you are going to rent a car abroad, but if there is a police check, you must be able to present this.

Have you forgotten to apply for an international driver’s license or have you lost it (I speak from experience!), Then keep calm.
After all, in most countries a sworn translation of your driving license is also sufficient. Nowadays you can request this quickly and easily online.

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It goes without saying that you are safer off with an internationally acclaimed car rental company than with a local dealer you’ve never heard of. The downside is that these well-known companies are often a lot more expensive, but that has a reason. If you read the internet on it, you read a lot of negative experiences of people with less well-known companies . When they return home they are often presented with an extra bill, in which they have to pay for so-called damage to the car. For a small scratch (that was not even there when you returned the car), they suddenly charge 300 dollars. We will discuss this later, but I recommend that you choose a well-known and well-appreciated car rental company, pay a little more, but you can leave on holiday with peace of mind.

If you do go for a dirt cheap car rental company (because be honest, two dollars a day for a rental car is very tempting!), Always opt for full insurance . That costs you about 10 dollars extra per day, but then you really don’t have to pay anything yourself.

Renting a car online versus arranging it on the spot

Is it cheaper to book your rental car online in advance or is it cheaper to book your rental car last minute upon your arrival? Usually the former is the best option and you can also be sure that the model you want is available. With many companies you can cancel for free up to 24 hours in advance , so you can always do this if you find a better deal somewhere. In any case, use (reliable) price comparison websites such as Car Del Mar , Easy Terra or Happy Car . Also the renowned Sunny Cars (all inclusive car rental included) is an excellent (and my personal favorite) option.

What insurance do I need when renting a car?

When you finally find the right rental car company, you are again faced with a difficult choice: which insurance should I take out? My personal recommendation is all-inclusive car rental with Sunny Cars , because it includes all-in insurance in the price. You pay a little bit more, but I think that is worth peace of mind .

Of course there are also other reliable car rental companies. In any case, it is essential to determine in advance which insurance you are going to take out . At the counter of the car rental company, people will often try to convince you to take out that extra insurance that you actually do not need.

“Is insurance really necessary for a rental car?” is probably one of the most common questions. In some countries (or states in the US such as California) you are required by law to have car insurance. So check this yourself carefully before you book a car. Of course you can not take out insurance and then you pay the deductible yourself if you have had an accident. If you are not in error, this is usually around 1,250 dollars. Of course you will lose a lot more money if you cause the accident yourself.

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