Car Rental Tips for Women on Solo Road Trips

Long solo road trips can be one of the best part of every woman life. Traveling alone by car can be a very personal, exciting and enjoyable experience. Women travelling alone can enjoy the freedom of driving down an open highway. Women solo traveler can feel truly alive on the road and feel in control of their own path and own destiny.

Renting a car when planning for a road trip can be a truly liberating experience. But it doesn’t come without its share of stress and misfortunes. You can learn how to take care of yourself as a single woman traveling alone, so that the trip can be fun and enjoyable.

Read below to know about the 10 facts that every solo woman road trip traveler must know to not put herself in a tricky situation:

Choosing the type of car, you want – You need to determine your need to be able to choose a rental car. If you are traveling with family or kids, then a larger SUV might be an ideal option. Else, if you are traveling solo or just with your partner, you can do with a smaller car model. Size isn’t the only consideration though. Rental companies offer hybrid cars that are environment friendly. If you are not comfortable for stick shifts, you can go for automatic transmission vehicles too.
Booking a car of your choice - There could be ‘n’ number of companies that offer car rental services. But depending on the location you visit, you may like to check with the local car rental companies to get the best choice of cars and a good discount. Also check online resources to know about the ongoing car rental prices, etc. Check online reviews and testimonials of the company prior to renting a car.
Getting a detailed view of the rental process – Before you confirm your rental online, carefully read the terms and conditions: whether you need to pay a penalty for no-shows, is any additional fee incurred for accommodating extra drivers and do they need to be listed on the contract. If you are booking over phone, ask the booking agent about possible limitations. Before confirming anything, make sure you understand all the conditions.
Finding out how much will it cost to rent a car – The price you often see on the big billboards or online sites may appear very lucrative but after imposing all the necessary fees and duties, such as airport surcharge, local and state tax, insurance, additional driver fees, etc. it could become an inflated figure. It is also possible that the figure advertised could be for just a smaller car or may be valid only during an off-season.

Shopping around for rental car insurance – If the hired car is damaged, the rental company should take care of the repairs. This isn’t insurance as you’d get for your car – rather, the company just doesn’t ask you to pay for the repairs yourself. This is called a collision damage waiver. However, you’re usually asked to pay towards the cost of the repairs – an excess.

You may consider getting an excess waiver insurance on the rented car from the car agency, but you should only do that when you have exhausted every possible option, the only reason being it is extremely expensive. You may also want to look at your personal car insurance and that could have your rentals covered as well. Another option would be to contact your credit card company as they might provide some offer on rental car insurance, which could be a win-win situation for you. Typically, the most affordable and extensive solution is to purchase a standalone 3rd party car hire excess waiver insurance. Car hire excess insurance can offer cover to areas such as damage to tyres, chipped or shattered auto glass, and undercarriage damage. These ‘extras’ are commonly omitted from standard car rental insurance policies. Car hire excess insurance covers this initial cost for you, potentially saving you up to US$ 2,500.
Checking the pick-up time and point – If you are driving from the airport to the hotel, it may be better to take a shuttle car. That could save you a day’s rental. Also, if you pick up the car somewhere from the downtown, you would save on the airport surcharges and other costs.
Doing a thorough inspection before departure - This is a very important step. Do a thorough inspection of any damages on the body of the car before you drive away the car from the pickup location. Also make sure the check if the mileage odometer and lights are working. If you see any minor defect report it. In case of any major defect refuse the take the delivery and ask for another vehicle.
Knowing about the formalities when returning the car – Agree you had a great vacation and now it is time to return the car. Fill up the tank from a gas station nearby before you return the car. You could return the car with an empty tank too but be prepared to pay two to three times higher price per gallon. Also, make sure to take close photos of the car when you return it to avoid any possible claims of damage charged by the rental car company.
Ignoring potential upgrade offers – It is always recommended to reserve a low-priced car but make sure to ask about upgrades when you book the car. You could be lucky enough to receive an upgrade offer that you can’t refuse and get to enjoy the benefits of a bigger car at an almost no extra cost.
Checking for places where you can stop to refuel the car during the journey – Before you head out on your trip, it is good to check for possible places where you can refuel the car during the journey. It is never a good.