For a scenic country tour that lets you explore the back roads of your favorite European country, renting a car allows you flexibility for your travel. From the U.S., negotiating car rentals for Europe can be as easy as checking your favorite travel websites like Expedia or Travelocity. You can use a rental consolidator who offers low prices from several well-known companies like Hertz, Budget, Avis and EuropCar, or you can search from these companies directly. The best prices are likely to come from consolidators.
Plan your travel far enough in advance (up to six or eight months) to ensure you have the greatest selection of rental vehicles available to you. This also affords you some date flexibility, which may help reduce your rental car costs overall.
Investigate the fleet options, prices and availability of the national companies such as Hertz, Budget and Avis. EuropCar carries the same reputation quality as these American companies and you can search from their website as well. These companies may not offer the best international prices online, so make comparisons with Expedia, Orbitz and Travelocity as well.
Contact a large rental consolidator like AutoEurope.com, which is a Maine-based European car rental company. Search for available cars during your intended dates of travel. Review their rental policies such as pick up and drop off locations. Inquire about prices for longer rentals to see how much that will affect your cost. Compare the consolidator's costs with the national companies costs and make your selection of a potential vehicle.
Review the extra costs of renting a car before you sign your agreement. Take into account insurance, taxes, roadway tolls and parking as well as the extremely high cost of gas (petrol). If you plan to cross from Western Europe into Eastern Europe your costs may rise noticeably due to the increased fears of car theft in certain countries. Make sure your rental budget includes these items and ask for the company's costs with all these listed out to avoid surprises in your bill.
Choose your company and vehicle, completing all the required paperwork and online or phone reservations. Get your confirmation number and store it in a secure place. Purchase an International Driver's Permit from the American Automobile Association (AAA). Read up about driving tips within Europe and review the traffic laws of the different countries you'll visit.
