Since we have been making this trip for about the last ten years, onn our most recent trips we have tried to do something different that we have never done before. This year we decided that we wanted to visit some of the tourist attractions around Las Vegas. In order to do so, we rented a car in Las Vegas for the first time.

Usually, we just stay on the strip and either walk or take a taxi to where we need to go. Since we were voyaging out a bit more this year, we concluded that a rental car would be the best way to experience some of the cool things to do around Las Vegas.

I usually do a lot of the coordinating on our trips to Las Vegas, so I went ahead and took the reigns on renting the car. The first thing I did was determine the exact dates that we would need the rental car, as well as how long we would need to use it. After I figured out the dates, I started searching online to see check rates and look for the best deal available.

While looking online for “Las Vegas rental cars”, I came across the regular websites that you see whenever you search for a car rental. The front page was made up of booking engines like Expedia and Travelocity, and also many of the large rental companies like Enterprise and Hertz. There were also a few Las Vegas car rental companies that I was not familiar with. So I decided to check them out to see what they had to offer.

The first few I checked, not surprisingly, offered a wide selection of exotic, luxury cars. I had seen a few of these on the strip before. You can rent these fancy cars and go cruising down the strip or where ever you wanted. I always thought that the prices would be through the roof, and on some of them, they were. Definitely not the types of cars we were looking for since they weren’t in our budget, nor could they comfortably seat all four of us.

However, one Las Vegas car rental company I found online caught my attention. Fantasy Car Rentals not only carried the classic and luxury vehicles as a lot of the others did, but they also rented standard cars and everything in between, including motorcycles. And, I found their rental rates to be in line, if not cheaper, than most of the other car rental quotes I found online.

I also found what I thought would be the perfect vehicle for us: a four door Jeep Cherokee. I have always loved Jeeps and used to drive one when I was younger. I thought it would be a great vehicle to get us around and also have a good time while doing it. I loved having the option of being able to take the top and doors off.

The price to rent the Jeep was very reasonable. We were able to reserve it for two days with unlimited mileage for around $200. This was right in the price range that we were looking for. I was also pleased to find out that they would deliver the car to our Las Vegas hotel for a fee or we could use their free shuttle service to go pick it up.

The Jeep ended up working out great. One night we used it to take a short trip to watch a UNLV football game. And we also took a day trip out to see the Hoover Dam, something none of us had ever done before. If you have never rented a car in Las Vegas before, I highly recommend doing so. You can have a great, affordable time checking out some of the cool sights in and around Las Vegas.

If you do find yourself in the position of needing a rental car on short notice, the first thing to do is take a deep breath and relax. Most likely you are already in a hurry and the last thing you want to do is waste a  lot of time trying to reserve a car. However, if you set yourself aside an hour or so, you will greatly improve your chances of not only finding the type of car you want, but also securing a good price. Nevertheless, be prepared that prices can be much more volatile than normal when searching for last minute car rentals.

The best place to start your search is online. Check auto rental rates with some of the popular booking engines like Travelocity.com, Priceline.com, and Hotwire.com. These online services are experienced in dealing with people looking to make last minute travel plans, whether it be for a last minute car rental or a flight out of town. They will be able to offer you some of the best deals from the major car rental companies.

It is also worth checking the websites of some of the auto rental companies like National, Budget, Alamo, and more. On some of these sites, you can find last minute car rental specials. You will find that the deals vary in price and availability depending on your location, the time of the year, and other factors.

Another online site to check is Last Minute Travel. Since 1996 this company has been lining up great deals for travelers all across the globe. While they are known for their last minute deals that they provide, you can also use them to book your trips in advance. You can shop last minute deals for car rentals, air travel, cruises, and vacation packages. They have another site, LMTClub.com, that you can join and find even more savings and have access to their VIP rates.

How To Save Money On A Last Minute Car Rental

There are a number of different things you can do to help you find a better rate for a last minute car rental. However, the first thing to do is realize is that it is always better to make your car rental arrangements in advance. Sure, you might find a great deal at the last minute, but it is much riskier and there is a chance that you might end up paying way more than you would have if you had reserved the car in advance.

So what can you do to save money? First, if possible, be open to renting different types of vehicles. If you are set on one type of vehicle, like a full size sedan, than this greatly decreases your chances of not only getting the car, but also getting a car for a good rental rate. For example, at some points of the year rental car companies have an excess of certain types of cars like large SUVs or convertibles. If you are willing to rent one of these types of vehicles when they agency has an excess on hand, then you have a better chance of saving money.

A second way to save money on last minute car rentals is to avoid the popular car rental locations like the ones located at airports. For instance, try to rent a car from a rental branch located in the suburbs of a larger city. Also, try checking with some of the smaller rental car companies to see what they have available. Be as flexible as possible with the car rental agency location and type of car that you are renting.

In addition those, try to find car rental coupon codes on the web or elsewhere. Unfortunately, most of them will not be eligible to use with a last minute car rental, but there are a few that you can find that will work. Also, if you do find a good deal, make sure to grab it! If you think it will be there in a few hours or even the next day, most of the time you will come back disappointed because the deal will no longer be available.

The Super Bowl now attracts over 150,000 football fans to one location each year. Once these fans arrive in town, they will need a way to get around to all of the festivities, including the big game on Sunday. Therefore, that places a great demand on public transportation, taxi services, limousine companies, and rental car agencies.

This year the game is being played in Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium. While Indianapolis is no stranger to hosting large sporting events like the Indy 500, the Brickyard 400, and numerous Final 4′s, the Super Bowl is an event like no other.

Indianapolis currently has no rail system and the bus service is largely considered inadequate and underfunded. Therefore, this puts extra pressure on the local car rental companies to meet the needs of those wishing to get around in Indianapolis. Due to this great demand, many of Indianapolis’s largest car rental companies are having extra cars transported in from cities like Chicago and Louisville.

“I think we will be well equipped. The planning has been very thorough,”said Amy Vaughn, the director of the Indiana Office of Tourism Development.

If you are unable to secure a rental car for the Super Bowl in Indianapolis, you do have some alternatives. That being said, you should expect to pay extra during the week. For example, normally a taxi ride from the airport to downtown costs $35, but for Super Bowl week it will cost $50. There will also be a number of shuttle services available from hotels located outside of downtown.

In order to rent a car for a Super Bowl in the future, you will handle it like any other car rental with one big exception. Be sure to make your reservations as early as possible. People are known to make plans for the big game as early as a full year in advance. Therefore, you should make arrangements with a car rental agency as soon as you know you are going to attend. If not, you might find yourself fighting for cabs or riding on over cramped buses.

Opting to rent a car in Europe gives you the freedom to go where you want, when you want. However, be prepared that the process of renting a car in Europe will be a little more complicated, as well as, more expensive than renting a vehicle in the U.S. Below is a list of tips that will help make your rental experience more enjoyable and also save you money:

Plan your trip ahead of time – Determine how long you are going to need the rental car, and also where you want to pick it up and drop it off. You can save a lot of money in fees by not picking your car up at an airport, and instead picking it up in a city location. Keep in mind that you can drop the car off at an airport for no additional charge.

Also, most European rental cars have manual transmissions. So, if you want a car with an automatic transmission you will need to reserve one well ahead of time. In addition, be prepared to pay extra for an automatic transmission car ($100 – $200 per week) since they are in such high demand. If you think you will need a GPS device to help you get around, make sure to reserve one.

Check for best rates and make a reservation – Research and compare rates at most of the major online booking engines to find the best price for renting a car in Europe. You can also check AutoEurope.com which is an online booking engine for European rental cars, hotels, and airlines. Another site you may find useful is EuropCar.com, which is an international car rental company. EuropCar has 200,000 rental vehicles spread out over 2800 locations in 143 different countries.

Most of the largest American car rental companies have agencies located overseas. A few of them have dedicated European rental car rental websites like Avis-Europe.com and BudgetInternational.com. Generally, the cheapest option is to rent a car with unlimited mileage for a week. This is less expensive then renting by the day. You will find the longer you are renting a car in Europe, the cheaper it will be. Car rental rates will vary depending on a  number of factors like time of year, country, company, etc.

Consider leasing for longer trips – If you are planning on being in Europe for three weeks or longer, you may want to consider leasing a car as opposed to renting one. There are a number of advantages to doing this. It will be less expensive than renting. In addition, you will get to drive around in a new car. The price for leasing a car includes all taxes and insurance coverage. Another option some people choose is to buy a vehicle for the duration of their trip and sell it back before heading home.

Be aware of age restrictions – One major difference between renting a car in Europe versus renting one in the US is that in addition to a minimum age for renting, some countries institute a maximum age. Drivers over the age of 69 should check in advance on any restrictions for renting a car in the country they plan on visiting.

If you are under the age of 21, you will have a tough time renting a car in most European countries. If you are able to, you will most likely have to pay extra ($15 – $40 per day) and acquire additional insurance. It can be easier to lease a car than rent one if you are older than 69 or under 21.

Familiarize yourself with the European rental car and driving rules – Many of the rental cars in Europe are different than standard American cars. Therefore, it is a good idea to familiarize yourself with the vehicle before leaving the rental car agency. For example, many people often have trouble finding the reverse gear on European rental cars. Also, many cars take diesel gas as opposed to regular gas.

In addition to familiarizing yourself with the cars, you should learn the driving rules of the country you are in. As you probably know, in some countries you will drive on the left side as opposed to the right.

Acquire an international driver’s permit – Although, most European countries do not require you to have one, it is better to be safe than sorry. The countries that do require one are Austria, Spain, Italy, and Greece. You can get one at your local AAA office for $15. Be aware of online scams from people trying to sell you one. Keep in mind, you will be required to provide your standard driver’s license when renting a car in Europe.

For those who don’t know, a cargo van is like a regular van except that it has no seats in the back. There are the two front seats like normal, and the back of the van is completely clear so that items can easily be transported. Cargo vans normally come equipped with standard features like bucket seats, automatic transmission, air conditioning, and AM/FM stereo, and anti-lock brakes.

Generally speaking, there are three different sizes to choose from: regular, full-size, and extended. A regular size cargo van is around 10′ long. Depending on the size, most of the cargo van rentals provide 235 – 250 cubic feet of storage space. The load capacity is normally around 2000 pounds.

How To Rent A Cargo Van

Renting a cargo van is similar to renting a car. You can handle the process in one of three ways: by phone, online, or in person at the rental company’s office. You can rent a cargo van at most truck rental companies, as well as, some of the major car rental agencies. Some of the car rental companies have separate websites to handle their truck and vans. For instance, Budget uses BudgetTruck.com and Enterprise uses EnterpriseTrucks.com. There are also some smaller local companies that you can find by searching online or in your phone book.

Before you select a company to rent a cargo van with, it is a good idea to check around for the best rates. Prices will vary depending on a number of factors. Are you needing it for a local move or across the country? What time of the year and week will you be renting? If you want to rent a cargo van one way, make sure that the renting company allows it. Some large companies like Budget do not. Uhaul and Budget charge around $20 per day plus around $.60 for each mile traveled. While other companies have unlimited mileage rentals.

Cargo Van Rental Tips

As I mentioned earlier, renting a cargo van is a lot like renting a car. Therefore, you can follow some similar steps that will help you save some money and make your moving experience more enjoyable.

• To give yourself the best chance of renting the cargo van of your choice, make your reservation ahead of time.
• Measure how much space you are going to need before you move to avoid unexpected headaches during your move.
• Search online for discount coupon codes.
• If you can, rent a cargo van during the week and/or during the winter months. Rental rates go up during peak times like the weekends and summer.
• Compare rates from all of the different companies.
• Always read the fine print and terms and conditions when you rent a cargo van. If something seems to good to be true, it usually is.

You can find hybrid cars at most of the largest car rental agencies in your area. Although, the availability of the vehicles can be sparse, since they are so popular with car renters and the supply is usually limited. If you are planning on renting a hybrid car, it is a good idea to try and reserve the car ahead of time. That will give you the best chance of getting car when you want it.

If you are unable to reserve a hybrid car, consider another one of the smaller compact vehicles that the company has available to rent. These cars are usually a little less expensive, but also provide above average miles per gallon.

A hybrid car rental is also a popular choice for people considering buying one. Many people have been known to rent the cars for several days at a time for an extended test drive. Hybrids have different features than most other cars, therefore they take some getting used to.

In fact, if you do decide to rent a hybrid car, make sure you know how to complete most of the basic functions. Things like starting the car, turning on the  window wipers, and unlock the steering column are all things you should be comfortable with before leaving the rental car agency.

This may sound excessive, but take for example the Toyota Prius. In order to start it, you need to insert the key, push down the brake pedal, and then press the power button. If you are unclear on anything, ask the car rental associate for assistance.

Where To Rent A Hybrid Car

Most of the large car rental companies like Hertz, Enterprise, and Avis offer a variety of hybrid cars. You will find more available in larger cities, especially on the west coast. There are even some car rental agencies in California that specialize in hybrid rental cars.

SimplyHybrid.com is southern California’s first all hybrid car rental agency. They have several different hybrid cars to choose from from the smaller compact models all the way up to hybrid SUVs. They offer free delivery and pickup and also supply chauffeurs per request.

Another company specializing in “green cars” is MPG Car Rental. They offer a range of hybrid, clean diesel, and electric vehicles. They are conveniently located in Venice, California, just three miles from LAX. Their impressive fleet of hybrid rental cars include the Toyota Prius, Toyota Camry, and the Honda Insight.

Also, if you are in the market for a hybrid, you can rent one with them for up to four days to try it out. If you end up buying one from one of their affiliated dealerships, you will be reimbursed the full amount for your hybrid car rental.

You can rent a luxury car from many of the large auto rental agencies like Enterprise and Avis. What you will find, though, is that they only offer a limited selection of vehicles. (Although, it is worth mentioning that Budget’s Beverly Hills branch does offer a wider variety of luxury and exotic vehicles). For example, Enterprise considers a Lincoln Town Car or a Cadillac their version of a luxury car. Often times, this is not what people have in mind when they decide to rent a luxury car.

There is a growing demand, especially in large cities and popular vacation spots like Las Vegas and Miami, for rare, exotic car rentals. This includes cars such as: Lamborghini, Rolls Royce, Bentley, and more. Therefore, there are specialty auto rental companies that offer these types of vehicles. If you are planning to rent a luxury car, be prepared to pay much more than what you are used to.

Luxury Car Rental Rates

Since these specialty cars cost much more, it should be no surprise that the cost to rent one of these vehicles can be up to ten times what someone would normally pay. Some of the luxury car rental businesses will quote you different rates, depending on the time of year and other factors. Others, have the quotes available on their websites.

Lets take a look at a few rental rates we found for some popular luxury cars. If you are interested in a Jaguar XF, be prepared to pay around $250 per day Monday through Thursday. You can get a special weekend rate of $900. For those who would like to rent the Jaguar for a week, the cost is $1500. This is not an unlimited mileage car rental. You are allowed 100 miles per day and are charged for each mile over that limit. A $1500 deposit is also required.

If you have more expensive tastes, than maybe you would be interested in a Rolls Royce Phantom. You can expect to pay $450 per hour. Or you can rent it for $2000 per day during the week, $7500 for the weekend, or $15,000 for a full week.

And for those looking for something more sporty, perhaps you would be interested in the Lamborghini Gallardo. You can rent the Gallardo for $1200 per day on week days or $4000 for the full weekend. If you’d like to rent the car for the week, it will cost $6500. You are allowed 100 miles per day and charged $2.50 for each additional mile traveled. You will be required to put down a $7500 deposit.

Where To Rent A Luxury Car

As mentioned, you will find the most luxury car rental businesses in big cities and trendy vacation spots. Let’s take a look at a few of them:

Premier Luxury Rentals – Not only does Premier offer a wide variety of luxury car rentals, they also provide private jet and luxury yacht charters. In addition, they have a security service available and you can also rent luxury mansions through their service. You can make a reservation for any of these services on their 24 hour reservation hotline.

Beverly Hills Rent A Car – Established in 1992, Beverly Hills Rent A Car now has five different locations hot travel destinations like Las Vegas and Hollywood. The company has a fleet of over 300 luxury cars that includes Ferarri, Maybach, and Bentley. In addition to their luxury vehicles, you can also rent moving vans and trucks. They also offer a security service and provide hired drivers.

Gotham Dream Cars – Originally based out of New York, Gotham Dream Cars opened up another location in Miami in 2006. The fully licensed and insured company specializes in Lamborghinis, Bentleys, and Aston Martins. They will deliver their luxury vehicles to the location of your choice whether it is at your home or office or at a hotel. If you do rent a luxury car with Gotham, you will have complimentary 24/7 roadside assistance.

You will find that most of the major car rental agencies offer car rental discount codes. You can discover big savings from the major rental companies like Hertz, Avis, National, and Enterprise. In addition, you can also find them for the smaller agencies like E-Z Rent-A-Car.

How To Find Car Rental Coupon Codes

There are a number of places, online and off, that you can find car rental coupon codes. Perhaps the easiest and most convenient way is to start by using your favorite search engine like Google or Bing. This will lead you to a number of websites, forums, and blogs that will supply you with the latest coupons. Some of these sites like RetailMeNot.com and CouponCabin.com provide discount codes on all different types of products and services. Others like RentalCodes.com and RentalCarMomma.com specialize in providing car rental discount codes.

Another common place to find the coupon codes is on the car rental agency websites. Most of these websites have a designated area or page where they have current available codes and specials. For example, on Hertz’s website there is a tab at the top of the home page labeled “Special Offers” and that will lead you to the page with their current deals. Similarly, there is a tab at the top of Avis’s home page labeled “Deals”.

For those who would prefer to find their car rental coupon codes offline in 2012, there are several different areas to check. The Yellow Pages and travel magazines often carry them. Also, the annual Entertainment Book is one of the best places to check. You can purchase a copy on their website for around $25, depending on what city you live in. The book is full of coupons from car rental companies and other major retailers like Target and JC Penny.

Types Of Car Rental Discount Codes

There are four different types of car rental coupon codes: money off coupons, free rental days, free car upgrades, and bonus frequent flyer miles. You will find that you can save the most when renting a car with money off coupons and free rental days.

Money off coupons will usually save you between $5 and $50 off your car rental. Although, there are usually some restrictions for these types of coupon codes. For instance, the type of vehicles you can rent is usually restricted. Most likely they will only be available for compact, mid, or full size cars, not sports cars and SUVs. In addition, the coupons are usually only valid on weekly or weekend rentals.

Free upgrade coupons are a great way to rent a nicer and/or bigger car for a fraction of the regular cost. However, do not rely on the codes to get the vehicle that you need. You can only use them if the cars are available to rent at the time you will be renting.

Terms And Conditions

To avoid being disappointed when you go to rent your automobile, be sure to always read the terms and conditions of the coupon code. Usually these are listed in fine print either on the back of the coupon or somewhere on the website you are visiting.

Usually these terms and conditions pertain to the same types of things. For example, what type of car is being rented, the length of time of the rental, and certain date restrictions and blackout dates. The discounts can also vary by participating locations. And always check the expiration date of the car rental coupon codes.

There are several advantages of long term car rentals. The main one is that the longer you rent a car, the more money you save. For example, if you are renting a car with Enterprise, you will save $25 on the second month, $50 on the third month, and $75 on the fourth month and beyond.

In addition, it is also usually less expensive and more convenient than other transportation options like taxis and riding the bus. You can rent a wide variety of vehicles including: luxury cars, minivans, and SUVs. In order to rent a vehicle for an extended period of time, you will need to have the proper documentation that is required for all auto rentals like driver’s license, credit or debit card, and proof of insurance. With some companies, you can make reservations at their websites online. Others, you will need to call to arrange your extended rental.

As mentioned, most of the large car rental services including Avis, Enterprise, Budget, and Alamo offer long term car rentals. In addition to extra savings you get with this service, most companies will provide 24 hour road side service for the duration of the rental. You can also earn airline miles and hotel points for every month that you have the car.

The car rental companies make the rental process very simple. First you need to find the best long term car rental rates and select a company. Next, you will go to pick up the car and fill out the paper work. After that, you will be billed monthly and you do not need to go back to the agency to renew your rental agreement.

There are some smaller car rental agencies that specialize in long term car rentals. One such company is California based, SuperCheapCar.com. In order to provide their customers with the lowest overall prices, Super Cheap Car will only rent cars for a week or longer. Another thing that sets the company apart is that their upfront prices include all taxes and fees. Therefore, unlike a lot of the major car rental companies,  you will not have additional charges when you go to pay for your rental car.

Super Cheap Car offers their long term rental cars with unlimited mileage plans. You are also not charged expensive fees due to how old you are. They will rent to 21-24 year drivers for no additional fees and if you are 18-21, you just have to pay a small daily fee. You can have up to three additional drivers for $20 each.

An alternative to long term car rental is a short term car lease which is some times less expensive. A short term car lease usually involves taking over someone’s car lease that doesn’t have much time left on it. There are a number of websites that help facilitate this process like LeaseTrader.com and SwapALease.com. These sites match up people looking to get out of their car leases with people who want in.

Before arranging the car rental, I spent some time researching online learning about different car rental companies and ways that I could save money. I always do my best to save my money on the traveling expenses so that we will have more money to spend on the actual vacation.

I quickly learned that it was possible to rent a car where you have a limited amount of miles that you can travel with and also an option where you get unlimited miles for your car rental. That seemed like it would be the best deal, but I knew there had to be a catch.

There was a catch, but fortunately it would be no problem for us. For the car we would be renting, we would have unlimited mileage every day, as long as we stayed in the eight states they listed on our rental agreement. We were traveling from Missouri and fortunately Illinois was one of the states that was listed. If we did travel outside of the listed states, then we would be allowed up to 200 miles per day or 1100 per week. If we surpassed those amounts, we would be charged twenty cents for each additional mile traveled.

Obviously, that could add up really quick and make the trip much more expensive. Fortunately, we didn’t have to worry about that since the only two states we would be traveling in were Missouri and Illinois.

Prior to renting the car, I checked for the best prices on most of the major booking engines like Hotwire, Kayak, and Orbitz. But the best deal I found for us was on Enterprise’s website. We were able to rent a full size Chevy Impala for a week with unlimited mileage for around $200. The price included all taxes and additional fees.

Although choosing an unlimited mileage car rental worked out for us on this vacation, I learned that it is not the best deal every time. As I mentioned, there can be restrictions as to what states you travel in. Sometimes choosing the limited mileage is the better deal, but make sure to figure out your mileage you plan on traveling before selecting this option to avoid paying the high overage fees. Allow an extra 50-100 miles just in case you get lost or need to make an unexpected stop.

Also, some types of rental cars are not available with the unlimited mileage option or if they are, you will have to pay extra. Usually these are luxury or exotic cars.

Auto rental rates will also vary at different times of the year. In addition, you can find special deals on the weekends and there are car rental coupon codes you can find online that will save you money. Compare the cost of limited mileage to the unlimited miles car rental to see what is the best deal for you.