Car Rental

Pretty much everyone is feeling some kind of pinch in this economy, which means many travel booking websites have been dropping their booking fees to encourage people to still travel despite the hit many pocket books have taken. This includes Priceline, a site that already allows travelers to save money by naming their own prices for flights and hotels. Lowered Booking fees on priceline Hotels!

It’s a special Coupon Code Monday today because we have decided to celebrate gas prices coming down to levels that aren’t so insane, with an automatic 10% off coupon through Budget: Get 10% off car rental with Budget!

This one is also special in that the coupon code puts itself in the code field on your reservation automatically, so you don’t even have to bother keeping track of it. Most companies make the code really simple anyway, like SAVE10 or 10OFF, so really what’s the point in making people type that in the box? Thanks, Budget rent a car, for not wasting our time.

Most of the regular readers of this column know that I have mixed feelings about Priceline, but a deal’s a deal, so I feel compelled to point this one out: Save up to 30% on Rental Cars

So imagine the smile on my face when I came across this deal: Hawaii Travel Deals with Air & Car - Save up to 62%

People who’ve been reading this column for any length of time are well aware of how fond I am of big savings. I’m drawn to them in the same way that Lindsay Lohan is drawn to bars with paparazzi out front. We are both powerless!

Compared to North America and other locations in the world, Europe is a compact continent that is generally easy to traverse by public transportation, especially if you have a rail pass. Sometimes, however, life is best enjoyed at your own pace and with your own schedule. Instead of racing to catch a train so that you can get to your next destination, you’d rather be sitting in a café sipping coffee and enjoying the splendid feeling of being in another country.

That is when it is very handy to have your own set of wheels. A car means independence and it gives you the means to get off the beaten track. Renting a car in Europe can be an expensive proposition, especially when you factor in the high price of gasoline.

British Airways and Alamo have a nifty deal on flights and rental cars for some of the most popular destinations in Europe. You get a plane ticket and the keys to a car for one low price. The prices are significantly lower in the autumn months and if you can put off your travels until then you will most likely fine that the roads are not as busy and the driving is much more enjoyable.

If you have paid a visit to your local gas station recently you know that gas prices continue to soar. Things are likely only to get worse when the summer travel season kicks in to full gear. At this rate you will have to mortgage your house to drive to the beach this summer. You might have to sell blood just to be able to fill up your tank. You might need to rob a bank just to take the kids to soccer practice.

In these times of high gas prices, ever bit of money you can save counts. Alamo is doing their part by offering a deal where you can save $25 when you rent a convertible, minivan or sport utility car for use between May 22-June 30, 20007. To get the deal you must make your reservation by June 5th.

By the time you actually drive the car that extra $25 will probably buy you a gallon of gas. Indeed, this might be a good summer for you to dust off the old bicycle and give it a spin. Or you could go out in your backyard and try to drill for oil.

As a highly paid world mogul, the only kind of vehicle good enough for my bum to sit in is a limousine. If I am not rolling down the road with a scotch on the rocks in one hand and a remote control in the other, than I might as well be walking. Mine is a vehicle that is the envy of all high school prom queens.

I realize that not all of you enjoy a highly paid blogger lifestyle like I do and that you might find it a treat to ride in a limo. You might also find that it is convenient when you fly into a new city and you need to get from the airport to your hotel, a business meeting or to your high school reunion (your friends will be so impressed to see you pull up in a limo! It might even make up for being such a dork in chemistry class).

All kidding aside, airport limos are often practical and reasonably priced compared to taking a taxi, public transportation and rental cars. BootsnAll has a new section that will help you to find great deals and to make airport limo reservations with a click of the mouse.

Unless you are planning on renting a fancy new sports car or a classic automobile, the fact is that renting a car is never the most exciting part of a vacation. It shouldn’t have to be either. There is little worse than having a rental car break down or arriving in a new city only to find out that the discount car rental company you paid to rent you a car has run out of vehicles. Believe it or not that type of thing happens more times than you’d care to imagine and when it does it stinks worse than a rental car that has been used by chain smokers.

If you are looking for a quick and easy way to rent a cheap, reliable car for your vacation needs, look no further than Cheap Car Rentals Links. Essentially it works like an airline search engine only it is for rental cars. This means that you will be able to quickly search through the numerous car rental deals out there and to select the right car at the right price for you.

Travel isn’t supposed to be about hassles but all too often it is. One thing that shouldn’t be a hassle is renting a car, as unsexy a thing that it is.

Texas is a big place. You can drive your car from one side to the other in about the same time as it would take to drive across a large swath of Europe. If you ever want to feel the rush of being alone, head on out to west Texas and drive at night. You’ll hardly see a soul and you’ll hardly hear anything other than the country music coming from your radio.

While it is big and it does have plenty of emptiness to it, Texas also does just fine in the big city department. Houston is a major city with a downtown hub and suburban sprawl to prove it. Dallas goes on forever. San Antonio has its Riverwalk and that Alamo place. Austin is the liberal enclave with the university and vibrant music scene. El Paso is a rough and tumble border town. You could travel to all of these cities and find it hard to believe that you are in the same country let alone the same state.

Priceline currently has an offer on discounted flights to Texas. Choose where you want to start and then experience the enormity of the state by renting a car of flying to another city. Or simply stay in one spot and enjoy all that makes the Lone Star state unique.

If you are a bargain traveler like me you probably are more than willing to rent an economy car to save a few bucks. Frankly I could care less how much horsepower my rental car has just as long as it gets me from point A to point B without needing the assistance of a tow truck.

If you are like me and you have gone the cheapie route in the past, chances are you have had a rental car or three where you need a spatula to extract yourself from it because it is too small. Economy car often means matchbox car for adults. Great for gas mileage, not so great for those with long legs or extra family members to lug around.

The good news is that from time to time you can find a deal where car rental companies will upgrade your vehicle size without upgrading the costs. Enterprise Rental Cars has just such a deal. People with both long legs and short, knobby ones should jump on it. Save your money for other fun things while saving your legs and your family members from permanent agony.

Safe and happy driving to you. Keep an eye out for bicyclists. We like it when you don’t hit us and when we don’t hit you.