Renting a car can be quite economical and end up saving you money during your travels.
It also provides the flexibility that you can't get any other way.
Having a car gives you the freedom to travel at your own pace, and go where you want, when you want.
You're not constrained by someone else's plans or ideas.
I've been able to have marvelous adventures in Europe, and particularly France and Italy, because I had my own transportation.
There was no need to stick to the familiar tourist towns, and I was free to explore the interesting aspects of small villages, meet interesting locals, and shop in local grocery stores.
This meant I was able to buy food for picnic lunches and snacks rather than be forced to find a restaurant and spend several hours in the middle of the day eating.
And getting fat.
The food in France is so good that wherever you decide to eat will likely be really good.
But you can find great food in the grocery and have so many more options about not only your diet, but about your time.
Having a car means you don't have to take the train.
You have the choice of seeing small hill towns, for example, that don't have public transport.
And you can save time getting to those sights you want to see.
Go beyond the tourist designations for real adventure.
I always find that the measure of a company is how well they respond when something goes wrong.
Any company can perform well when there are no 'bumps in the road' and expectations are being met.
But when something happens, you're far away in another country.
and a rapid response is needed, it's comforting to be able to rely on the expertise of well trained customer service personnel to handle the situation promptly and correctly.
There's no hassle to the customer, no long delays, and no confusion about what to do.
Issues should be promptly resolved so the traveler can be on their way.
And that's exactly what happened when the car I was given developed mechanical difficulties.
After calling the toll free number, and being reassured by customer service in the U.
S.
that I would get a new car to replace the one I was driving, the situation was taken care of very quickly.
The new car arrived about an hour later, and we were on our way.
It also provides the flexibility that you can't get any other way.
Having a car gives you the freedom to travel at your own pace, and go where you want, when you want.
You're not constrained by someone else's plans or ideas.
I've been able to have marvelous adventures in Europe, and particularly France and Italy, because I had my own transportation.
There was no need to stick to the familiar tourist towns, and I was free to explore the interesting aspects of small villages, meet interesting locals, and shop in local grocery stores.
This meant I was able to buy food for picnic lunches and snacks rather than be forced to find a restaurant and spend several hours in the middle of the day eating.
And getting fat.
The food in France is so good that wherever you decide to eat will likely be really good.
But you can find great food in the grocery and have so many more options about not only your diet, but about your time.
Having a car means you don't have to take the train.
You have the choice of seeing small hill towns, for example, that don't have public transport.
And you can save time getting to those sights you want to see.
Go beyond the tourist designations for real adventure.
I always find that the measure of a company is how well they respond when something goes wrong.
Any company can perform well when there are no 'bumps in the road' and expectations are being met.
But when something happens, you're far away in another country.
and a rapid response is needed, it's comforting to be able to rely on the expertise of well trained customer service personnel to handle the situation promptly and correctly.
There's no hassle to the customer, no long delays, and no confusion about what to do.
Issues should be promptly resolved so the traveler can be on their way.
And that's exactly what happened when the car I was given developed mechanical difficulties.
After calling the toll free number, and being reassured by customer service in the U.
S.
that I would get a new car to replace the one I was driving, the situation was taken care of very quickly.
The new car arrived about an hour later, and we were on our way.