Posts Tagged ‘airport’

We welcome Avis car hire to our web site

Friday, October 30th, 2009

We are really excited to bring you car hire in Florida from Avis! For the moment the Avis car rentals are only at Orlando International Airport, but as that is where most of you travel to that is not so bad. We hope to be able to bring you other Avis rental locations in the coming months.

Avis can offer all the same categories of cars to rent as Budget, and rates for an Economy car start at just £122 per week on the standard insurance package. The Minivan 7 seater is just £190 per week, also on the standard insurance package. Avis car hire has a good reputation for great customer service, so we hope you will enjoy booking Avis cars through Carhireflorida.net.


What size car?

Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009

Choosing the right size of car is important for a couple of reasons.  Firstly, you need to be able to get all of your luggage into it when travelling to and from the Airport, particularly on the way back when your luggage is now full of souvenirs!!  The second reason is that as Florida is a ‘drive through’ state, you will be probably be spending quite a bit of time in the car.  Unless you are staying ‘in resort’ at Disney World, or Universal, you will most likely need to drive to shops, restaurants, attractions and you may fancy a day trip to the beach.  If you are all crammed into the car you will need to be extremely familiar with the other members of your party.

In the current climate no one wants to spend more than they need to on a car, but a few extra pounds for the next size up, may turn out to be the best holiday investment you have made.

The Florida car rental companies put the onus on you to select the appropriate size vehicle, and rather than being sympathetic, they will rub their hands together if you can’t all get in – they get to upgrade you, and you get to pay for it!!

The choice is made slightly more tricky as the vehicles used to illustrate each category are just examples, and particular models vary as to how much luggage and elbow room there will be.  Another reason to be generous on your sizing’s.

You may wish to consider a 7 seater minivan – these are hugely popular, and justly so.  Even if there are only 4 or 5 in your party, the people carriers offer so much flexiblity as to where people sit, who has to sit together, elbow room when you are hot, fold down seats for luggage, etc, etc.  They also offer a raised driving position and view on the road, you may find this helpful in an area when the majority of cars are huge!

Conversely, couples travelling with small amounts of luggage can take advantage of the smaller, cheaper cars.  Companies such as Alamo, Budget and Dollar actually have limited numbers of Economy category cars which get booked out quickly.  We have many regular travellers who consistently book the smallest car confident that they will be upgraded when they arrive.  Of course you do take the chance that, just this once, they do actually have a 2 door economy car, but many are happy to take a calculated risk.  This is not advisable though if you have more than two in your party and actually require a bigger car.

If you would like help with choosing the most appropriate size of car, please give us a call in the office on 01428 741438


Getting those timings right!

Wednesday, August 12th, 2009

Choosing the right collection and return times for your car hire Florida is actually really important if you want to avoid paying more than you need to, or being charged locally for a late return.

When you arrive at the airport on your flight, you will have to clear arrivals, security and customs before collecting your luggage and this process usually takes about 1 hour, this can be shorter if you are on a connection and have already ‘entered’ the country.  Either way, the collection time for your car should be at least 30 minutes after your scheduled landing time.

Likewise, when you return to the airport you will normally need to arrive for your flight 2-3 hours before take off time, and this is important for your return time for the car.

If you are going on a two week holiday and use your arrival and departure flight times to book your car, you could easily be paying for an extra day when you don’t need to.  For instance if your flight arrives at 3pm, and departs at 6pm, and you have used these times to book the car, you will be paying an extra daily charge.  However, if you remember that you will not be in a position to collect the rental car until 3.30pm, and will have to be back to check in for your flight around 3-3.30 pm, then your times will match up on the 24 hour clock, and you will just be paying for the two weeks.

The suppliers tend to offer you a grace period varying between 30 and 59 minutes depending on supplier, however, it is best to stick to your booked times.  If you find yourself arriving and collecting the car early, take a note of the time you will be expected back – it will have changed to reflect the early collection.  Likewise, if your flight is delayed and you are late collecting your car, check that your return time reflects the changes.

If you have any doubts or concerns, give us a ring in the office and we can help you choose the right times to keep the price down.