Master the art of renting a car with these simple tricks.
I wish I could say I’ve avoided the pitfalls of wrongdoing in renting a car. I’m a travel writer; I should be a vehicle-renting virtuoso. But, alas, I’ve spent years making all the mistakes in the book: forgetting to document pictures of a rental pre-road trip, failing to refuel before dropping a car at an airport, and even forgoing rental insurance. You name it, I’ve done it––and in an attempt to avoid future car catastrophes, I turned to experts for advice.
The world of renting cars isn’t exactly altruistic. “Rental car agents are commissioned salespeople incentivized to sell you various add-ons to your rental,” warns Jonathan Weinberg, founder of car rental platform AutoSlash. “They’ll often add things to the contract without the renter realizing it.”
Rental car companies can be ruthless, but following this checklist should help you bypass my blunders and navigate a path to rental car nirvana.
