When it comes to renting a car, have you ever noticed how many surcharges and fees there are?  One often wonders why they pay so much just to rent a stupid rental car for the day.  Well, when you break down all the surcharges and fees, it makes sense when you look at it.  I broke down the surcharges and fees and what you can expect when you rent a car.  Never pay too much for a rental car, it isn’t worth it!

Let’s first look at the formula and it goes a little something like this –

Days Used + Mileage (You’ll find that a lot of rental companies today won’t charge your for mileage but some do)

City taxes - Depending on what city you’re going to get the car, this will determine how much you’re going to pay when it comes to taxes.

Government fees - Almost every state has these.  It’s different than tax and is listed as “government fees”.  Where does it go?  To the government, of course!

Licensing fee - This is yet another fee you’ll see on your bill that goes on top of your regular rate.  This fee is for the rental companies looking to recoup the license fee they had to pay to their local state government.

Airport fee - Many airports have shuttles going back and forth to the airport to pick you up.  This helps pay for this.

These are going to be the taxes and surcharges you’ll usually see on your bill.  When you get your bill, you’ll be able to see how it breaks down.  Each tax is usually no more than 10% of your total bill.  Now you know why when you get that “$11 a day” special, it breaks down to $20 a day.

Many things may be foreign to you in life especially when you don’t deal with them on an every day basis.  One of these things would be a car rental contract.  When it comes to a car rental contract, you often find yourself being rushed at the desk without being able to look at it.  Without feel like you’re being rushed, I’m going to outline a few things you should look out for or ask before you sign your name on the dotted line.

The names on the agreement - This is very important and I hope you pay close attention to this.  The names that show on the car rental agreement are the ones that should drive it.  If you get into an accident and your name didn’t show up on the contract then guess what?  You’re paying for the whole thing and yes, it’s 100% legal.

Look at the age ahead of time - If you’re under 21, you may want to contact the rental car company before you rent.  Some companies will require that you be 21 or even 25 before you rent a car.  You won’t want to travel all that way and find out you can’t get that car.  Also, make sure that you note that you’re going to pay more money if you’re under 25 years of age.

Rental insurance - Before you get rental insurance for your rental car, you may be already covered.  Certain credit cards and car insurance companies will insure you.  Make sure that you contact them before you pay the fee and insure it through them.  This alone will save you some money!

Look at the car before you sign - Before you sign the contact, make sure you look at the car.  Point out every ding and dent that’s on the car.  This way, this will show proof that you didn’t do it when you bring the car back.  There will usually be a little display on your contract showing you what kind of damages are associated with your rental vehicle.

Tickets are your responsibly - If you find yourself getting a speeding ticket or any other associated ticket, you’re going to have to pay for them so make sure you like them know if anything like this happens.  Most people think that if they just bring the car back, they won’t have to pay anything.  This isn’t the case with this!

Look at the late fees - See what kind of fees you’ll have to pay if your return the car late.  Some people are pleasantly surprised to find out that they may be charged double or triple just for bringing the car back a day late or so.  This is extremely important that you check out the late fees to see how much you’re going to pay just in case you do decide to bring it in late.

These are the important things you should look out for when you’re looking to sign a car rental contract.  It’s your duty to ask these questions because they won’t tell you these things if you don’t ask!

Okay ladies, don’t get defensive.  I’ve just learned through the years that, as a woman, there are certain things that I will not cut myself short on as a driver.  The most important is the proper car insurance.  Several times in my life, I have been very grateful for the roadside assistance option on my auto insurance.  Outside of the obvious uses when the car actually breaks down, you need a tow truck, and don’t have a credit card with you, roadside assistance is even more valuable to me when I’ve got a simple flat and know I can just call someone to have it taken care of.  I am perfectly capable of changing a tire.  Have done it many times. 

Unfortunately, I’m still a woman, and cannot seem to be allowed to change a tire on the highway without having every well meaning, and perhaps some not necessarily well meaning, man stop and ask if I need help.  Chivalry is not dead, it’s just simply not safe.  I’ve also found myself sitting in the car several times with the cell phone to my ear, long after I’ve already called for roadside assistance, just to avoid having to tell every good Samaritan that stops that it’s okay, help is already on the way.  It’s hard to be independent sometimes, without clawing your way there.  I must be getting old and tired.  I just don’t have it in me to fight it any more.  Yeah okay, I’m just a girl, whatever. 

I still think roadside assistance on the insurance policy is a must for every woman and, before it was as commonplace as …well, cell phones and credit cards, I felt the same way about cell phones.  I have always felt a woman must have a cell phone in the car, even if for no other reason.  I still never use my cell phone for anything unless I am in my car.   No one has my cell number except my husband, and that’s the way I like it.  My cell phone never leaves my car.  I know I would feel like I was surely going to get into an accident if I found it missing from my car.  Murphy’s law being what it is.  I just feel very insecure if the phone is not with me in the car – especially with kids. 

And, while my vehicle is not equipped with it, I’ll say here and now that OnStar is the best use of technology that I have seen yet!

So, cell phones and roadside assistance.  Two absolute necessities if you are a woman on the road to assure your safety and confidence.

 If you like to go bike ride and find yourself transporting your bike to various locations of trails and pathways, getting the bike in and out of the trunk, the backseat or even the cargo area can be a great effort. If you need to bring more than one bike, depending on your vehicle, this can be impossible without a bike rack for your automobile. When you invest into a bike rack component for your automobile make sure you get one that will suit all your needs.

There are several types of bike racks for your vehicle like the trunk mount, hitch mount, swing away or fold down racks and even roof racks that can be made more customized with accessories. Most of these rack a reasonable price and can be put on a credit card when purchased off the internet and using a credit card that gives you reward points for your purchases is an added bonus to buying your vehicles bike rack. Some sites even offer free shipping or flat rate shipping on their products or you can always shop locally at retail stores and usually find a pretty good selection.

It’s a good idea to invest in a good bike lock for those pit stops along the way; it would be terrible to be completely excited about hitting the trails and then having your bike swiped while making a rest stop on the way to your biking destination. Most bike racks have a compatible security lock whether it’s a lock system that attaches to the vehicles bike rack and sold as a separate accessory or just a basic chain and pad lock for bikes, invest into some kind of lock that will help protect your bike.

When choosing a bike rack for your automobile your best option is to shop around a figure out what type of vehicle bike rack selection will best suit your requirements for example will you be transporting one bike or several, how often will you be needing to transport your bike or bikes and what kind of automobile bike racks can be mounted to your vehicle. You can do this over the phone or by going into your local retail store that sells automobile components and talking with customer service. A knowledgeable employee should be able to tell you the pros and cons of the different automobile bike racks and what would work best with your type of vehicle.

No matter what time of the year whether it is mid-summer and the temperature is 90 degrees or mid-winter and it’s 10 below people are traveling. They are heading somewhere to either visit family or to just get away. While traveling as an adult is easier, traveling with kids, especially young kids can really be difficult. These tips will help make your trip much easier.

Traveling with kids tip #1:

While it might be a huge pain make sure to allow extra time to stop. Not only do kids need to be able to use the bathroom more often than adults they also need to be able to blow off some of their built up energy. Plan your trip so that you can get out of the car a few times along the way. If you are traveling during the spring or summer instead of whipping out your credit card for an expensive stop find a place to stop for a picnic where the kids can run and play for an hour or so. Not only will it help them get rid of their built up energy but also make them tired and possibly help them sleep for a portion of the ride.

Travelling with kids tip #2

Bring things to do. There are so many things that can be used in the car while traveling such as books to read or they also have activity books that come with a clear, non-colored marker. The way these books and markers work is that the marker, when used on the picture will unveil what the picture contains, instead of the child coloring it. They also have similar ones that will ask questions and then the answer is revealed when your child colors it with the clear marker. These books are ideal for kids between 6-12 years old.

Traveling with kids tip #3

Snacks, snacks and more snacks! The worst thing about traveling is being stuck in a car and being hungry on top of that. Make sure to bring snacks that can be eaten in the car. Such as peanut butter sandwiches, crackers, dry cereal and juice boxes to avoid spilling them in the car.

With these tips you should be able to travel from one place to another without the usual whining of “Are we there yet?” or at least with a lot less of it. Make the trip and being in the car as enjoyable as possible for the kids and you will find that it will be more enjoyable for you too.