Getting Around Via Car

We all know the classic car rental spots – Alamo, Budget, Hertz, etc (my personal favourite is Alamo – they have never done me wrong). They’re in so many different countries and have long had a monopoly on the car rental enterprise. However, there are some new players in the game for those wanting to find a budget-friendly rental.

Turo Rentals

Turo is essentially the airbnb of cars. Everyday people can put their cars on there (assuming they have the correct insurance and their cars are on top of their maintenance). It is typically a more budget-friendly option, as you can choose cars based on your needs and your price range. On a classic car rental website, you choose the category of car and when you show up to the rental place, you are given a random car that you may or may not be familiar with. I recall landing in Kona, Hawaii at 11pm, going to the car rental place, and being given a Kia Sol. My friend I was travelling with had vocally hated Kia Sols for years based on their funky box shape and weird size. It became the biggest joke of the trip. However, by the end, we were big fans of the interior space created by that funky box shape and the gas efficiency.

That being said, Turo allows you to choose the exact car you’re going to be driving. If you are an anxious individual like me, this may allow you to choose a car you’re already familiar with or give you time to watch a youtube video or look at the manual so you feel comfortable with all of its quirks and features.

Car Transfers

When people rent a car from one location and drop it off to another, there needs to be a way to get it back to that original location. Companies (such as TransferCar) are in charge of “hiring” people to commute the car from point A to point B. This is a very popular method of moving cars in New Zealand and Australia. Essentially, you are renting a car for free for however many days it takes you to get to the other city. If you are doing a very budget-friendly trip, you can opt in to drive a camper or mini van and allow it to double as your accommodation as you drive across the country.

One word of caution is that you have no say over what the make or model of the car is. I have not personally done this method yet as I do not know how to drive standard transmission and was afraid I would get a standard car and would destroy the clutch trying to figure out how to drive it.