Hi, there, guys! What's happening?
In this module, we’ll talk about the main aspects you need to know before driving around the U.S.
We’ll start by making an online car reservation.
It’s much more comfortable and safer to arrive at your destination with your reservation in hand.
Needless to say, you can also rent a car at the airport as soon as you arrive,
or you may go all the way to a car rental company in the city where you’ll be staying.
There are also hotels with concierge services that can do that for you.
However, there are some advantages in making an online car reservation in advance.
One of them is availability.
You may not be so lucky to find the exact car you want available at the moment you arrive at your destination.
This is especially true if you need a car with any kind of specific features, such as a large trunk.
Another advantage concerns the great deals you may find online.
The daily rate for rentals can be a lot more expensive at the counter.
Some car rental websites even have special offers,
such as reward miles in membership clubs or discounts at some hotels.
So, we here’s a good tip when renting a car in the U.S.:
Note that here we used the word “book” as a verb, not a noun,
which, in this context, means the same as “to make a reservation.”
So, we could also say:
On some websites, you’ll often find the expressions
“Book here” or “Click here to book”.
You can use this verb in any other contexts involving reservations.
For example:
If you wanna make a reservation at a restaurant, you can say:
And what if you wanna book a hotel room?
So, in order to book the right car, you gotta take a moment and answer a few questions.
The first one is:
Note that we use “what kind of” whenever we wanna know the type of something.
You’ll see this expression in many situations related to choosing a product or a service,
especially together with the rest of the sentence: “would you like.”
Car rental companies sort cars into various categories.
Their names will vary, but you’ll probably find these more often:
See? Lots of options, right?
So, to choose ideal car for your trip, there are some aspects you gotta consider.
The first one is:
You gotta know how much you’re willing to pay for your rental.
If you have that all figured out, there’s a second aspect you gotta consider:
the number of people who will be riding with you:
So, guys, we use how many to know about quantity.
If you need to check the number of people that fit in each of those categories,
you can ask someone or do some online research.
For instance, you can type:
Having enough room for your luggage is something else you gotta pay attention to.
The words bag or suitcase refer to each unit of luggage you’re taking with you.
Each bag is gonna take up a certain amount of space in the trunk.
So, you count them:
Then, you check online if they’ll fit in your rental.
You can type something like:
This is just an example, of course.
When you do your research, you just type the category you’re looking for:
minivan, compact, and so on.
The answers may come in volume measurements, like this:
Or by number of suitcases, like this:
On some car rental websites,
you’ll be able to find this information when you select the car.
It is usually next to a suitcase icon, like this one:
But besides your luggage, you gotta consider the distance you’ll be covering.
So, answer this question:
Note that we used “How far” to ask a question about distance.
Oh, and don’t forget, guys:
distances are measured in miles in the U.S.
One mile is approximately 1,61 km.
So, you gotta do your math right to check if the car suits your road trip plans.
Just bear in mind that if you’re intending to drive all the way up to Canada
or all the way down to Mexico, you’ll have to check the cross-border rules.
Be aware that this will have an impact on your insurance coverage plan.
And yes, guys,
when you book a car online, the insurance is usually charged apart from the daily rate,
because it’s considered an additional service.
Some credit cards offer free insurance coverage when you pay for your car hire with them.
Check if you have this benefit on your credit card’s website because it can save you some money.
Anyway, you should always have insurance coverage,
either the one provided by your credit card company or one you hire at the car rental company.
There are many different types of car insurance and you don’t have to buy all of them.
So let me tell you a bit about the most common insurance coverage offered by car rental companies:
Most travelers choose the Collision Damage Waiver or CDW,
which covers all the damages that your car and the other cars involved in a collision may have,
including cases of total loss.
If you’re gonna take the road,
it’s advisable to purchase the Roadside Assistance Insurance as well,
just in case you need your car to be towed or something.
The Personal Effects Coverage or PEC could be a good idea
if you need to spend the night in dangerous areas,
with your luggage inside the car and no private parking lot.
Finally, the Personal Accident Insurance or PAI, and the Additional Liability Insurance, or ALI,
are considered secondary insurances
for they’ll cover more drastic events, such as death as a consequence of an accident.
Always check whether your travel insurance already covers personal injuries and such,
so you won’t pay twice for the same kind of protection.
Don’t forget that the price of the insurance will depend on how old the driver is.
You have to be at least 21 years old to rent a car in the U.S.
However, most car rentals determine that drivers younger than 25 have to pay an additional insurance fee.
On the car rental websites,
you can find more detailed information about all the rules and services
offered by the company under “policies".
It’s always a good idea to check it out
and learn about particular situations,
such as no-show fee, cancellation fee, and additional driver rules.
The fuel policy is another one you gotta pay attention to.
If the company works on a full-full policy,
it means you’ll pick up the car with a full tank and you’re supposed to drop it off with a full tank.
On the other hand, if it’s a full-empty policy,
you won’t have to worry about filling up the tank before returning the car.
All right, guys!
After having decided on all of this, it’s time to make your online reservation!
The first information you gotta input is:
Most rentals will allow you to return the car in a different drop-off spot than where you picked it up.
It's better to make a choice at the moment of the reservation
in order to avoid unexpected extra fees.
Okay, now the next step is to choose the kind of car you want.
Select the additional services, type in your personal data, your email, and your credit card information.
Finally, confirm the reservation.
And that’s it!
All you gotta do next is check the voucher in your mailbox and you’re good to go!
I guess now you’ll find it a lot easier to book your car online, won’t you?
Remember to do the follow-up activities, as always, to help you learn the content.
And I’ll see you on our next topic!
Bye-bye!