Tagged: car-rental

6 Ways Travel Is About to Get More Expensive—And Why

Hotel ratesAccording to the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), hotel rates are expected to increase globally by 4% over the next few years.This is partly due to demand…

Hertz Is Using AI Scanners to Charge for Rental Car Damage That Human Eyes Miss

Hertz is not a company known for mastering technology. After all, it was just a few years ago that dozens of former customers accused the car rental agency of ordering them to be…

Road Trips in Europe: 12 Pitfalls for U.S. Drivers to Be Prepared For

Prepare to enjoy life in the slow lane.Europe isn’t, generally speaking, the place to channel your inner speed demon, despite the myths about German motorways having no speed limits.…

Why You Should Think Twice Before Buying Rental Car Insurance From Expedia and Others

I have spent 39 years working in the travel industry, writing about travel, and advocating for travelers, but just like everyone, I still get caught off guard by consumer gotchas. No…

Where is Everybody? "Humanless” Customer Service is Dominating Travel. Can We Be Heard as Consumers?

None of us voted on this, but like it or not, there’s been a tremendous shift in how we interact with travel companies. Speaking to a real live person can be tedious, time-consuming,…

Why Your Phone's Navigation App May Be Useless for Driving Outside Your Home Country

If you're planning to rent a car on a road trip in another country and you think you can simply use your mobile phone for step-by-step driving directions, think again. Technology can…

Car Rentals in Europe: Travelers Have to Watch Out for These Pitfalls

Renting a car in Europe is subject to a slightly different set of default rules than renting in the U.S., so Americans have to be more alert during the rental process. This advice,…

Countries That Drive on the Left Side of the Road: The Complete List

Ever wondered why some countries require driving on the left side of the road instead of the right? Only about 70 nations stick to the left these days—accounting for around 30% of the…

Flights to Ireland Plus a Car for a Week for Just $599! How Is It Possible?

Frommer's has been around since 1957, so we've seen quite a few things change in travel—and not all of them for the better. (Can we just admit that airline deregulation did not…

What to Know About “Manager’s Special” or “Mystery” Rates on Rental Cars

While searching for car rental options online, you might have encountered the sort of offering that lets you lock in a low rental rate in exchange for letting the company select your…

How Consumers Can Game Our Over-Mergered Travel Industry to Their Advantage

Last month on Frommer’s, I detailed how the U.S. airline industry has never been more concentrated thanks to mergers and acquisitions, and I expressed hope that the U.S. Department of…

25-Plus Holiday Travel Tips From an Industry Expert: Save Money, Beat Crowds, Dodge Delays

Last year was arguably the worst holiday travel season we’ve ever seen. The Southwest Airlines operational meltdown lasted 11 days encompassing Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and New…

Report: Car Rental False Arrests Not Limited to Hertz

We're sorry to tell you there's a new chapter in the ongoing saga of people renting cars legally yet somehow being accused of vehicle theft anyway—a story Frommer's has been…

Thinking of Renting an EV? You'll Need to Make These Adjustments to Your Plans

The major car rental agencies now offer electric vehicles (EVs) as part of their standard inventory, but knowing what it takes to operate an EV may not yet be a part of your own…

Should You Decline Prepaid Fuel When You Rent a Car? The Answer, Once and for All

It's a dreaded moment that comes every time you approach a car rental counter: the part where the agent pressures you to accept the prepaid fuel deal. The pitch seems convincing. If…

Hertz to Pay $168 Million to Falsely Arrested Customers—From Its Insurance

We have an update to the ongoing scandal involving the Hertz Corporation, which was accused by hundreds of customers of reporting them to police for stealing cars that were lawfully…

Lawsuits Against Hertz/Dollar for False Rental Car Arrests to Reach the "Hundreds"

The Hertz Corporation, the rental giant that also owns Dollar Rent A Car, is facing a growing tsunami of lawsuits after having hundreds of customers arrested. NewsNation, the…

Italy Just Made the Amalfi Coast Drive Harder for Rental Cars. Here’s How to Visit Anyway.

UPDATE, July 13: After publishing the story below, originally dated July 1, 2022, Frommer's received an email from a reader asking about, among other things, how the Amalfi Coast's new…

In Florida You Can Get a Ticket for Playing Loud Music from Your Car

A new state law in Florida affects everyone who gets behind the wheel there—and that includes tourists on road trips, in rental cars, and anywhere else except maybe Tomorrowland…

Car Renters Force Customers to Bring Fuel Receipts—but It's Not Always in the Contract

American rental car companies have been doing it for more than a decade now. When customers rent vehicles, clerks frequently say that if the car is returned with a full tank of gas,…

Warning! Hertz Still Slapping Erroneous Fees on Innocent Customers, Paper Says

Hertz may have emerged from bankruptcy protection earlier this year, but for customers of the rental car company, warning lights are still flashing. The troubled brand that Vanity Fair…

Strategies for Finding Affordable Holiday Car Rentals in 2021

Although we're no longer seeing headlines blaring "Rental Car Apocalypse!", should holiday travelers still be worried about rental car prices? Sadly, yes. Rental cars remain in short…

Hertz Accused of Slapping Fees on Innocent Customers: How to Protect Yourself

Tuesday's Los Angeles Times had a skin-crawling story about Hertz, the rental car giant that just emerged from bankruptcy last week. The article tells the tale of a family who picked…

The USA's Most Expensive (and Cheapest) Cities for Rental Cars

Every now and then, the rental car booking site CheapCarRental.net aggregates the price quotes it's been seeing and comes up with a list of the best and worst American cities for…

Lawsuit: Hertz Customers Jailed After False Accusations of Stealing Rental Cars

Rent a car from Hertz and your road trip could end in unjustified jail time, or so a lawsuit filed in Delaware on behalf of nearly two dozen plaintiffs alleges. The accusers—all…