Now that 2012 is behind me, I took a minute to think about every car I rented, and boy has this been quite a travel year for me. As businesses start to look around and ask the question, “So, Now What?”, I have been on the road more than planned. A big part of being a road warrior is knowing how to get from the airport to your real destination. Trains, buses, taxi’s, limos and rental cars all can meet the need depending on where you are going.
As an airline pilot twice a month, there isn’t a lot of wiggle room. You stand there and wait for whatever the airline told you is your form of travel. If that company doesn’t show up, you can take a cab and hope the airline pays you back. As a business adviser and owner the rest of the month, the cost of transportation is part of the fee I charge my clients. Since I own the company I have a lot more flexibility in what I do as long as my wife sees the price after we get paid. My basic plan is easy. If I have more than 8 hours of time to kill or my wife goes with me, then I rent a car. Sadly that is most of the time I travel. I also carry my own portable GPS since I can pre-program the routes or places I want to go before I start the trip.
I start out on Expedia or Travelocity and then book the second cheapest car I can at Hertz or Budget. I have tried other companies in the past and it wasn’t worth the hassle to save $3 a day. During 2009, I rented 15 times, and all but once my basic plan worked out. I learned this trick in 2007 when renting from Hertz. If they have an abundance of “premium” cars, you can usually get a great deal at the last second on the upgrade. The flaw is using your “gold” membership to get the one class upgrade. Hertz automatically assigns the upgrade and you get what you get. Continue reading »