There are plenty of good reasons to opt for car hire when you head off on a trip. Whether you’re taking a well earned holiday, or you’ve been sent off on a business trip it makes perfect sense. Public transport will take you so far, but if you want to get off the beaten track and can’t stand all that hanging around for the bus to turn up, then car hire is a whole lot more convenient. Forget train timetables and opt for total freedom.

Of course there is always the taxi option, but how many times have you been ripped off in a strange city. You have no idea of what is a fair price and some of those drivers are pretty wily characters. They know how to make extra money from unsuspecting tourists or business executives. Plus it’s not like you can use them to take you a long scenic drive through the country or to the coast. With so many cheap car hire deals available it’s not really an extravagant extra to factor into the cost of your trip. If anything, it might actually save you some money to spend on other things.

Some people assume, wrongly, hiring a car abroad will be a real hassle and overly expensive. The reality is that it’s just as straightforward as sorting cheap car hire back home.

No matter which company you choose to go with, the rules for hiring a car are pretty much the same. Obviously you need a valid driving license and you must be 23 years of age. Cars tend to be organised by class – small, mid sized, large saloon etc. Many operators have different several vehicles in each category. You pick the category and get allocated a model of that size. If you have a preference for which car and they aren’t flat out busy, they should be able to give you what you want.