Love walkthroughs like this, as a fellow anxious neurodivergent. I’ve never rented a car before (and, honestly, the concept still terrifies me). I prefer to stick to public transit when I get off a plane (which, unfortunately, severely limits how far I can travel in rural areas, but isn’t typically an issue in major cities).
I think there's also one thing that's really important to check when returning the car- most places will want you to return it on a full/mostly full tank, and they will charge you extra if that's not done
Also! Sometimes they won't take chime or other cards that aren't backed by visa/ Mastercard /amex just fyi. And yes, it does have to be a credit card, it can't be a debit card.
I know I should be paying attention to all the useful info about rental cars, but I can’t get over how dripped out Swell’s right wrist is in comparison to her left wrist 😂
Oooh, I have some slight expertise in this area because I’ve worked as a travel assistant in TV Production, and one part of my job was helping people with their rental cars. My tips are: 1.) Your online reservation does not reflect the office’s inventory when you show up. If you can be flexible about the type/make of car you’ll take, it will go smoother. Sometimes they run out of intermediate sedans, small SUVs, etc. They’ll usually offer to put you in another car they have and might even bump you to a bigger level. But if you show up insisting you need a Toyota Corolla, it could be a while. (Obviously, don’t take a car that won’t fit the amount of people/stuff you have, but just keep that in mind.) 2.) You need a valid driver’s license, and it can’t be expired. (Sounds like a no-brainer, but you would be surprised…) 3.) Local, non-airport offices have a lot less cars and shorter hours. (Airport offices are often open 24 hours,or at least, open super early to super late. Locals tend to be 8-5ish M-F and mornings on Saturday.) Even if you booked online, it doesn’t hurt to call a local office directly right before you go to them and politely confirm they have cars/the type of car that you’re looking for, if that’s going to be important for you. 4) Be nice to the people working the desks. They face a lot of people everyday who like to blow up at them for things that are out of their hands. They don’t control that the website, or even a roadside service desk agent, is telling you that they have minivans in stock when they physically do not have a minivan on the premises. For what it’s worth, I’ve gotten more help by being polite and human than I ever would by blowing up at someone when things weren’t going right.
With enterprise, make sure you make a reservation online, if they dont have the small car when you get there, you can get a bigger car for the same price as the smaller car.
This is an interesting video to watch from someone whos worked for a major car rental brand for the last couple years haha - some things: Hertz/Dollar/Thrifty are connected. I believe Hertz owns both or something like that. Enterprise owns National and Alamo, so all three companies are connected and sometimes share inventory. Enterprise is catered more towards the average renter, Alamo is meant for people traveling on a budget, and National is for business people who need to be quick. Budget and Avis are connected as well. Taking photos/vides is important, correct. I ALWAYS HEAVILY RECOMMEND THE COVERAGES! People often decide to go with their own insurance, but it is a major headache in case something does happen to their rental car. CDW/LDW is always worth it in my opinion. Always be kind and friendly to the rental agent. It's a tiring job and there's a lot of high maintenance people who get caught up on little details and take it out on them. Get odometer and fuel levels of the vehicle before you return. Do one last video of the vehicle. If the agent asks you to fill out a survey rating your experience, do so! They are important.
Love this concept for a video! Would've been so useful to me the first time I flew to the USA (in Australian) and rented a car once I landed. I know you travel internationally sometimes for your other channel, if you travel somewhere where you have to drive on the opposite side of the road that would be a fun video concept for this channel 😊 it's honestly nowhere near as scary as you think it's going to be!
Yoooooo I’m so happy you made this second channel! I love your main channel content but I’m also a huge car nerd. It’d be cool to see some like…Amanda gets a project car/autocross/budget track day content!
The first time I rented a car, I thought we were supposed to have a specific car but we got to the airport and they we like just get in a car and go, it was so confusing to me. Our flight was also ended up leaving like 2 hours late, so I think that was a part of it
I had my first rental car experience a few months back. I used my own insurance so I didn’t have the rental insurance fees. I took pictures all around the car just in case, and had to find a car with a compatible port for my phone cord. I was so worried that something would go wrong, but I made sure to clean it before turning it in just in case and I filled it up right before I turned it in as well. Had 0 issues. Hope that helps someone too
I would also reserve if you are going to a low use airport. I live near an airport that is so small tsa only opens 2 hours before the flight. Say you get delayed, you may not be able to rent a car because they werent expecting a car rental as that is mainly a fly out locally style airport not a come for buisness
With enterprise, make sure you make a reservation online, if they dont have the small car when you get there, you can get a bigger car for the same price as the smaller car.
The one event I rent cars regularly for is Wasteland Weekend (and may be doing its sci fi counterpart Neotropolis soon) -- I basically have the route from Burbank to Cal City memorized at this point. Prefer Enterprise at that location, Burbank has an awesome elevated walkway to their rental car pickup, which is Suh-WEET after a long day flying in from Baltimore
