There isn’t anything in the world that can be compared to traveling, to that special and unique feeling that you can get only by visiting and experiencing other cultures. Of course, some are more fond of what they know and are not that excited to travel abroad, but once you get that adrenalin rush that comes at that moment you arrive at some new city or monumental site, it will surely leave you craving for more. On the other hand, people are afraid to travel such distances, especially by themselves, and the fact that there are many scams designed to particularly target tourists doesn’t help. Yes, this is one flaw, but it’s just how things are, but even so, that should be the reason for us not to do something we enjoy and love.
Mistakes tourists often make
Now, this is a generous topic with some pretty funny, interesting, and even scary examples, but let’s focus today on the most common mistakes that most tourists make.
- First on this list will surely be booking and planning to see and do much more than you can actually have time for, and yes, no matter how long the vacation is, it always seems like the time just flies away, but that shouldn’t be a reason for us to create an over-ambitious itinerary, to say the least.
- Guide books are great, but trusting every single detail mentioned in the book that you bought for 1 or 2 USD is never a good idea. It’s much better to find someone you can actually trust to give you advice on where and when to go and how to get there.
- The third one is about our traveling style, and even though some people pack lightly and are well organized, the vast majority pack even things they will absolutely don’t need. As for the reasons for such actions, well, it’s about psychology, as it’s in our nature to go for things we know more about.
- Of course, this list would not be complete if we didn’t mention the one most common mistake people make, and that’s not creating a budget and sticking to it. Now, we can often get carried away when we feel happy and entertained, which can lead to spending more than we can afford. That is why, in order to avoid spending all your money, creating a budget should be number one on your to-do list. One of the best ways to do so is to do research, just to learn about the expenses, how much do tickets for some event or museum cost, and, of course, the money you’ll need for food and drinks. It’s all about the basics, but if you plan to travel across Europe, for example, and not just spend time in one city, you should also check the Rent a Car options. This is also where people often make a mistake, and most of those mistakes can be easily avoided, so, in order to help you with that, we created the list of top five tips and mistakes to avoid when renting a car in Europe.
Avoid renting at the airport
It is true that it is much easier to choose the best car and rent it straight after our plane land at the airport, but there are much better solutions. Almost every airport offers us the possibility to leave it with a car for some amount of money, but the problem is that the price is much higher than if we choose to rent a vehicle from some company nearby. Because of that, it is necessary to do the research before the trip to make sure that you find the most affordable option.
There is no need to pay extra for the GPS
GPS is a tiny, mighty gadget that can help us a lot when we are not sure where to drive, but is it worth paying extra money when we decide to rent a vehicle? The answer is no, and the reason for that is simple. All of us have a smartphone that can help us with that problem, and since we can download offline maps for every country, there is no need to pay extra for the GPS. If we download offline maps, we would not need to think about extra costs due to roaming too.
Overseeing existing damages
When we choose the vehicle we want to use for the next couple of days, it is up to us to inspect it and notice any possible damage on it. If there are any of them, we need to take pictures of them and talk with someone from the rental company to make sure they know about it. It is important because they can blame us that it is our mistake and make us pay for something that we did not do, and it is not our fault.
Returning the car with an empty tank
In most cases, we will rent a car with a full tank, and it is expected that we will return it with the full tank too. Many will say that it is not a big deal if you do not have time to do that, or you simply forget because you can always pay a little more, and everything will be fine, but it is better to avoid it. It will cost much more than if you do it on your own, so it is always better to think about it in time.
There is no need for extra insurance
Many rental companies will offer us some extra insurance policies, and although the insurance is here to help us feel secure in a foreign country, there is no need to spend money on it. Once we pay for the vehicle by credit card, it is most likely that it got us the necessary insurance, and there is no need to pay more for something we do not need at all.
Final thoughts
These are just some of the common mistakes that many people make when they decide to rent a car, and there can be more of them. The best way to avoid them is to think before acting and do the proper research before traveling to Europe. And if you need a reliable company with great service, click here and you will not be disappointed.
