When planning a family road trip, most of us don't think twice about taking our own car. But is that always the best option? We can think of two scenarios where renting a car can make a lot of sense:
- If rental prices are dirt cheap. And by dirt cheap, we're thinking about how Alamo just introduced weekend rates for just $10 a day (click "Hot Deals") all the way through Memorial Day. That's not a typo, folks—just ten bucks a day for economy- through premium-sized cars. There's some fine print, including a four-day max (from Thursday to Monday), and the deal isn't available in all markets (sorry, Denver, NYC, and a few others). But holy smokes, this is a great opportunity to save on gas money, if you normally drive a gas guzzler, not to mention wear and tear to your own vehicle. [Note: Another fabulous site for finding a car on the cheap is CarRentals.com.]
- If the rental is more fun than your own wheels. As much as we love cutting costs where we can, there are some things worth paying extra for. And one of them just might be a magic box that puts a stop to backseat bickering. Beginning at the end of March, Avis and Budget will be making satellite TV available in their rental cars at select locations, thanks to partnerships with AT&T Cruisecast and RaySat Broadcasting Corporation. The service will cost about $9 extra per day ($63 per week), and will feature 22 TV channels (kid faves include Animal Planet, Discovery Kids, Cartoon Network, Nick, and Disney) and 20 satellite radio stations. You can decide for yourself if having a TV in your car would be a blessing or a curse, but we bet we know what your kids would say.
