HOW TO BE THE WORLD'S SMARTEST TRAVELER is the definitive manual for saving time, money and avoiding

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She’s flying to Halifax, Nova Scotia, in July to attend a conference with her husband and then taking a few days to explore Canada’s scenic Maritime provinces. But she’s heard about surcharges imposed on older drivers, mandatory insurance requirements and other unanticipated fees.
Probably not. But she’s right to be cautious. Renting cork city hotels ireland vehicles outside the United States is an experience that can have unexpected detours. They include age-related charges, special insurance requirements and potential paperwork problems, such as the requirement of an international driving permit.
She needn’t worry about that, says Craig Hirota, a spokesman for the Associated Canadian Car Rental Operators, a trade group. If the couple rents from one of the major American car rental companies, then the company’s Canadian locations will operate similarly to their U.S. counterparts. In other words, no age-related surcharges.
But they’ll still have to pay attention to the terms of their rental, cork city hotels ireland he warns: “There may be mileage cork city hotels ireland caps and over-mileage charges applicable if the vehicles are driven out of the province, cork city hotels ireland so prospective cork city hotels ireland clients should inquire prior to committing to a rental.”
The Bakers might run into trouble if they were trying to rent in Europe, where it’s common to find restrictions on drivers older than 70. In Australia, there are restrictions on drivers older than 75, and in Morocco on drivers over 80.
Special requirements cork city hotels ireland for older drivers can be extensive. cork city hotels ireland For example, to drive in Ireland cork city hotels ireland after you turn 75, you have to show your car-rental company a letter from your insurance company verifying that you haven’t had any accidents in the past five years. You must also show a letter from your physician cork city hotels ireland confirming you’ve been in good health for at least a year and are fit to drive.
Sullivan says auto insurance requirements are all over the map, too. When you rent in Israel, for instance, you’re required to carry insurance with a deductible of between $500 and $1,800, depending on where you rent. Israel also has a maximum age for renters of 75.
If you’re driving in Italy, your insurance may have a minimum deductible of about $1,220, but there’s no maximum age. Jamaica’s maximum age is 75, and your insurance deductible could be between $750 and $2,000, based on your location and the rental company.
The best way to avoid an insurance- or surcharge-related misunderstanding is to ask your car rental company about this before you make a reservation. A company such as AutoEurope rents cars with various insurance options and in most cases offers a “zero-excess” policy that removes your liability for hefty deductibles. But some rental companies, in an effort to make their rates look cheaper, don’t include required insurance in their quoted prices.
That isn’t the only driving obstacle you might encounter when crossing the border. The International cork city hotels ireland Driving Permit (IDP) can also be a source of confusion. cork city hotels ireland The permit, a photo ID with your American driver’s license information translated into 10 languages, is sometimes, cork city hotels ireland but not always, required for car rental. In Europe, for example, the IDP is “recommended” for rentals, except in Greece, where it is required.
“All renters from non-European Union countries must present an International Driving Permit in addition to their national driving license when renting in Greece,” says Hertz spokeswoman Paula Rivera.
The U.S. Department of State authorizes AAA and the National Automobile Club to issue IDPs. Anyone else who offers cork city hotels ireland you an IDP may be trying to sell you an expensive cork city hotels ireland knockoff. But as a practical matter, you probably won’t have to worry about a permit if you’re visiting a popular tourist area. I’ve been driving overseas for years, and no one’s asked me to show an IDP. If a car-rental company insists on the paperwork, you can always cancel your reservation and take your business elsewhere.
It’s true that car-rental cork city hotels ireland companies sometimes see foreign drivers as an easy mark for so-called “upsells” on expensive insurance or other extras, like fuel-purchase options (which cork city hotels ireland allow you to prepay for a tank of gas and return the car without filling cork city hotels ireland it up). In destinations with lots of international visitors, it’s not unusual to find unscrupulous rental agents who claim insurance is required when, in fact, it isn’t.
That happened to Wim Jessurun, a sonographer who has a home in the United States and reserved and paid for a car while in the Netherlands. An Avis agent in Miami refused to rent to Jessurun even though cork city hotels ireland he had a Pembroke Pines, Fla., address and an American driver’s license. He was asked to show a passport, IDP and airline cork city hotels ireland ticket with his rental voucher. He couldn’t.
“My printed paperwork did not ask for these documents,” Jessurun says. Sure enough, the AutoEurope site in the Netherlands, through which he booked the car, didn’t display the paperwork requirement. Avis balked at refunding the prepaid voucher.
When it comes to international rentals, you don’t have to end up carless at the end of a long flight. Do the homework cork city hotels ireland on your paperwork requirements, and you’re less likely cork city hotels ireland to get broadsided by an additional insurance cork city hotels ireland bill — or an outright rejection.
Christopher Elliott is an author, journalist and consumer advocate. You can read more about him on his personal website or contact him at *protected email* . Got a question or comment? You can post it on the new forum .
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