Car Rental Discounts- Getting the Biggest Bang For Your Buck

With the way the economy is today saving every dollar counts. Discounts will help you save this holiday season if you know how to obtain them. Just about every car rental company offers car rental discounts on their website. Most of them have weekly specials on there homepage. The one thing you must understand is the holiday season is extremly busy and if your going to secure your car rental you'll have to plan ahead to obtain the car with the maximum car rental discounts.

The first thing you must do when you looking online for car rental discounts this holiday season is to make sure the option is in fact available this winter or this holiday season. You want to make sure they have no blackout dates before you start planning your trip.

On some of the car rental sites they have special deals for certain locations, so it's always wise to call your location to make sure the car rental discounts apply to your location. Some of the discounts might only be available at the airports or major rental locations. Just about most of the weekend specials apply to certain locations only.

When you choose the company you have to make sure you know and meet there requirements to get the car rental discounts. Some of the companies have certain pick up times and days only. Some of the companies even will let you pick the car up on Thursday Evening.

Most of the companies require you to return the car on monday morning to get the weekend discount. If you happen to be late returing the car then you'll be charged the hirer rate for all days you had the car. So make sure you get the car back on time to save the most money. Most of your weekend deals will apply to certain types of rental cars; to get the car rental discounts you must choose these types of cars. So make sure it's a type that will fit your needs before you book online.

All of these requirements apply to the weekly rental car discounts as well. So make sure once again you make sure you meet all of the requirements for weekly car rental discounts before making your reservations. Normally with all of the rental companies a week is 5 days or more.

Another thing you must check before opting for the discounts is how long does it apply for. Most discounts are good for 1 week only so if your planning to have the rental car for longer than a week you need to select the car rental discounts that are good for multiple weeks.

The last thing you need to do to save the most on your rental car is to read all of the fine print. Yes take your time reading the whole agreement and all of the terms before you book your rental car. If you don't you might spend more than you think. It's always wise to double check all of the information on your booking to make sure there are no blackout dates before you book. The company will let you reserve a car on the blackout dates and will charge you full price so double check the dates.

If you look hard enough you are sure to find the rental discount that will suit your needs this holiday season. If you can't then you might want to check and see if you can qualify for a rental discount code from your local rental company.

Article Source

Car Hire Stellenbosch

Road Rules Of South Africa

Left hand drive

In South Africa, you must drive on the left hand side of the road. If you're overtaking a car; you pass it out on the right hand side.

Speed Limit

In built up areas the speed limit is 60km/hr whilst this increases to 100km/hr in rural areas and 120km/hr on all major highways. Special speed limits also apply in the Sahara and in other preserved areas.

Please note that these speed limits are strictly enforced – in fact the South African police force use speed guns and cameras to catch anyone travelling over the limit. If you're caught for speeding, the fine may vary but they're often in excess of R300.

Legal Age of Driving

The legal age of driving in South Africa is 18. Please note that you must have a full license if you're hiring a car with most rental companies and you may incur an extra charge if you're under 25.

Other laws

You're probably familiar with a number of the other laws which include wearing a seat belt (safety belt) at all times in a moving vehicle.You're not allowed drive while talking on a mobile phone. A hands-free kit must be used.

It's also illegal to drink and drive.You must bring your full drivers license with you at all times when driving in South Africa.

Petrol

Like everywhere else in the world the price of petrol is constantly rising. At the moment a litre of petrol will cost you around R4. All garages accept cash but most don't accept credit cards.

As there can be some long distances between filling stations in more rural South Africa, just make sure your car is full of fuel before you begin your journey. You may not meet another garage until you arrive at your destination.

Having said this garages are usually found along all major routes and are often open 24-hours. A petrol attendant will fill your tank, and tipping is at your discretion.

Road conditions

Road conditions in South Africa vary from excellent well-designed highways that run between the major cities and tourist attractions to the not so well designed dirt tracks or ‘rural roads' as they are fondly known. We would advise you to stay off these ‘rural roads' as they are untarred and hard to drive on.

When driving in South Africa no matter what road you're on you must be on the look out for pedestrians and wild animals, which may cross in front of you.

Traffic is light when compared to international standards but if you're adamant on avoiding rush hour traffic, refrain from driving between 7am -8.30am and 5pm – 6.30pm.

Find out everything you need to know about South Africa's roads on the South African national roads authority website.

General Tips

In dusty conditions and in wet and rainy conditions it's advised to switch on your headlights to ensure oncoming vehicles can see you. Also make sure to take note of any road signs.

Oh and if you're worried you won't be able to decipher the sign posts don't worry – they're in English!

If you're carrying luggage with you it is advised to keep it in the boot. As in any foreign country, just be vigilant when you're driving - the usual sort of stuff, don't pick up hitchhikers and to be on the safe side keep the windows and doors locked.

So there you have it – South Africa's rules of the road are very similar to those in Europe so you should have no trouble at all when it comes to driving here. All you've to do now is plan your South Africa itinerary and enjoy this wonderful country – you'll discover there is more to South Africa than just lions! Just check out our articles on Cape Town, Durban and the wildlife parks of South africa for further info!

If you are interested in taking a car hire tour of South Africa, check out our South Africa Car Rental page.

Have you hired a car in South Africa before? Are there any driving tips that you want to share with other readers? Have we left out any important 'rules of the road'?

Go on, share your experiences of driving in South Africa or if you've a question just drop us a line in the comment box below.