When organising a holiday, more often than not what can go wrong will go wrong. There is a wealth of horror stories telling of bankrupt tour operators and roach infested hotels. Car hire is not immune as the subject of these sorts of tales, however with this expert checklist you can make sure you have all the bases covered before you leave your house.

1. If you are a frequent flier with a specific airline then you may well be eligible for fantastic discounts on car hire from your service provider. Check with your airline to see if you are eligible and find out what car hire companies they affiliate with.

2. Save extra money and book online. The resources that are used to provide an online booking service are far less than over the phone, hence the savings are passed on to you. A car hire company should have an E-commerce website and if they don’t then you might want to rethink your selection. If you are a technophobe then get your 12 year old child to do it for you.

3. Check the contract carefully. There is a minefield of potential contractual nightmares regarding insurance, liability clauses, excess limits, who can drive and so on. Large car hire companies will have a relatively standard contract and infrastructure to provide support for any questions you might have. Double check and ask questions because it is easier to do it before you travel.

4. Get a confirmation number. It might seem rather obvious, but your car hire provider should give you a confirmation number to confirm your reservation. This will allow them to access your details instantly and it is also worth providing your car hire company with the details of your flight. This will protect you if your flight runs into delays, as some car hire companies might rehire the car in the event of you not turning up within a certain time.

5. Is bigger better? Some car hire companies might offer you a free upgrade on the spec of your hire car. This might seem like a blessing however double check that there are no additional contractual obligations with the upgrade. Obviously the fuel bill will be higher and for those of us concerned with the environment, the fuel consumption therefore emissions will be higher.

6. On the subject of fuel, fill it up yourself. You have to return the hire car with a full tank of gas and it is seriously worth doing that at a gas station before you return the car. The fuel surcharge by companies can severely sting your wallet, so be organised and not in a mad rush. Leave yourself enough time to fill the car up.

7. Check the vehicle before you accept the hire car. Easier said than done with screaming children but it is seriously worth it. Challenge any marks or inconsistencies with the report because if you miss them, the car hire company will not and you will pay for the pleasure of repairing their car.

8. Do not drink and drive. There are so many more important reasons why, however in this context you will be void of insurance and liable for everything that happens in an accident. The same is true if you are under the influence of drugs, so just don’t do it.

9. Check the time when the vehicle has to be returned. Another charge, similar to the fuel charge, that is a great source of revenue for car hire companies. There are no excuses for late return and you will be charged through the nose. If you are definitely going to run over then inform them in advance and they might be able to accommodate an extension at a pre-arranged rate.

10. Be organised. All these pointers will only work if you are organised about your car hire. People end up paying extortionate rates when they incur all these surcharges and they are in abundance; if you plan your car hire properly and use this list and you will not pay over the odds.

About The Author:

Tobias Bowman is a senior consultant working with a global car hire company and a veteran of nightmare holidays. Visit: http://www.budget.co.uk/

Read more articles written by: Tobias Bowman

The next time you travel to Europe on vacation, you might find out the hard way that your cell phone may not work when you arrive in Europe. American telecommunication networks are configured differently than the European telecommunication networks.

As a result, few American cell phones will work in Europe, and if the phone is capable of working in Europe, the phone often comes configured by the telecommunications company not to automatically work in Europe! Cell phone consumers who use GSM carriers such as T-Mobile, AT&T, Rogers, or Fido, will need a tri-band or quad-band cell phone, in order to be able to use their own mobile phone in Europe, and the cell phone will need to be unlocked in order to utilize the European SIM Card.

If your cell phone is capable of working in the European telecommunication networks, there are some simple steps that you will need to take in order to make your mobile phone to continue to work while traveling in Europe.

If your phone is incompatible with the European mobile phone networks, or you need assistance converting your cell phone to continue to send and receive telephone calls while in Europe, keep reading, as we are going to point you to the solution that you need to be able to maintain your cell phone capabilities while traveling in Europe.

Yes, it is true that you could get a prepaid cell phone for use while you are in Europe, but that is still an expensive solution, when compared to what we are going to show you. Most prepaid phone companies will charge as much as $1.10 per minute when calling across borders in Europe or even when calling the United States or Canada. The solution I am going to show you will allow you to keep your cell phone costs down under 40 cents per minute.

This same system provides a 3G/GPRS system for data transfer that can be used very inexpensively for any of the following gadgets: PDA, Smartphone, Pocket PC, Data Mobile and the BlackBerry.

Your Cell Phone Options In Europe

1) If you have a tri-band or quad-band cell phone from a GSM carrier such as T-Mobile, AT&T, Rogers, or Fido, then you will need to obtain an European SIM card. You can arrange for a European SIM card at this link.

2) If you travel to Europe regularly, you can buy a Europe-ready cell phone very inexpensively at this link. Be sure to select the tab labeled, “Phones Selection”.

3) If you are simply vacationing in Europe for a week or a month, you can rent a GSM cell phone from the company. Renting a GSM cell phone is very inexpensive, especially when you consider what your regular phone carrier would charge you just for roaming fees in a foreign country. You can learn more about renting a GSM phone here. Just click the tab that reads, “Rent a Phone”.

Whether you buy or rent the GSM phone, for use in Europe, you can expect to receive the following with your phone:

• GSM phone
• Travel Charger
• Plug adapters
• Carrying case
• User guide
• Prepaid return shipping label
• Pre-printed luggage tags
• Free itemized billing
• Free voicemail feature
• Keep My Number (option)

When renting the phone, your cost is $49 per month for the phone ($25 for the phone rental and $24 for shipping charges), and you will only pay for the minutes you actually use, at rates much less than what your phone carrier would charge and much less than what the prepaid phone carrier will charge you.

With the “Keep My Number” option, there will be a small surcharge to take advantage of that feature, but it will enable any caller calling your home cell phone to have the call rerouted to your European cell phone while you are traveling in Europe.

This is an incredibly good deal for anyone who actually plans to visit Europe, now or in the future.

Know The Cost Of Calling Before You Call… Or Else You May Regret It Later…

I will tell you from first-hand experience that you don’t want to risk just making a call to or around Europe, without knowing in advance what you are going to have to pay for such calls. In connection with my business, I made one call from my office phone to a cell phone in Australia, for a quick touchbase with a client. The length of the call was only 3 minutes 35 seconds.

At the end of the month, I received my bill from ATT for that call and about fell over dead. That 3 minute 35 second phone call was billed to me at $465!!! I called ATT and was livid about the cost. The option that I was offered was that if I would sign my business phone up for the International calling plan, they would back date my signup, so that the earlier phone call would be billed under the terms of the International calling plan. Under the new calling plan, I paid out about $80 extra dollars over one year to ensure that I was on the plan, then I was able to get the call done for less than one dollar per minute.

I have since called customers in Britain and Italy and did not have a heart attack when I opened my phone bill.

Learn More…

I recommend this moblie phone deal to anyone who plans to travel to Europe. I have just given you an overview so far, but if you are interested in this package deal, go here to get the specific facts about this program.