It is vacation time once again. You’ve been dreaming of going to Hawaii, to Maui and have the vacation of a lifetime. You probably have spent days planning, setting up all the reservations, checking up all the sights, the possible tours and even writing down an itinerary in order to maximize your tropical vacation.
Everything’s set except for one: your car rental. Renting a car in your Hawaii, Maui vacation can be least of your priorities, but knowing what to expect is also part of the planning. So here’s a short basic guide on what to expect with Hawaii, Maui car rentals for your vacation.
Car rental prices in Hawaii vary, not only due to the make and model of the car but are also dependent on which time of the year you intend to travel, the number of days you’ll be vacationing in the islands, the time of pick-up and drop-off, and the rental company, to name a few.
June to August and the month of December are usually the months where car rentals rates goes up. These are summer months and December is the holiday season so a lot of tourists come to the islands to spend their days in the beach. In order to avoid the high rental rates in these months, you should decide early on if you would like to rent a car during your stay in Hawaii. Placing a reservation three months in advance would be ideal in this situation.
Ordinarily, the longer you rent the car for your vacation the better chance you get a discount on the rental charge. A week long vacation on the islands will usually get you the last day or the last two days of your car rental for free. A number of car rental agencies do this as their selling point.
Also, it is good to note that car rental agencies in Hawaii charge additional hour rates. This is aside from the daily or weekly rates that you will be paying. So it is would be best to schedule your activities, drop off and pick ups within the designated day rates to avoid paying additional hourly rates. You’ll be able to save more money this way.
Convertibles and Jeep Wranglers fetch a higher rental rate because they are quite in demand. Likewise, rental charges for SUVs and various luxury cars are higher since the base costs of these vehicles are quite high in the first place. However, also take note that cars that have more seats for people such as minivans are more expensive as well.
The good thing in making car rental reservations in Hawaii is that most agencies will not charge you any cancellation fees. So you can make reservation during your early planning sessions and have it cancelled if needed. During the slow months, you can even see car rental companies slashing off their rates to attract last minute travelers.
However, it is still ideal to make plans and reserve a vehicle early. Car rental companies don’t have an unlimited stock of cars. The cost of acquiring cars for this kind of business is rather high. So you might have difficulties finding a rental a week before your vacation. Make reservations months ahead. Anyways, nowadays, reservations are made easy through online.
It is also good to know that rental companies located on airport ground are charged a concession fee by the airport which they pass on to consumers like ourselves. If you want to save a few dollars, you best to rental agencies that are situated outside the airport grounds.
As I mentioned earlier, these are just basic Hawaii, Maui car rental vacation tips. You can browse online to see more tips or ask your friends you have been in Hawaii for the best ways to plan your vacation. Take the extra effort, it’s worth it.
