When you start shopping around for the best deals on rental cars for where you’ll be vacationing or traveling, you’ll probably be able to find extremely attractive daily or weekly rates by contacting the rental car companies (like Hertz, Avis, National, Budget and Enterprise) directly, or by visiting the popular travel-related websites (like Hotwire.com, Travelocity.com or Orbitz.com), for example.     

In addition to the rental car company’s daily rental fee, however, you’ll also be responsible for purchasing gas and potentially insurance, plus pay for nightly parking. These added fees can double or even triple the daily rate you pay for your rental vehicle, so what was advertised as a $25 per day rental could wind up costing $50 to $75 per day or more.       

When it comes to parking, many hotels, especially within major U.S. cities, charge between $20.00 and $50.00 per night for self-parking or valet parking, above and beyond what you’ll be paying for your nightly guestroom accommodations. You might also need to pay daily parking fees at whatever attractions or locations you’ll be visiting during the days of your trip.       

Whether you’ll be vacationing as a newly single traveler, or you’re a single parent who will be traveling with your kids, the following five tips will help you find the best rental car deals, plus save you time and money:


1. Determine your needs.
Prior to contacting the rental car companies or visiting various travel-related websites to shop for the best deals, determine your needs. This includes knowing what size vehicle you’ll need to accommodate your passengers and luggage, how many days you’ll need the vehicle for, and your pick-up and drop-off dates and times. Also determine what extras you’ll want or need, such as a GPS navigation system or an infant car seat.      

The various rental car companies offer several size categories for vehicles, ranging from inexpensive “Compact” or “Economy” cars, to four-door “Mid-Size” vehicles, “Full-Size” vehicles, or “SUVs.”  Luxury or “fun” cars (such as sports cars and convertibles), are also often available. A compact or economy car will comfortably hold two adults with minimal luggage, while a family of three or four will typically require a mid-size or full-size vehicle, or an SUV.       

During peak vacation times in tourist destinations, like Orlando, for example, SUVs and larger, family-size vehicles book up extremely early, so it’s important to made your reservation well in advance.      

If you need a rental car for just few hours, consider contacting Zip Cars (866-494-7227 / www.zipcar.com), which offers low-priced, hourly car rentals in a growing number of U.S. cities, including New York City, Boston, Washington, D.C., Chicago and San Francisco.       

“We are a member-based service. We allow members to reserve a car for a few hours at a time, as opposed to a full day. But, we have both hourly and daily rates for our vehicles. Unlike other rental car companies, our rates include all insurance, gas and parking fees. We also accept either debit or credit cards, and accept drivers over the age of 21, not 25, who have a good driving record,” said Julian Espiritu, a regional vice president of Zip Cars. Rates start at $8.50 per hour for a Honda Civic or Mini Copper Convertible.