American West Coast Road Trip for 9 days and 8 nights - seeking recommendations! Happened to book a reasonably priced independent travel group, the travel agency provided air tickets and hotels, which is somewhat restrictive compared to pure independent travel, but it is very attractive to me for the first American car rental experience in terms of price! Time: February 18th to February 26th, Flight: Arrive at 8 am on February 18th, fly in the early morning on February 25th Cities to stay in: 2 nights in Los Angeles, 3 nights in Las Vegas, 2 nights in Los Angeles Hotels: In Los Angeles, all are staying at the Holiday Inn near the airport; staying at the Asandu Metropolitan Hotel in Las Vegas Travel purpose: Experience the fun of Road trip, appreciate the famous natural scenery, experience local cuisine and attractions Requirements: 1. Recommend suitable Road trip routes (I really want to go to the Grand Canyon and Antelope Valley) 2. Required currency ?
United States Q&A
Return and inspection of the car
1. Prepare the checklist provided by the rental company before
2. Rental agreement, insurance documents, deposit receipt
3. Wash the car before returning it, both interior and exterior. Otherwise, you may be fined up to 500 Swiss francs for car washing (e.g. in Switzerland)
4. All photos taken when picking up the car
5. Return the car with a full tank of gas. Otherwise, you may be charged for refueling, which can be expensive
6. Take a photo of the fuel gauge
7. Take photos of any potential scratches to avoid being overcharged
8. When the car is inspected, make sure to check what is written and any associated fees. If there are any objections, resolve them before signing. This can be a stressful time, especially if you are in a rush to catch a flight, and you may overlook certain issues. It can be difficult to resolve them once you have returned home
9. The deposit refund will depend on the rental company checking for any violations, parking tickets, or toll charges. It may take 1-2 months to receive the deposit refund, and there will be no notification. The charges will be automatically deducted
Additional information: Some gas stations offer automatic and manual car wash services. Both require self-operation.
Automatic car wash: Drive in, the brushes will automatically clean and dry the car. The cost varies from 10-29 Swiss francs, depending on the size of the car. Advantages: Quick, approximately 10-20 minutes. Disadvantages: Expensive, and the car may not be thoroughly cleaned. Vacuuming requires coins, approximately 1 franc for 10 minutes
Manual car wash: Advantages: Cheaper, more thorough cleaning, and can help identify any issues. Disadvantages: Tiring, limited time with the car wash hose, need to purchase car wash detergent. Indoor vacuuming requires renting a vacuum for approximately 1 franc for 10 minutes ?
Switzerland Q&A
I originally drove on the highway in southern France. Each section had a different toll. Some had toll booths where you had to take a card, while others required you to pay first without a card. Look at the signs above the toll booths to see if you need to take the ETC lane or the regular lane with the toll sign. There was a toll to get to Paris, and there was a toll on one section of the highway to Monaco. There were no tolls on the highways in southern France, but I remember there was an automatic machine at Nice airport that could exchange paper money for coins. I think the toll machines automatically counted the coins you put in, so you didn't have to count them yourself. There were a lot of one-way streets in France, especially in small towns, and the roads were very narrow. Also, always lock your car doors when you leave it, because we were waiting at a red light on a road in Gannat and someone opened our trunk. Fortunately, we had read in the guidebook to lock the car doors before getting out, so we didn't get stolen. This time, we picked up the car in Paris and drove to the Loire Valley ?
France Q&A
It used to be smooth to pick up the car in advance no matter where, but this time at Hertz at Oslo Airport, I arrived more than an hour in advance and was told that the car had not arrived and I couldn't pick it up early. They asked me to pay extra to change the car or wait for an hour to complete the procedures. I ended up waiting for an hour. Ten days later, I had to go to Iceland and arrived three hours in advance. I was afraid of encountering the same situation, so I wanted the customer service and the car rental company to communicate the situation. The customer service asked me to cancel the order and place a new one, but I had to email the car rental company to explain the situation. However, I did not receive a reply from the car rental company in Iceland. Fortunately, picking up the car in advance in Iceland was not a problem, and I was upgraded to an SUV with 4-wheel drive for free. So, I have a good impression of Iceland this time, but a very bad impression of Hertz at Oslo Airport. They not only make things difficult and charge for miscellaneous items, but they have already charged me three times ?
Norway Q&A