6 Big Reasons To Rent a Car When You’re on Vacation

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Choosing the right kind of transportation is one of the most important ways to make a vacation more enjoyable. It’s common to obsess about where you’re going, the hotels you’ll stay at, the restaurants you’ll eat in, and numerous other details. That’s because everyone wants their vacation to be memorable. However, even the smartest travelers often overlook the most fundamental detail of their trip: How are you going to get from point A to Point B once you arrive at your vacation destination? While it’s often possible to get around using public transit, ride-hailing apps, cabs, and shuttle buses, smart travelers rent a car when they’re on vacation. Here are six big reasons why renting a car for a vacation is the smart move:

You’ll Save Time

save time by renting a car in los angeles

Your airline has a schedule. Hotels have check in and check out times. Your vacation has a start and end date. You use these times to plan your whole vacation, and each individual day of your vacation. For the most part, you can rely on these times and dates without exception. That’s not true with many forms of ground transportation.

Public transportation has their own schedule. That schedule is unlikely to be based on your convenience. If you’re relying on buses, trams, trains, or subways to get around, you might find you spend as much time waiting around as getting around. And when that waiting is over, you’ll still be traveling slowly. Public transportation rarely offers the direct route to where you’re going. That means lots of intermediate stops and transfers.

No Waiting Around

renting a car in los angeles instead of subway

Cab rides and car hailing services are more flexible than subway schedules, but you’ll still spend plenty of time waiting for someone to come and pick you up. Taxi services are notorious for making potential customers wait around. Trying to hail a cab in the street is even more unreliable. Ride-hailing apps have put a lot of pressure on cab companies, but this hasn’t really helped the riding public. There are fewer “gypsy” cabs than ever, and finding one in a hurry can be a frustrating chore.

Ride-hailing apps promised an improvement over regular cab services, but they’re iffy when you’re in a hurry in an unfamiliar place. Busy travel times make private car services nearly unavailable at certain hours. Surge pricing can make you blow your ground transportation budget in one shot, because you don’t know the price until you really need a ride.

If you rent a car, it’s always outside your hotel, waiting to go wherever you want, whenever you want to go.If you’re going on a vacation to a destination like Disneyland, you’ll wait in plenty of lines. It’s silly to rely on public transportation that adds more lines to your days off. Renting a car in Los Angeles and driving to and from Disney is the smart way to get there and back.

You Can Really Go Exploring

go exploring by renting a car in los angeles

If you’re on public transportation, you can’t tell the driver to go down a side street. Buses, trams, trolleys, and subways go where they go, and can’t go anywhere else. Ride hailing apps won’t help you much, either. You have to have a destination specified to get a ride, and the driver won’t be able to accommodate much in the way of detours. And riding around in a cab with the meter running isn’t anyone’s idea of relaxation.

The best vacations have a sense of adventure thrown in. It’s fun to poke around a city to really get a sense of what like is like. If your trip is limited to your hotel, public transportation, and pre-planned destinations, it can feel really artificial. One city looks much like any other from inside an hotel room or inside a cab. Renting a car and exploring is a great way to make a humdrum vacation into something more memorable.

Save On Group Transportation

save money on group fares by renting a car in los angeles

If you’re a business traveler, you’re almost always traveling alone. You’re on a mission, and you’re unlikely to take many detours. Airline, ground transfer, hotel, meeting room, ground transport, and back to the airline. Vacationers have different needs. One of the most fundamental differences is how many people are involved.

If you’re bringing another person with you on vacation, or an entire family or other large group, your itinerary and transportation needs change dramatically. Most ride sharing services severely limit the number of people who can share a car ride, and cabs aren’t much better. Public transportation costs for groups can really add up, too. If you’re traveling in a group, renting a car can end up being a lot cheaper than public transportation or taxi service, and lots more convenient.

Comfort and Safety

stay safe by renting a car in los angeles

Piloting your own car around a city is infinitely more comfortable than riding on public transportation.  Traveling with children on a subway can be nerve-wracking, and it could spoil an otherwise pleasant trip. If you have your own rental car, everyone can ride in comfort, and you can choose what radio station you listen to. You can snack as you drive, and little ones can amuse themselves with smartphones and tablets.

It’s a lot safer to rent a car, too, especially if you’re in an unfamiliar place. Thieves target travelers on subway platforms and at other transportation hubs. If you miss a connection, you could find yourself on a lonely platform in a dangerous neighborhood. Having a rental car makes it easy to get to and from your destinations at any time of the day or night. It’s also safer for you, your family, and your belongings. You can lock all your doors with a touch of a button.

Stop Lugging Your Luggage Around

rent a car in los angeles to safely carry luggage

It cost money to take an extra piece of luggage with you onto a plane. The cost and annoyance of luggage doesn’t stop there. It can be a real hassle to lug your luggage with you everywhere you go when you’re on vacation. Wrangling your luggage onto public transportation can be a nightmare. Taxis have limited room for your stuff, and ride-hailing services really don’t like to handle any bags.

If you rent a car while you’re on vacation, you can take all or part of your luggage along while you travel from place to place. You’ll never have to leave one member of your party alone to “guard” your luggage while you make other arrangements. Bus stations, train stations, and other forms of public transportation have luggage checks, but they’re expensive, and not always convenient or reliable. If you have a rental car, you can lock up your valuables in the trunk and be sure you’ll find them when you get back. You’ll also enjoy a more carefree vacation if you’re not constantly worrying about your bags.

6 big reasons to rent a car when you're on vacation rentavaluecar.com

Renting a car in Los Angeles or Pasadena?

If you’re vacationing anywhere in the Los Angeles or Pasadena area, make your trip carefree with a car rental from Value Rental Car. You’ll save money, time, and aggravation!

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