I booked my first rental car alone, and it was the worst experience ever. The process seemed smooth for other people I’ve gone with, but I’m sure I am not the only one who has experienced some hiccups with renting a car for a vacation, so I’m going to share some things that would have saved me from my situation altogether!

1. MAKE SURE THE COMPANY IS CREDIBLE

Try to go with a company that is more well known, and if the price isn't favorable and you want to go with a cheaper option like I did, make sure the company generally has a good reputation by checking reviews. Check to see if it is Better Business Bureau accredited, simply by searching them on the BBB website. Check the complaints on this website as well to see if there are any patterns you want to look out for. If many of the experiences are similar, you should go in expecting to get those experiences.

2. Make Sure the phone number works

You want to be able to ask ALL the questions you can BEFORE arriving at your booking. This also will give you an outlook on how customer service may be when you arrive. You don't wanna get all ready and have a scheduled travel itinerary, arrive, and find out new information that would make you want to change companies. At the same time, it is better to transfer companies than to take on a ton of hidden charges and fees like I did.

In my Miami blog, the guy said he wasn't charging me a $500 deposit on top of the full price he gave me, then after I gave him my card he added the deposit charge anyway, and that with all the surprise fees affected my budget the whole week. Some people purposely do things so you feel stuck choosing them while you’re there already, so it's important that the phone works and that you verify ALL important information. There can be a situation where the info is verified over the phone, and you get told differently in person, but at least this will filter out some of those things.

3. Ask all your questions prior to booking

This is what I was trying to do before booking, but since the number didn't work, I just decided to figure it out when I got there. Yeah, big mistake. Don't be afraid to ask questions! This is your money, your trip, and you have a right to know what you're getting into. Ask questions like:

* Are there any other mandatory charges that I will have to pay in person besides what my booking shows online?
* Can I use my car insurance to cover this vehicle instead of yours?
* What other add-ons do I have the option to purchase along with my booking and how much are they?
* What is the daily rate for the young renter fee?
* What are the hours at your location?
* Are there rides offered to take me to and from my hotel or airport, and what is the mileage limit?
* Will I get to pay the same price if I returned my car same day, but at the end of day?
* Do I need to use a credit card to book, or can I use a debit card?
* Can I return the car early and if I do is there a price difference?
* Are there any fees to returning the car earlier than scheduled?

These are some examples to ask the car rental company. Be sure to ask any other questions that come up for you, and remember to take notes to keep track of what the representative is saying just in case. Once I started typing important phone call notes on my notes app it made a huge difference for me! I intend to remember every detail, but with a busy schedule and busy planning, it’s easy to forget something.

4. TAKE YOUR TIME

We kind souls love to give people the benefit of the doubt and we like to hope that all people we come across can be trustworthy, or we may just prefer to avoid confrontation, but not all people live with the same intentions and we risk hurting ourselves in the process if we don’t put ourselves first in a situation, even with renting a car. Do not let the person helping you get your car rush you into buying “important” add-ons, upgrades or other unnecessary things you don't want or need.

This brought my rental up another $500 because he was impatient, intimidating, and basically gave off this energy like he knew what he was talking about and I didn’t, and it was clearly my first rental. He did know what he was talking about, enough to lie and make me pay more. He said to trust him, he knows the area and there are tolls EVERYWHERE.

Well, I drove pretty much everywhere to explore Miami and only went through ONE toll the whole week, and that toll was on accident- I missed my exit. My partner even looked it up later on Google and it said there are barely any tolls within many miles. So take your time! Do your research. And ignore that "It's the same price everywhere else" speech. Politely say, "One moment, I'll need to check on that myself," and utilize the internet for anything that sounds fishy.

5. USE YOUR INTUITION

Focus on your gut when booking, and truly listen to it. When I walked into the building for my rental I already had a weird feeling, I felt the sketchiness, and I ignored it. I let my worry of him getting impatient and angry, using his power voice to get me to just say yes to everything, and the only extra time I took was a couple of seconds here and there to ask a question about the extra charges. If they're getting mad about you asking what the extra charge is for, or asking what something means, RED FLAG. If the experience doesn't feel good, don't do it.

My mom would book rental cars most of the time with Enterprise and every time I would step in these offices I felt good energy, and they’ve always kept our trust. Everyone was friendly, they took their time, and made sure everything we had was okay for us, giving us a great experience each time! That is what I want to feel when renting a car. Especially, you're on vacation!

You want to feel good energy for the rest of your time there. My negative rental car experience at U-Save (Yes, I'm saying it), kept running through my mind throughout my whole trip and after, distracting me at times from what beautiful things were all around me! If I knew I was gonna pay this much more I would have gone with Enterprise. Trust your intuition, trust your gut, and you'll have a better turnout in the end.

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