The collaborative economy has also reached car rental and there are several initiatives that put individuals in direct contact with each other. We have never tried it but it is an option to take into account when looking for the cheapest price when renting a car.
Car-sharing platforms
There are community platforms that connect these tenants and landlords around common values, in order to make mobility, and more particularly car rental, more responsible and intelligent while saving money. You can check
https://www.drivy.co.uk if you are interested in learning further more information about private car rental.
The car-sharing (or peer-to-peer car rental) system is based above all on trust between members but also on the organization of the project. In this sense, these platforms offer all-risk insurance, a rental contract, breakdown assistance and a social website where comments and recommendations can be made.
Concerning the rental insurance available on the site, it has been negotiated with the aim of guaranteeing the greatest serenity for the owners and tenants of the car. It is automatically subscribed online and confirmed with an "insurance certificate" sent to both parties' mailboxes before the start of the rental period.
The insurance covers personal injury and material damage, as well as "any accident" (theft, vandalism, fire...) and is paid when booking a vehicle on site.
Routes to travel by car around Europe
As we said, we have returned to driving and doing a few car routes in Spain and Europe enjoying the freedom that a car offers. If you're thinking of doing a road trip but don't know what route to do, take a look at ours, you might find inspiration: car route through the castles of the Loire Valley, five-day car journey through Midi-Pyrénées, six-day route through the castles and west coast of Ireland, car route through the Vall de Boí, six-day car route through the island of La Palma.
What to use: GPS or Maps?
If you are a romantic who enjoys looking at a road map or who takes the opportunity to ask an address to talk to locals, you do not need a GPS. If you are one of those who get lost from the living room to the kitchen or those who have already forgotten where they were going before they finish giving them the directions to a place, you need a GPS. For rentals in your country of residence you can count on the help of your smartphone and your data plan -Google Maps always knows how to arrive-, for trips abroad renting the GPS along with the car will be cheaper than roaming.
Whatever the GPS says, take a look at a map to confirm before you venture. Three hours we spent driving in Ireland following the GPS directions until we realized that there were two towns with the same name in two different counties...
For techies who can't live without being connected to the internet, some car companies offer portable routers -MiFi- to which mobile phones can be connected. As with mileage, you need to know what the data limit is before you start watching YouTube videos or broadcasting.