Things to Consider on a Fly & Drive
Two months back, I was asked to go on a Fly & Drive in northern Portugal for a website in the travel industry. This website has roadbooks, travel guides and mapped-out GPS routes for destinations all over Europe.
It seemed like a pretty straightforward task. Fly there, rent a car, do some sightseeing, take pictures of beautiful monuments and landscapes, discover new and exciting places. But before you start jumping around like a let me tell you what you should keep in mind.
1. Up the limit on your credit card
After a one hour delay at Brussels Airport, we arrived at Porto’s Francisco de Sa Carneiro Airport and went straight to the rental desk. A yellow minivan picked us up and drove us to the rental car pick-up point. The man behind the desk greeted us like two Indians (“Ugh”) which was kind of funny. He wrote down our details, explained us the ins and outs of renting a car and we were ready to get started. I took out my credit card just before he said “The deposit will be 1.550 euro, Sir.”
Uh oh.. My limit was only 1.250 euro. Who’d think you need a 1.550 euro deposit for a car with 4 wheels and a diesel engine not even producing 80 BHP? Not me, that’s for sure. Luckily, my friend’s limit exceeded the amount needed.
So make sure you’ve got the limit maxed. If you can’t pay the deposit, they won’t hand you the car. And that would defeat the purpose of a Fly & Drive.
2. Get insurance on the car
After handling the credit card problem, we drove to the hotel and just relaxed by the pool. We had a great dinner in the evening and called it an early night. By 7 am the next day, we were up and running, ready for take-off. Breakfast at Tifanny’s, a cold shower to get the blood flowing and our morning dose of caffeine got us pretty hyped for our adventure in Portugal.
We drove about an hour in the direction of the first town we were supposed to visit. Narrow, winding roads with splendid views on Portugal’s Douro river brought us to a small, typically southern-European village. We decided to stretch our legs for a minute and parked the car near the town’s church. “Nice little village but it’s probably not gonna be in Lonely Planet in the coming years”, we thought to ourselves. So we got back in the car and drove off.
……... BAMM!?@!!$£!@?
In driving off, we missed the fact that the parking spot was on a pretty high curbstone. Two flat tires on the left side was the grueling verdict. Luckily, we ran flat just next to the (probably only) local pub. Without hesitation, the pub owner’s wife immediately ran out with a compressor. Although we thanked her deeply for her efforts, there was no way those tires would ever recover from that blow.
We did what we had to do: we got us some strong Portugese espresso and called the rental company. They sent someone to pick the car up and a taxi to bring us back the airport for a replacement. Back at the airport, we were told that there was no insurance, so all costs would be on us. Major blowback, especially since they couldn’t tell us how much it was right away. They still had to check the damage on the rims, which led us to believe this could be a blow to our wallets.
So please consider taking an all-in insurance on the car. It might cost you a lot but then you’re covered for everything. Ask them to explain everything in detail. There are lots of different insurance formulas for rental cars and it’s usually not clear what the exact difference is. Read the fine imprints before you sign the insurance papers. Obviously, that goes for everything you sign in your life.
3. Take a stroll down unknown paths
Sure, it’s easy when your roadbook or travel guide tells you which way to go at every crossroads and which church has the most amazing 11th century alter. But don’t take it too seriously. The people who wrote them never took every path along the way. It’s much more fun not knowing where you’re gonna end up. And the places you do end up will be in your own roadbook for the rest of your life. Enjoy some more pictures below, you’ll see why.
