Writing Travel

The Armchair Traveler, i.e., Chris Elliott, on how to get the best deal on a rental car

In this YouTube video, Chris Elliott walks his viewers through the process of researching car rental rates online.

I agree with Chris's tactic of beginning your research on the major travel booking sites, such as Travelocity and Priceline. However,  my own favorite strategy is to try out any number of contract and coupon codes on the National car rental site until I find the best deal. Experience has shown that this method can generally beat the rates of the other major car rental companies.

A cheap membership with Entertainment.com is a good source for car rental coupons. The coupon codes are good for multiple uses, and you don't always have to present a paper coupon. (Be sure to read the fine print.)

I've wrangled considerable savings from both National and Hertz with Entertainment coupons. National seems to give me the best deals, and by renting consistently from National, I've reached Executive status, which always gives me a  full-size car for the midsize price.

Mary Waring's MouseSavers.com also publishes reliable, up-to-date tips for car rental savings. Although her site is focused on Disney destinations, you can apply her tips to car rentals at any location.

I can't even estimate how much I've saved thanks to Mary's newsletter and site. Mousesavers has been my primer for travel deals since I began booking travel online for my first trip to Orlando in 2000.

Today's trip: to Chicago on the train in the snow during a thunderstorm

After an 8-inch snowfall blessed us with a snow day on Friday, this morning we woke up to another several inches and a truck that would not start. Thankfully, a boost from the battery charger woke up the truck and my daughter's school had a late-start morning because of last night's Super Bowl party (don't ask).

My travel commitment today is a trip on the train to Chicago's Northwestern Memorial Hospital to support a cousin who is having surgery. Temperatures are mild, and there's not much of a wind. The snow is beautiful, at least for now, until the drizzling rain turns it into slush. So is the lightning that is beginning to flash on the southwest horizon.

My trip in won't be too onerous. I am resigned to the extra expense of a taxi from Ogilvie Station to the hospital, and taking an early afternoon train gives me enough time to putter around a bit this morning.

Here's to more frequent trips, even if they're local ones, and more frequent blog entries. Please take a look at my photoblog, Lanora Mueller Photography, for some new photo posts there.

Looking out my back door