Recent research has shown that Brits aren’t the best at making sure they are up to date with driving laws and regulations when hiring a car in a foreign country. 40% of British Residents fail to research the highway code when planning to drive abroad and 65% of people asked admitted they have been caught speeding in a foreign country.  That’s not to mention all the other visitors who have been caught out with parking violations or charged for not being able to produce the correct documentation when asked by police officials.   For this reason, the FCO (Foreign Commonwealth Office), have today launched a new Road Safety Tool to help us Brits research the local driving laws and regulations of anywhere we may be visiting. This will be especially useful for anyone hiring a car in a foreign country who is not sure of the local laws and regulations as it makes it Read more…

The Foreign & Commonwealth Office are warning of an increase in the number of car-related crimes befalling British tourists holidaying in the Iberian Peninsula. Roadside robberies appear to be on the rise and the British consulates in Spain and Portugal are keen to stem the tide and offer advice to Brits abroad to try and avoid them being targeting. The Latin motorway thieves look to hit foreign tourists on log drives because they’re seen as easy prey. Passports, possessions, money and the vehicles themselves are taken and quite understandably, such incidents can easily ruin a family holiday.   As partners of the FOC, we have been asked to pass this message on to our customers to help spread the word. As the Managing Director of Carrentals, I feel especially obliged to help where I can so I’d urge anyone that this might affect to read on…   Crime Hotspot Source Easily the worst crime blackspot Read more…

When we put our minds to it and have a long hard think, most of us can plan and organise a trip abroad pretty well, can’t we? Passports, tickets, luggage/customs requirements, insurance, travel money, health provisions, all those sorts of things. But let’s be honest, how often do we really put our minds to things and have long hard thinks about things…?! It’s pretty easy to forget stuff. And if you’re making a first trip overseas or are just a fairly disorganised type of person, you run the risk of coming unstuck when you’re away.   Cheers, FCO! Source That’s why the good ol’ government have stepped in and come up with a brand new travel guide for anyone and everyone planning a trip abroad. The Foreign & Commonwealth Office (or ‘FCO’ for short) have unveiled their new information pack which aims to help out travellers by running them through exactly what steps they need Read more…

Summer is everyone’s favourite season, isn’t it? Well, unless you’re a snowman, that is (we’ll assume you’re not…). You get the best weather in the Summer a start. Well, normally you do! It’s been a bit of a monsoon season this year, but we’ve still had some sunshine in between the rain drops. And with the Queen’s Jubilee, Olympics and Paralympics recently, these last few months have been pretty special. And now they’re over. It’s Autumn. And it’ll be Winter soon… But don’t let that get you down! Let’s keep our chins up and look on the bright side. And what better way to do it than by heading to somewhere nice for a couple of days? Weekend breaks, that’s what we’re talking about. And here are few ideas for you…   Lobsters in Cornwall The Portloe Harbour in Cornwall is one of the nicest little spots in the county and has some of the Read more…

Notice anything different? You may have noticed something different about us recently… No, it’s not our hair. It’s the brand new look of the website! That’s right, we had a total style overhaul and we’re now looking better than ever. Well, we certainly think so anyway. And we know that you agree, after all – it was you lot out there that helped design it for us!   Time for a change… We felt it was time for a change, so your favourite car hire comparison site (that’s us) decided it was time for a new look and so sought out the opinions of the people that matter most to us, our customers (that’s you…). We sent out surveys to users of the site, with a range of different ideas and designs and eagerly awaited your feedback. Once the results were in, we passed your thoughts on to the techies we keep locked away down Read more…

Source   This Saturday, the Olympic Flame is set to begin it’s journey across the UK through the hands of about 8000 Torchbearers.   Source The relay will begin at Lands End in Cornwall and will begin its journey through over 1000 Towns and Cities. The great thing is that, not only will the torch be carried through the big Town’s and Cities, it will also be carried through to rural areas such as Sarnau in West Wales to Aviemore in Scotland. These places don’t usually get the opportunity to be involved in big events such as this so will be a great opportunity for them to raise their communities profile. We’ll be posting our photos of the torch passing our office and if the torch is coming to where you are, we’d love it if you would share your photos on our Facebook and Twitter pages! Source The torch is said to be reaching Read more…

Source London has recently been named as the worlds best Holiday Destination. Why? Well to start with, London is the biggest City in Europe and has something to offer every tourist with its many attractions – and not to mention with the Olympic games taking place in London this year! London also offers fantastic transport links which makes it easy to access not only for people within Britain, but also to the rest of the world with flights coming in to the London Airports of Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted. So let’s take a look at why London is such a hit with the tourists this year…   The Olympic Games 2012 Source I think it can safely be said that this is the number one reason to visit London this year! With the building of the Olympic Park and a new £60 million Olympic Cable Car, you’ll be able to see stunning panoramic views the Read more…

Source The Olympic Games begin in just 100 days so to help you get organised we’ve created a breakdown of the events and locations – all you need to do to book your car hire is click on the location link and we’ll take you straight to a search for that location. Demand is high so don’t forget to book well in advance!   25th July Football – Women’s preliminaries (2 matches) – Coventry, Cardiff and Glasgow   26th July Football – Men’s preliminaries – Coventry, Newcastle, Manchester and Cardiff   27th July Archery – Lords Cricket Ground, London. Opening Ceremonies – Olympic Park, London   28th July Football – Women’s preliminaries – Coventry, Cardiff and Glasgow Events in London or nearby on this date: Archery, Badminton, Basketball, Beach Volleyball, Cycling – Road, Equestrian – Eventing, Fencing, Gymnastics – Artistic, Handball, Judo, Shooting, Swimming, Table Tennis, Volleyball and Weighlifting. Rowing – Eton Dorney, Buckinghamshire   29th July Read more…