There is nothing better than going on a road trip with your friends. The endless roads, occasional stops at beautiful locations, listening to some of the best songs of the decade, and having the company of your friends will make for an awesome trip. But, have you thought of the wear and tear that your car will go through during the trip? If you have recently bought a new car and that too an expensive one, you wouldn’t want to take it out on such a long trip, right? So, what are your alternatives? One, you can ask your friends to bring their car which would be ironical because they may feel the same way about their car as you do, and second, you can hire a 4wd.
Self-drive car rentals have become very popular in the last decade. Unlike car rental services where you will get a lot of stylish cars but they would be driven by a chauffeur, the 4wd concept is completely different. There are additional rules applied to this rental service since you will be the one to drive the car. But, even with the rules and regulations, you cannot deny the fact that a road trip with your friends would be a memorable event in your life. If you are not familiar with how to hire a 4wd, here is a guide that will help:
Visit the website
Every company that offers 4wd rentals will have a website. You can search for the ones that are nearest to your place. Go through the website carefully. You will find booking dates, the type of car you want to rent, the place where you are planning to go, and various other details. Before filling out the details, you should read the terms and conditions of the rental agreement. Understand what they have to say about off-road activities and additional charges that may be applied if you do not follow the rules strictly.
Enter the details to checkout
It is almost like renting a car. You have to provide the basic details like your full name, pickup point, approximate distance that the car will travel, your final destination, number of days for which you want to hire a 4wd, additional amenities if you want any, the date of return and the number of drivers who would be driving the car, and lastly, the car(s) you want to hire. Once you fill out all these details, you will get the total rent you have to pay for the car. In addition to the total rent, you will have to pay a security deposit which is refundable after you return the car. Finish the payment procedure to book the car.
Pick up the car on the date of journey
When the day of the journey arrives, you can visit the office of the rental company and pick up the car you booked. Your license will be checked before you start the journey. Once everything is cleared, you can drive the car away.
What not do after hiring a 4wd?
Your road trip has well and truly begun after you have left the rental company. You think that it is like your own car and you can take it anywhere. Well, that is not the case. 4wd hire companies have a very strict policy on off-road activities. It means you cannot take the car on a path where there is no proper road. There are times when you find a short-cut to reach your destination but it is a muddy road and although there are cars moving up and down that path, they are not 4wd hire cars. Do not even think of taking the hired car on that road. You may well have to pay a hefty fine on returning the car.
These cars are meant to be driven on proper roads and not otherwise. That is why you will see it is clearly specified on the websites that you can enjoy the ride as long as you are on the road. Another thing that you can avoid is to take the car outside the specified location. You may think that a couple of miles extra would be overlooked and you can pay the rent if there is something wrong. It is a violation of the agreement and you can end up in jail for the most bizarre reason for committing to steal the car away.
There is no doubt that hiring a 4wd can save you the embarrassment of having to keep the driver waiting to pick you up. It hardly takes half an hour to get the booking done and you will have your car available at the parking lot of the renting company. One small tip before wrapping up – try to return the car with a full tank. The companies charge an extra amount per gallon for filling up an empty tank.