Ireland Car Hire Part Deux

Oh dear baby jesus. There are officially 6 people on the plane to craziness.

That means that our previously booked reservations had to be changed. This included the bitch of the bookings...the rental car. Okay, here is the gist of the great upgrade debacle....

The upgrade from an Irish stationwagon to an Irish minivan a.k.a. people carrier is approximately $500. Holy hell that is more expensive than the per person previously booked rental car we had. We toyed with the idea of renting 2 smaller cars but figured we'd spend more on fuel, soooo, we called Dan Dooley Rental Car for the official quote for an upgrade upon the stationwagon.

What we found out is this. A people carrier is not equivalent to what us Americans think of when we picture a minivan. Yes, technically it will carry 6 passengers, but this is the layout...2 front seats (driver & front seat passenger) a middle bench seat for 3 and the last passenger would have to ride in a flip seat located in the boot of the van. Think of a quad cab pickup truck with the flip down seat in the back. You know the one that nobody wants to sit in because it is terribly uncomfortable. The rental lady tells us that if we use the jump seat in the far back we will also lose precious luggage space. She actually recommended going with the 2 economy cars as they will fit 4 people and 2 suitcases per vehicle. With this arrangement we will have space for 6 pieces of luggage between the 2 cars and more than enough room for our 6 travelers.

On the down side, I will have to drive the entire time as will Joe. On the positive side, both Joe & I enjoy driving so hopefully it won't be a big deal. Another positive is that with economy class cars, we can hire a diesel car vs traditional petrol cars. This means that we will have more fuel efficient cars & potentially actually save some moolah on gas vs spending more for a car that gets minimal miles to the gallon! The last positive side is that with 2 economy cars, the increase in our rental expense is only $100 vs. $500. Okay, thats a bonus.

Look out Ireland there is going to be a US convoy o economy cars with 2 totes inexperiences left side drivers! Things just got more interesting yet again. We're thinking of making a video on how to drive in Ireland from an American's perspective. More to come on that idea...

Ireland Rental Cars

Ok...so this has been by far the most challenging & frustrating portion of planning our trip for Ireland.

I mean there are apparenly tons of hidden fees and charges that I had no idea to ask about before trying to book a reservation. As I said in a previous post, I'm an auto adjuster so part of my daily duties includes dealing with rental cars. All stateside, but that didn't prepare me for this.

Holy crapola! Ok so if you've been reading any of the posts from this blog so far then you know that our trip consists of 5 adults. That means that we need a car big enough for 5 people and 5 people's worth of luggage.

Lesson #1. Ireland's car hire services have cars that say they are big enough for 5 people. Like for example a Ford Fiesta. What the hell, that is a compact car by US standards! What, are we supposed to load people in like clowns in a clown car? I mean Kaylene is the tiniest traveler we have, but I don't think that anyone wants her to sit on anyone's lap for several hours.

Lesson #2. Ireland car rentals have no trunks, no "boots" no storage space and no luggage racks. Again, what the hell! Don't the Irish know that when people travel, especially when people travel overseas they will have most definitely have luggage!

So I found a car that says it will fit 5 peope and 2 pieces of luggage. At this point I'm about to tell everyone that they need to wear everything that they want to wear all layered up. Yes, I realize this means we will look like abomindable snowmen, but it seems plausible at this time. Just think of the positives...we won't have to worry about paying a luggage handline fee at the airline, we will be nice and toasty warm when the weather turns cold and, we will have extra cusioning that we can use for pillows on our flights with all the extra layers of clothes!

I have looked thru the Rick Steves book and several various websites for advice on the best way to go about booking the car rental. First we looked online at Irish Car Hire Brokerage. We found a rental car that was way too good to be true, it was going to be only around 300 Eruo for the entire 13 days we needed it. Upon researching it turns out that the price was for a compact car that they say would fit 5 (I'm thinking 5 Leprechauns), it did not include any insurance, we would be charged extra for driving into Northern Irland and god knows what other ridiculous charges were included. I suggested that we keep looking. All were in agreement.

If you've never traveled outside of the states a good thing to remember is that your local auot insurance will not provide coverage to you once you leave our borders. This means that it is a good idea to purchase rental car insurance in order to protect yourself. I mean can you imaging trying to settle something on an overseas claim and all the problems that could occur due to the time difference alone? Okay again I realize it may be a hazzard of my profession but I can't suggest insurance highly enough considering all the claims I've handled over the years with international travelers who have had accidents in US rental cars while on their vacations.

As for insurance...Lesson #3. Make sure your rental insurance in included in your price quote before you arrive. We have found that if you purchase the coverage at the rental desk upon arrival in Ireland, the price for insurance can double! The other thing is that they have multiple types of insurance that you need to consider. I suggest reading up & asking the various carriers to definde what each covers so you know how you are protected and what gaps in coverage may exist that you can become personally responsible for.

Okay I know that totes got serious for a minute, again I apologize. Job Hazzard!

So what way did we finally go. We called Dan Dooley Car Hire. They seem to have the best reviews about being upfront on their charges/insurance etc. Upon calling we spoke with a wonderfully helpful woman named Doreen. She helped us pick out a car that will fit 5 full size American adults comfortably. She also helped us figure out what insurance we reasonably needed and a car that would fit 2 large suitcases & 2 small suitcases. She also suggested packing in duffle bags that can be shoved & squished around as needed. This woman was awesome! She found a discount for us as well as informing us about prepurchasing toll cards etc. She warned us about what to expect for toll roads & how the rental agency can help us get refunds if we are over charged etc for any given toll road. Doreen, goddess o Dan Dooley also informed us that they do not charge for driving into Northern Ireland and mileage is unlimited! The piece de resistance is that she told me that she would be able to add a 2nd listed driver for free for us. Normally its $100 or more per additional driver. I am in car hire love with this woman!

We are now officially booked for the rental car. Dan Dooley may not have provided us with the lowest quote, but at least we have peace of mind that there will be no hidden fees when we arrive!

So in closing for this post...
Airline booked - Check!
Acommodations booked - Check!
Car Hire booked - Check!

Now onto saving up for food & bevvy. At this point I'm thinking with all the drinking we are planning we might need just as much $$ saved up for food and drink as we did for the bulk of the other bookings :)

Now I feel like I can sit back, sip a wine or two and dream of the magical land o Ireland

((fyi, if you get the chance, google "dark hedges" in Ireland & you'll see why I'm thinking magical Ireland))