Oslo is the government center and economic hub of Norway; it is also renowned as the home of the Noble Peace Prize. This city has many exciting sights and natural phenomenon which makes it worth having on one’s travel bucket list.
Travel it has been said is one of the best forms of education. No wonder many institutions of learning include excursions in their extra-curricular activities. And through the years, the benefit of this activity (excursion) has always been reaffirmed.
Apart from travel for students, people also take time off to see the world. Some do this for health reasons, others for psychological reasons and some others just for the fun of it.
Student groups or tour groups usually have no issues with transportation as the organizers take the trouble of organizing their movements. But individual tourists have the responsibility of organizing their transportation themselves. And it is this group of people who need to understand bilutleie Oslo which means car rental in Oslo.
Let us not be narrow in our categorization however as businessmen too might need to engage the services of car rentals in the city. So we can safely say that any visitor to the city would need to know how to rent a car in the city.
Understanding The Geography Of Oslo
Geographically, Olso sits atop the Oslofjord and is surrounded by mountains and forests. There are approximately 40 islands in the city and around it. And the most significant of these mountains is Malmøya; closest to Oslofjord.
This city also has many lakes; about 343 and the largest one Maridalsvannet which is the main source of portable water for the city.
Although this city has one of the largest landmass in the country, it ironically has a small population in comparison to other capitals in Europe. It is mostly filled with lakes, forests, hills and parks that are well protected; about 2/3 of the area.
The climate in the city of Oslo is milder that what is expected from its latitude. This is because the Gulf of Mexico brings in warm water. Although some people believe that the best time to visit the city is in winter, it has been discovered that its summers are not bad either. You can have an enjoyable visit because the season is usually warm and mild.
These summer months are between May and August. There can be days when the city experiences 24 hour daylight. There’s this famous phenomenon that occurs in June or July and that is the sun appearing at midnight.
The winter season makes for excellent activities such as ice-skating, skiing, ice fishing. All these geographical delights are what make Oslo a great relaxation spot. In additional to these, there are also great museums where a lot of historical artifacts can be explored.
This therefore means that the city is not only great for vacation and relaxation but also history, anthropological and archaeological excursions.
From the brief explanation we have given about the city, you can deduce that the roads in Oslo would not like roads in maybe New York or London. This therefore would affect the type of car you should consider renting while in the city.
That being said however, you may want to read the full details of this city from this link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oslo. In the meantime, let’s give you tips on getting car rental in the city.
Tips For Car Rentals In Oslo
The following are some of the tips that would get you get a good deal not only in Oslo but from anywhere in the world:-
Conduct Thorough Research Before Hand
Ignorance is not bliss when you have to rent a car in a strange land. It is important that you read up on everything that you can about the place you are travelling to. Additionally, you need to also understand all about best practices in the car rental industry.
After that it is also important to understand the terrain of the city, know where the gas stations are situated. This would enable you not be feel pressured to take the car hire company’s offer for gas (of course it wouldn’t be cheaper).
Book In Advance
Booking in advance gives you the advantage of shopping around to find the best deals. When you start out on time, you also stand a chance of getting special discounts and rates. There are websites that help you with comparison shopping. So don’t fail to take advantage of them.
Do Not Do Airport Rentals
It is a fact that using a car rental service in the airport is quite convenient; just step off the airplane and drive off to your destination. But that’s where the convenience eds. You have to pay way higher than if you were to go into the city to get a car.
The reason for this is logical. These airport rental services pay extra fees and taxes than the ones in the city. They therefore would include these charges in their overhead cost would have to be offset by the end user.
Leverage membership Of Auto Associations
There are associations that belonging to them gives you an advantage when it comes to car hire services. If you have a Costco or AAA membership, you can use it to get up to 10% or more discounts on car rentals.
Programs such as frequent flier can also earn you discounts when you want to rent a car. However note that some frequent flier programs would require that you rent a car from the airport. But all the same, they are still worth checking out.
Stick To The Essentials
Most car rental agencies would offer you a number of extras such as GPS, road assistance and satellite radio. These things are cool if you are not on a budget, but if you are, it is best to stick to the bare essentials that the rental fee covers.
Use Your Own Insurance
It is best to use your insurance when renting a car. That is why it is important to find out what your insurance covers especially on overseas trip. In fact some overseas trip requires that you buy insurance even if you are already covered by your credit card or primary car insurance.
That is why it is highly important to know what is obtainable in the country you are travelling to. It wouldn’t do for legalities to rob you of the joy of your vacation, excursion or business trip.
Ensure You Take Pictures Of The Car
When you have settled all the paper work for the car, ensure that you take pictures of the car before you drive off. In fact do so in the presence of a rep of the agency; if possible have them in the picture (LOL). This would serve as evidence to the state of the car before and after.
This is highly important as some dubious agencies would try to pass off damage to unsuspecting clients.
As an aside (bonus), taking pictures is a strong way of collecting evidence but we know that some folks can Photoshop or touch up pictures. But thankfully, there are ways of detecting if a picture has been touched up. Click here to find out how.
Conclusion
Travelling is a fun way of learning new things but before you plunge in, make sure you are adequately prepared. In this article, we have shared practical tips that would help you prepare adequately and also get the best out of car rental services when you travel.