Whether you’re traveling on vacation or for business purposes, Stavanger, Norway is a beautiful city to stay in. In fact, it’s one of the oldest cities in the entire country, its origins dating back to the 12th century. To say that it’s an iconic tourist destination is a bit of an understatement considering how many people go every year.
Throughout the city, there are all sorts of things to do and enjoy. The fjords are a popular sight, of course, given that it’s hard to see them outside of Norway. Stavanger just so happens to offer gorgeous views of them, so it’s quite popular for that purpose. Of course, the cultural sites that can be visited and appreciated are icing on the already great cake.
Business ventures are plenty popular here as well, although that might come as a surprise given everything else that people go to do and see. However, because it’s the oil capital of Norway, many businesspeople flock to the city seeking out new opportunities. It may even serve as a spot for conferences and the like.
The thing is, traveling in your car in tow isn’t exactly a common thing to do. In fact, it’s so expensive and inconvenient that most travelers simply don’t bother. That means that once they arrive at their destination, they’ll need to have a rental vehicle already arranged. How does that work?
Well, it’s a surprisingly critical part of trip planning, if you didn’t already know that. Lots of first-time travelers don’t take it into account during the planning process and they might even arrive for their vacation and/or business trip without any pre-arranged transportation. Clearly, this can be a pretty big mistake, so follow along if you want to know how to prevent that!
Why a Rental Car is Such a Big Deal for Travel
For anyone who isn’t super familiar with traveling, it can be easy to assume that you’ll be able to figure out transportation super easily. Unfortunately, this often is not the case. The thing is, it is rather difficult to just waltz into a car dealership or lending depot and walk out of there with a vehicle in an hour. In fact, it’s almost entirely unheard of for that to happen.
The thing is, there’s a lot involved with renting a car, no matter where you’re doing it. Of course, some changes are depending on what country you’re visiting, so that’s just one more reason that it may be a good idea to book ahead of time if possible. While in some cities there are a lot of public transportation options, in others, there might not be. On top of that, you may just prefer to drive a car instead of taking those options for comfort or safety reasons.
What Renters Need to Think About
Before diving right in, you may want to at least make a mental checklist of a few things. For instance, consider what your budget will be. That will play a big role in determining what type of car you end up renting, after all, and could change where you hire it from. Obviously, where you’ll be traveling is part of the equation, but in this case, it’ll be Stavanger.
So, as you plan out your trip, you’ll probably want to do some research into where you’re visiting. As was mentioned, Stavanger is a historic city and a popular tourist destination for good reasons. The dealerships and rental companies there will likely be able to assist you with any questions if you consult with them as well, so it may be worth looking at sites such as https://www.leiebilguiden.no/norge/stavanger/ if you’re not sure where to start.
Additionally, though, you’ll want to consider how long you’ll need the rental. Seeing as that can play a part in what your budget will be, it can be a pretty big deal. A lot of places change per day, so obviously it’s something to be aware of. Beyond that, you may have to bring along some documentation or provide proof of identity when you go to pick up the car, so that’s also one thing you can ask about before you go on the trip.
Are There Requirements?
Most of us probably wish that there wasn’t a bunch of red tape to cross through when trying to rent for a vacation, but the fact of the matter is that there are a lot of requirements to be aware of before you even try to arrange something like this. Age limit is a big one that disappoints a lot of travelers in particular. Often, it’s as high as 19 – you can’t rent out a vehicle if you’re younger than that.
Of course, that’s probably not an issue for anyone on a business trip or the like, but it could be something to keep in mind if you are a student or recently graduated and are looking to go out and explore the world. You may need to figure out another way to travel.
However, if you do fulfill that requirement, there’s still the rest to figure out. Insurance is another sticking point that can be somewhat difficult for some consumers. Inquire with your current insurance company if they cover rental cars or not, since there are risks involved beyond the typical accident or crash concern. Theft could happen, and that could quickly turn into a disaster.
Current Insurance Company
If your current insurance company doesn’t offer coverage for rentals, though, that doesn’t mean that you’re entirely out of luck. Instead, you can talk to the rental company to see what they have for you to utilize. Unfortunately, it is something else that you’ll need to budget for, so it doesn’t hurt to do this pretty early on in your planning.
One last thing for this section is the fact that often, these rental organizations will require anyone who uses their cars to have a good driving record. You may have to provide proof of your driver’s license and the fact that you don’t have any incidents on record. This won’t always be the case, but it’s never a bad idea to be prepared.
Plan Ahead
Out of everything covered today, if there is one takeaway to focus on, it’s this one. Undeniably, the most important part of any trip is to plan ahead and try to account for all sorts of possibilities. Part of this will involve doing your research, of course.
Did you know that a lot of the rentals at airports will charge you an extra fee for renting from them there? It’s a “service” fee of sorts, or a convenience one – however you want to think of it. This can be quite frustrating, especially if you weren’t expecting something like that. However, you can easily dodge this problem by arranging with a rental company ahead of time and simply taking one of the free airport shuttles to that location. Then, you don’t have to worry about those additional charges.
On a bit of a different note, but in a similar vein, there are certain common practices that everyone should be following when they are renting a car. The first that we’ll touch upon is that you should pretty much stick to paved roads when you can. Why is that? Well, a lot of companies include statements on that in their contracts. Beyond that, though, there’s also just the fact that unpaved roads can cause a lot of damage to the underside of a vehicle.
Additionally, before you drop it off with the dealership, it’s good practice to fill up the gas tank. If you do that, you can end up dodging a hefty fee from the dealership itself for filling it. After all, they tend to charge a whole lot more than a gas station will.
How to Find Them
Finally, let’s briefly discuss how you can find a rental company. Depending on where you’re travelling to this might look different. Thankfully, here in Stavanger, there are a few options that you can check out. If you search “Stavanger rental cars” you’ll probably be able to find what you’re looking for. You may also want to try “Stavanger cars for hire,” since that’s a common translation for the Norwegian words that equate to rentals.
Talking to customer service if you’re ever uncertain is another way you can get help in terms of finding the type of car that you’re looking for. Sometimes it’s just a good idea to talk to the source, after all, to get a better idea of what to expect. However, if you’re not keen on that, there are still other options.
Travel agents are a fairly popular service, and they can certainly assist you with planning your trip in this way. In fact, there’s a good chance that they’ll mention transportation at least once throughout your consultation. If not, though, you can just bring it up and ask for their recommendations.
Checking out travel blogs can also give you some tips if you’re still feeling a little lost, whether it’s on how the process of a rental goes or if you’re just looking for some inspiration for what you can do around Stavanger! Honestly, there are just a ton of resources out there that we can tap into when we want to, so start your preparations as soon as you possibly can! That way, once you arrive at your destination, you’ll be able to sit back and relax rather than stress out.
