Five reasons why a self-guided car rental holiday is best

Are you heading off on your next holiday and you’re not sure whether to hire a rental car or be part of a group tour? There are advantages and disadvantages to both, so it’s important to carefully consider your options before making a decision.

Here are five reasons why a self-guided car rental holiday is the best.

Freedom to change plans last minute

Many tourists enjoy travelling in a group tour because it’s easy and the itinerary is planned for them. However, the downside is that they’re often stuck with a strict itinerary and little room for flexibility. In a hire car, you travel at your own pace and take a break when you want. When you drive past an attraction you really like, you can stop, admire and take photos without being hurried along. If you drive into a town and decide last minute you’d like to stay the night, you can do so without any hassle.

Privacy please

Why get stuck on a group tour when it can be just you and your lover? Group tours are great for meeting other people. However, when you’re on a tour bus surrounded by others, they also mean that there’s little privacy. In a car rental, you have the entire space to yourselves. You can have your own private conversations and turn up the music without annoying anybody else while they try to relax.

It’s cheap as chips

Hiring a car isn’t as expensive as you’d think. In fact, it’s significantly cheaper than paying for a group tour, you just need to find the right deals. DriveNow is a great comparison website, which allows you to compare the prices of different car hire companies, car models, insurance policies, pick-up locations etc. You can hire a Nissan Micra for a week with unlimited kilometres for a bit over $200. Or you can upscale to a 4WD and pay a little more. It just depends on what you want and what type of terrain you’ll be covering.

Go off the beaten track

A car rental holiday also allows you to get to places that the tour companies miss, either because they don’t know about some great, less popular locations or they simply don’t have time to fit them all in. Why not drive and get lost? Find yourself cruising down a road along the coast or in the middle of nowhere, and you’ll be surprised at what you come across. You'll find amazing, hidden places that you never would’ve known about on a group tour that sticks to the tourist trail.

Comfortable

In the comfort of your own hire car, you can turn up the heater, air conditioner, adjust your seat, kick off your shoes, have your windows down, etc. All without affecting other people, unlike a group tour. Comfort is priceless and it’s extremely important if you want to make the most of your holiday.

BRIANNA PIAZZA

Brianna Piazza

Brianna Piazza is an Australian television reporter and part-time travel blogger. Originally from Melbourne, she's currently living in Cairns where she works for WIN News and spends her weekends exploring the outdoors Far North Queensland.

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