Win Free a $500 gift from National Car Rental – and get free rentals
National Car Rental has an exciting new promotion! To celebrate the return of 12Free (when you rent twice, you get a third rental, free!), National Car Rental is giving away $500 of prizes (outlined below) to one lucky reader from this blog!
To enter, here is all that you need to do:
Post a comment below sharing what your ‘Traveler Truth’ is – your rule of the road. For example: ‘pack light and only bring what you need’, ‘cook your meals instead of buying’, ‘if you don’t ask you don’t get’.
The contest will last from now until Midnight EST, November 5th. At that time, I will draw a winner randomly from all valid entries. To be a valid entry, it needs to be a valid ‘Traveler truth’. ‘Arrive on time for your flight’ or something that trivial is not acceptable. You can enter only once. I will be checking email IDs to validate you have entered only once. You email ID must be valid to participate as that is what will be used to communicate with the winner.
Get Closer to a free rental!
In addition to being entered for the drawing, if you email in a screenshot of your comment, mention this blog in the email, and your Emerald Club number to OneTwoFree@ehi.com, you will receive one free rental credit, essentially making the program: Rent One, Get One rental free!!
Furthermore (wait there’s more!), if any you sign up for the 12Free, and refer your Facebook friends or Twitter followers (there will be an option to share once you sign up), you will automatically receive one free rental credit for 12Free, or add on an additional free rental!
The Prize!
The $500 prize from National Can Rental for the winner of the contest is:
National Car Rental’s Traveler Truth Prize Pack – $499.98
• Swiss Army WT Wheeled Tote
• Swiss Army WT Deluxe Garment Sleeve
• One (1) $100 AMEX Gift Card
Enter now – leave a comment below!
** This contest has ended. A winner has been drawn and announced **
Note: All decisions about winning or disqualification are made by UnRoadWarrior and are final! I do not receive any compensation form National Car Rental for running this contest.
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My traveler truth is to be flexible, and in the moment! Enjoy your trip, and its twists and turns. Make the most of your travel time with a positive attitude and an adventurous travel spirit!
Traveler truth is to KNOW inside and out the rules of your primary carriers and hotel chains. There are often benefits and perks that the front-line staff doesn’t seem to know about. If you know what you are entitled too and handle it in a firm, but kind, manner, you can usually make things go your way.
Take video of rental car inside and out at pickup and dropoff. Only takes a minute to use your phone to take the video and you can also comment about the condition while you shoot.
Talk to locals before you go for advice on restaurants and local events.
Rent someone’s condo for a week or more long vacation. They tend to be cheaper than a nice hotel, have more space, and you can cook alot of your own meals to save money on restaurants. (also make a Costco run after arriving)
I always take an aux cable with me when traveling to play music from my iphone in a rental car
Is to understand your way around. Research research research.
Bring a GPS but ALSO a MapQuest or GoogleMap print-out of directions to your destination, in case you hear the dreaded “Lost Satellite” announcement.
Try and be nice to everyone you deal with. Travel karma is important! 😉
Pack lightly and make sure you have room for things you buy on the trip
Learn how to pack everything in a carry on bag to avoid checking bags (& avoid all issues with doing so, such as wasting time waiting for bags, avoid lost bags, keep you from bumps, extra fees, etc.)
Always ask for a map at the rental counter to have just in case. Review your planned route to your hotel, etc so it is fresh in your mind.
I think the number one most important thing on the road as you rent the car is to check that the 12V cigarette jack is working. This summer I was on a road trip which culminated 5000 miles and realized after the first 300 miles that one of the cigarette jack was not working. With kids, I needed one of them to power my laptop which meant no gps… So make sure before leaving the rental area to always double check if your power 12v cigarette jack is working in your car.
PAck only a carryon so no lost luggage and faster arrival at customs.
Always know where you’re going and where to get gas.
Use your cell phone camera to keep backups of IDs, parking spaces, hotel room #s and more!
If you have signed up to get miles from the Dining Rewards program, do a search for participating restaurants around your hotel.
Traveler truth – pack efficiently to avoid checking luggage. It saves money and aggravation, at least sometimes. If you have ever had a misplaced bag in transit, you know what I mean.
My travel truth is to read travel blogs to locate deals before making any travel reservations.
Remember, it never hurts to ask! Those who ask not, have not. Whether it be upgrades, refunds, discounts, etc. you never know 🙂
Be prepared. Make sure you know what the local weather is expected to be, whether you’ll need a power adapter/converter, how the local public transportation system works (whether you’ll need exact change), what the driving rules are, etc. In other words, do your research!
I make a pin board on Pinterest of all the places I want to go before I leave for my trip. I add notes after my trip. That way if I lose my travel notes along the way, I still have all my research carefully cataloged! And I can share good finds with friends.
Pack light and only bring what you need
Before going on any trip, make a map in Google maps that includes your hotels, the airport, car rental agency, and any attractions you are going to see and directions to and from all of them. And most importantly, use the Google maps OFFLINE feature to save this map so you can utilize it even in spotty 3G/4G areas. The peace of mind that comes with always knowing where your going is PRICELESS!
A few truths I am learning as I go: Always ask for perks when traveling – room upgrades, free desserts, car rental upgrades. Plan your check-in times to maximize potential (eg. late evening on a weekday). Don’t hesitate to politely complain when your expectations aren’t met. Sometimes customer relations surprise me!
My traveler truth is to check online blog sites for free advice/stuff and fun things to do on the final destination and travel suitecase light but put on layers of cloths if need be to avoid baggage fee!I even had to wear a woman’s winter coat (a gift for mom!) at end of July to clear carry-on allowance while going thru security check-in at Heathrow…Sweating and uncomfortable for a few minutes but saved me about 30 euros…
My traveler truth: Do lots of research before a vacation, but don’t be afraid to change your schedule once you arrived, based on advice you receive from locals.
After booking a room online I always email the hotel directly and tell them its my anniversary. Who cares if your not married or have a significant other. There is always a anniversary for something, like the first time you bought your puppy or the first time you subscribed to HBO, who cares the fact of the matter is there is always a anniversary out there for something to celebrate in you life. So let the hotel know in a email and you most likely will either get a room upgrade or maybe even a bottle of champagne. Trust me it work and this is the ‘Traveler Truth’.
If something can be delayed, then plan on it being delayed.
My travel truth is make copies/scan important travel documents in case you loss your originals and need to replace them.
don’t stress
Travel truth is “improvise!”
If you have one foot in yesterday and one foot in tomorrow you pee all over today. Enjoy today and where you are!
Be courteous to the rental associates and there is no harm in asking for an upgrade or for a particular car that you want!. Some associates go out of their way and pull out cars that are not on the lot. I also ask agents for suggestions when I visit a rental station that I have not been to before, they are usually aware of the cool cars on the lot and give them off if nobody has reserved them.
I was given a convertible once!…happy travelling!
Plan early and have a back up plan
be nice, be patient, be flexible, be understanding, be open, have fun!
Wash your hands frequently when traveling.
Always take it easy – it will sort out eventually…
As Hurricane Sandy has shown this week, always be flexible and patient in your travel.
Treat driving like riding tiger — and you will be safe 🙂
I truly never leave home without my Plat Amex card. It gets me into airline lounges, gets me airline credit for free bags, and gets me the highest tier on National Car Rental.
Have a plan B for each aspect of your trip (an alternate flight, hotel, car rental, etc.).
Always take a copy of your drivers license\passport.
Kindness and patience is my travel secret…actually, my secret to life!
The key to traveling every week is winkle free clothing! Yes they will still have to be ironed when you get to your final destination to make yourself look snazzy for your day at the client site, but you can iron your clothing in 30 seconds or less vs traditional ironing that can take up to 3-5 minutes a shirt!
I always pack 2 extra pair of socks and underwear- you never know when you are going to need them.
Put a security code on your phone when traveling so if it is taken they dont get all your info.
Always always bring more underwear than you will probably use!
My travel truth (maybe more of a tip?) is to shop the prepared foods aisle in grocery stores when traveling to save time and money on lunches.
Always pack a 6 to 12 foot extension cord with multiple outlets. They cost $6 and can be used in hotels where outlets are poorly placed, and more importantly, in airports where the outlets are usually not near seating. After Hurricane Sandy, I would also say invest in a travel power pack. You never know when you’ll need power on the road or in an emergency at home.