Snowbirds set to enjoy rental discounts

For decades, it has been common for many retirees to flee parts of the northeastern United States and Canada to warmer climates, like

Florida, during the long winter months. The in-flux of tourists to the most popular areas in Florida—such as Miami, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale and

Palm Beach—means that car rental companies in these regions often find that they do not have an adequate number of vehicles in their fleet to meet the surge in demand. Rather than purchasing new cars, most car hire firms have come up with a much more innovative way of solving the shortage—it involves enlisting the renters themselves in a deal whereby they pick-up a rental car in a northern state and drive it down to Florida. When the times comes to return the vehicle, the renter may leave it at any outlet in

Florida and they can travel home by train, or by air. Snowbirds who agree to this type of one-way car hire will find themselves enjoying very significant discounts in the rental fee of the car.

The best time to begin looking for these types of discounts is in early November, just before the start of the winter high season at sun destinations. A range of major firms have been known to cater to snowbirds in this way, including Hertz,

Alamo and National. When these deals are offered, they are typically available on the car hire company’s own website and are usually clearly advertised as snowbird promotional offers. All parties seem to benefit from the snowbird deal. Car hire companies get the cars they need to boost their southern fleet transported from the north, and snowbirds get to enjoy reduced prices in exchange for a little extra driving.

www.alamo.com