Saving is very important especially when going for a safari, and the saved money can be used on something else very important. Have you ever traveled to Africa mainly Uganda which is well know as the pearl of Africa. The country has very many tourist attractions some of which are untouched, however all these can be best explored either in a self-drive vehicle or with one of our experienced driver who know each and every corner of Uganda. If you want to make some savings on your self drive safari to Uganda or elsewhere and make the best of your trip, try to follow these simple car hire tips you will not fail to save more on your budget and use the saved money for shopping or any other personal nature.
Try to Look beyond brand name
Many car rental companies hire their cars at a very high rate just because of their names, so in order to avoid being over charged try not to concentrate more on booking with popular companies with brand names most of the time their rates are very high when you compare it with other small companies yet they offer the same services. Try looking out for some independent and trusted car hire agency in Uganda that charge lower price and on a discounted rates. Although it’s not a guarantee, it’s on record that independent companies offer cheap and friendly prices for their vehicles. You will find that you’ve saved some good money on the same car.
Avoid airport transfers
For the case of airport transfers, you should not do this mistake of transporting your self form and to the airport which many people do yet they hired a vehicle from the car hire agency. In order to save, always tell the car hire agent to pick and drop you at the airport or get you the car from the location in or around the city or at the airport. Airport pick ups and drop offs are chargeable and hence it ends up increasing your expense by more than 15%, so it’s better to agree with your agency about airport pick up and cover that extra expense, if you negotiate this before you won’t be charged. At Drive Uganda, we offer supplementary airport pick and drop offs for free when you book your rental.
Negotiate well with agent:
If you negotiate well with the car hire agent, you may end up getting the car at a reduced price. Or you may decide to do it one on one with the gent by visiting their offices and try to bargain, you never know you may get a reduced price on your car. Doing this you can be given a less expensive car than the one you confirmed with.
Always get a car that fits your needs and budget:
This is very important in case you want to save on car hire, you must hire a car based on the number of people you are traveling with and your budget constraints, as this will stop you from extra costs. if you’re a sole traveler don’t hire a van or a supper custom because it’s more expensive than a Rav4 which is suitable for 1– 3 people, and if you’re traveling with a family or with a big group from 3-8 people, a van, supper custom, land cruiser extended or a larger sedan is suitable and you can ask for a discount. It’s also advised to communicate your budget and the car of interest, the car hire agency will get it, and in case you need a special item it’s better to let them know because minus telling them, they won’t know and you may need something that may draw you in extra costs, so ask you will be given, for example, you may need a car with a tent. Also ask for discounts, most car hire services offer discounts when you rent for long period say from one week and above,
Try to know the exchange rate
This will also help you to save especially if you’re booking online, try to search online the exchange rate in Uganda shillings or any other rate of any country you’re going to, to avoid disagreeing with the agent about the exchange dollars in Uganda, you can use either the Google converter or XE currency converter. This will help you to know how much 1 USD is equivalent to in the Uganda shillings.
Book Early:
Always it’s better to book earlier before your traveling dates in order to avoid disappointments and last minutes booking. This will help you choose the right car that fits your budget and the number of people you’re traveling with. Moving on the streets of a strange nation looking for a car to hire you may get a wrong choice and expensive car.
