But there are a few things you need to know if you want to avoid a car rental disaster. First of all there are some preconditions you need to satisfy, otherwise you will not receive the key for your booked car.

You must have

1. A valid driving license. And possibly an international driving license.
2. There may be a precondition that the driver is older than 21 years.
3. A credit card. Most car rental companies do not accept prepaid credit cards or cards with a printed number. It must be possible to impress the card number on a special paper form. For expensive cars, two cards may be required; one of them should be American Express or Diners in such cases. If a company rents a car for an employee, the credit card can be replaced by a corporate contract combined with a customer card issued by the car rental company. The employee can carry this customer card instead of a credit card, if this is allowed in the corporate contract.

If you ignore one of these requirements, you will just not get your car.

Before you rent a car you should take also a closer look at some conditions of the car rental company.

Important issues may be:

• The opening hours of the car rental outlet, if you need to get your car outside of usual business hours.
• How many kilometers or miles are included in the price, and what is the cost of an extra kilometer?
• Which insurance is included in the price? Are a crash damage waiver and a loss damage waiver included? If not, what is the additional cost?
• Are there any additional fees, like taxes and airport fees or late hour service fees, and how expensive are they?

Limitations of Use
If you plan that more than one person is going to drive the car, there may be a fee for each additional driver. You may also find additional fees for one way rentals. And usually there are restrictions where you can use the car. (E.g. only in the country where you rent your car and not off road)

Foreign Tax Savings
If you rent a car in a foreign county, you may save some tax expenses by using a car rental broker. In this case you will have a contract with the broker. He will issue a voucher for you. You will still need your credit card as guarantee for any damages of the car. The car broker will not pay VAT or local sales taxes if you are not a resident of the country, where you rent the car. In this case the contract with the broker spells out the extra fees for insurance, additional drivers etc. You should carry not only the voucher, but also the paper spelling out these conditions. And you should have an emergency phone number of the car broker to deal with any disputes that may arise with the car rental company.

Avoid Unpleasant Surprises
These are the basic secrets you need to know if you rent a car. They should help to protect you from unpleasant surprises at the counter of a car rental company.

There are two security relevant topics you should take care of: Your travel schedule and your luggage.

Airport Security and Your Travel Plan
If you travel from e.g. Manchester to San Diego, you will have several choices: You can look for a direct flight, or for a flight with only one transfer. Or you could look for the cheapest flight, or the flight with your preferred airline. In our example, there is no direct flight from Manchester to San Diego. But you could fly with Delta from Manchester to Atlanta, and connect there to a flight to San Diego. Or you could take a flight or train to London, and fly from there via Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, New York or other hubs to San Diego. This way you could choose between many connections, giving you flexibility in the timing of your trip, and possibly access to a cheaper fare. But what does that mean for the security of your journey, and how does airport security affect you in these cases?

Although you can check in your luggage in Manchester, and pick it again in San Diego, you will have to pass security screening every time you change a plane. They will have at least to check your hand luggage again, and look for dangerous items. The reason is, that somebody could deposit a weapon in the transit area, e.g. an airport worker, and somebody else could pick it up while changing the plane.

Airport Security and Your Luggage
It can be simple and almost painless to pass the security check at the airports, if you avoid dangerous or suspicious items in your hand luggage, and conform with all regulations regarding the luggage you check in. You have access to your hand luggage in your plain. You cannot carry items, which could be used as a weapon, like knifes, scissors, any tools like screw drivers, hammers, box cutters etc. And you should carry only small quantities of chemicals which could be explosives. I am talking about skin care products, tooth paste, but also beverages, even plain water.
In the luggage you check in, tools and sharp items are allowed. But some items will result in a personal check of your luggage by a security worker: This can be any bigger metallic item, also a battery. Even a glass of honey or olive oil may lead to a request that you should open your box. This is necessary, and cannot be avoided. The fasted and least disturbing attitude is to cooperate with the airport security people, and follow their directions.

Additional Tips
Avoid all jokes about security measures at the airport. If you tell the security officer that in your box is a bomb, he may believe you. And do not leave your luggage unattended. A box left in the airport which does not belong to a person, can result in an alarm, even up to the closure of the terminal by airport security services. And it is at least possible, that you will receive a big bill, if your forgotten piece of luggage triggered the alarm.

Conclusion:
To avoid unhappy encounters with airport security systems, you should fly as directly as possible, with few connecting flights. You should avoid dangerous or suspicious items in your hand luggage. If you have to carry suspicious things in your checked luggage, plan for enough time to pass the check. Never react with anger or stress, if a security official asks you to open your box. Never leave your luggage unattended. Check, whether you carry all luggage before you leave the airport.

You find a list of items you should avoid while flying at the Transportation Security Administration’s website at http://www.tsa.gov