Double Checking Travel Plans

One of the best things about the Internet and most companies having an presence there is the ability to check things without having to call someone. Admittedly that means it is harder to talk to a real person but for double checking travel plans, it is a huge benefit. I rarely need to talk to someone about flights, rental cars, or hotels. When I do, I have special phone numbers that get me to a real human quickly.

This month I have several quick trips I am taking. Normally when I make flight reservations I also book a rental car. I have status with National and usually use them. Recently my status increased because of all the renting I did last year. That means I can rent a full-sized car for the price of a compact. It also means I get to the airport and can choose any car from the "Executive" level and don't have to rely on what is available in the "Emerald Isle." Yesterday I logged onto National's website to see if I booked the reservation for one of my trips before or after my status upgrade.

Imagine my surprise when I didn't see my reservation at all. It must have slipped my mind when I booked my flights. Being on the site, I quickly made a reservation. It asked if I wanted to use a free day I have earned and I opted not to as I the weekly rental rate is cheaper than knocking a day off my rental period. It gave me an idea though.

At the end of the month I will be headed to Disneyland with my wife. When I fly into the Los Angeles area I usually take Uber as it is less expensive than renting a car. Unfortunately the politicians in the area seem to be against Uber and keep imposing a number of extra fees which get passed onto the customer. Since I found myself on the rental car website, I decided to get an estimate on the price for a 2-day rental with one of those days being free. It means I will have to pay for hotel parking in Anaheim but it is still significantly less than a one-way ride between Disneyland and the airport. Naturally I made a reservation.

I'm glad I am an anxious traveler and discovered my mistake before assuming I had a rental car reservation. Without doing so, I would have gotten to my destination, jumped in a car on the lot, and then discovered I didn't have a reservation at the most inopportune moment. Yes, I saved myself some embarrassment.