Car Rental Destination Guides

How Iceland rental insurance works, F-road rules, vehicle choice by season, and what to expect at Keflavik. Based on supplier terms and official road authority guidance.

Portugal is genuinely built for road trips — competitive market, good roads, manageable distances. The two things worth understanding before you book: the excess on the base CDW, and how the Via Verde toll system works.

Italy rewards a car for the right itinerary — Tuscany, Umbria, the Dolomites, Puglia. Cities are a different calculation. This covers the IDP requirement, how ZTL restricted zones work and how to avoid fines, and what the Italian rental market looks like before you book.

Ireland is one of Europe's best self-drive destinations — the west coast routes are only reachable by car. The two things to understand before you book: how the CDW excess works here, and that the fleet is predominantly manual transmission.

Croatia's roads are good, the driving is easy, and a car opens up the Adriatic coast and islands in a way nothing else does. The one thing worth understanding before you book: border crossings into Bosnia or Montenegro require a simple arrangement at pickup — not at the border.

Greece has a large and competitive rental market — more than 60 suppliers at Athens alone, with economy cars running well under $30/day in shoulder season. Two things worth understanding before you book: what standard CDW excludes on island roads, and the ferry rule — coverage is void the moment your car is on the water.

Morocco rewards self-drive travel between its cities and along the coast — the road network is better than most first-time visitors expect. The insurance system is the one thing worth understanding before you book: the excess is high, and what's included varies more by supplier here than in most destinations.

Spain has one of Europe's most competitive rental markets — strong local brands, low prices at the main tourist airports, and roads that connect everything worth seeing outside the cities. Two things to sort before you book: what the CDW excess actually means, and how the 2026 Low Emission Zones work for rental drivers.

France rewards road-trippers outside Paris — the Loire Valley, Provence, Burgundy, and the Riviera are all built around having a car. Two things to understand before you book: how the autoroute toll system works (pay by distance, not a vignette), and what the Crit'Air emissions sticker means for driving in Paris and major cities.

Hawaii is four different rental decisions, one per island. Maui, the Big Island, and Kauai are built around having a car. Oahu depends on your itinerary. This covers what each island needs, what the real cost looks like after fees, and how to book without getting caught by the price swings that hit Maui and Kauai every peak season.

Costa Rica rewards renting if your trip moves between regions — the road network connects the volcanoes, the cloud forest, and both coasts better than any shuttle schedule. The one thing worth understanding before you book: a piece of the insurance is legally mandatory, no matter what coverage you already carry, and which airport you fly into shapes the whole trip.

Cancun's roads are good and the rental market is large, but the online booking flow rarely shows the full cost before you fly. The one thing worth understanding before you book: several suppliers don't present the mandatory insurance decision online at all, and the base rate carries its own fee stack on top.