We rented a car for our tour through Italy. We’ve rented Internationally before so it wasn’t completely new to us but it was the first time we had to do it with a toddler. Here are some helpful tips I learned while traveling and renting a car:
- Do not bring a huge car seat! We actually brought our infant car seat because our son still fit the height and weight requirements. We chose not to rent a car seat because most are forward facing and you don’t know the history of the seat. We felt it was safer to bring our own. If we had brought the normal car seat he sits in it would not have fit in our tiny car. The car seat we brought barely fit! We also left the base at home because you can strap the seat down with a belt.
- Bring a 40-gallon trash bag to check your car seat in at the airport. Most airlines provide car seat bags but some do not and you’ll need to have something to pack it in if they don’t.
- Once you arrive at the airport be prepared to have to walk your luggage to the rental car garage, which can be extremely far away from the terminal. We got a cart and put all our luggage in it and just left the cart at the garage. It was also freaking cold.
- The cars in foreign countries are tiny compared to the U.S. You will likely not be able to pack a ton of stuff in your car so make sure you only take the essentials. It’s also going to be an uncomfortable ride, especially if you’re in the back seat.
- Most gas stations make you pay in advance and you have to go inside to pay the teller directly.
- You should fully expect the roads to be mapped out differently. Make sure you get a GPS with the rental car. It’s worth the extra money. You will get lost if you don’t have one. Guaranteed. We thought Italian driving was relatively simple compared to driving in Ireland.
- There aren’t many places to pull over so try to prepare for your toddler’s needs ahead of time. Hopefully it’s something you can deal with while driving. I fed my son while he was in the car seat because there are no restaurants along the way.
- Make sure you get rental car insurance. You might get in an accident and you need to have it there.
- Keep emergency phone numbers for the country some place where you can easily find it if your in an accident. I had the police, paramedics and other medical numbers printed out and stored in my diaper bag just in case.
Those are all the tips and advice I can think of for now. If I think of any more I will update this list. Wishing you happy driving and a wonderful trip.
Rome, Italy
Mommy's Wild West 