The Future of Your Holiday and Car Hire in Spain

Now that Gatwick airport is up for sale is there anyone out there with a spare couple billion?? Nope? In that case, we´ll leave it to the experts and await the increased services and facilities and improved general use of the airport with baited breath.

BAA has had control of the major London airports for over 40 years and some would say this has led to a certain level of complacency and slipping standards. From personal experience, travelling every couple of months using mainly Gatwick of all the UK airports I would say it is quite easy to think the London airports are ahead of many other smaller airports as there is generally more on offer to do, eat, shop etc. but when thinking about it I would say that the South terminal could learn a few things from the North terminal, the toilet facilities could be less than 10 minutes walk from wherever you are, the WHSmith could be expanded as the queues are always horrendous, they could add a wifi area to avoid the fact when you use the pay-as-you-go computers for the net, they are located just under the departure screens so at any one time you could have anyone reading over your shoulder as you update your facebook blog with the latest delayed time (maybe they have this already and I just haven´t found it yet...) - bearing all of this in mind, I am very interested as a regular user of Gatwick airport as to how things can be improved.

Bringing in a new owner is expected to increase the level of competition between the major London airports with each competing for trade. Fares could be cut (or at least not increased with the increase in fuel charges), better facilities could be put in the airports including a larger departure lounge in the South terminal (very valid suggestion I say!) and generally, using the airport could be made a more pleasant experience.

With a swifter operation within the airport we would enjoy travelling more and be more inclined to book that extra trip, whilst all the time thinking, now we have Simply Car Hire Spain, a fantastic company offering great deals for our car hire in Spain, it´s about time we had a great company also offering an enhanced airport experience!

Making the most of your Spanish car insurance

Do you know the difference between the various car hire insurance options when you book your Spanish car hire? If not, then read on...

When booking car hire in Spain, or indeed in most places, you will usually find that basic insurance is covered in any of the car hire deals on offer. With this you will normally find there is an excess to pay in case of any damage or accident and this is normally around £1,000 but can be as much as £2,000. It is only when you reach the car hire desk you may sometimes find that this excess does not cover any damage to the tyres or windows for example and there is often a separate premium to pay for to cover those. As many people would take more care when driving on foreign roads, the extra cover would normally be taken up to give that extra peace of mind.

Luckily, thesedays our partners in bringing you affordable and safe car hire, CarTrawler, have introduced a Zero Excess Insurance that will protect you the driver from any excess charges when you hire a car. For a basic daily premium you can have any potential excess charges taken care of so that you are covered in any event and the amount you pay for the initial car hire is the total and final amount you would have to pay when booking your Spanish car hire.

The new Zero Excess Insurance is considered a very useful cover to have and since its introduction has proved very popular.

For additional safety, make sure you book your car hire in Spain through a reputable firm offering high levels of customer service and able to answer any questions you may have regarding your car hire policy.

Car hire in Spain - Surviving Spanish roads!

Driving abroad need not be the biggest worry of your holiday if you are armed with the right information and know the most important aspects of tackling foreign roads. If you are using car hire in Spain during the summer months it is wise to be even more careful as there is a much higher road police presence across Spain and especially in the majority of the busiest holiday locations. To help you we have put together some of the basics to help you make the most of your Spanish car hire.

1) One of the biggest differences to note when driving in Spain is that you drive on the right hand side of the road. Rather than being something quite scary, once you have started out on the Spanish roads it is quite natural to follow everyone else and the novelty of going around roundabouts "the wrong way" wears off after a couple of circuits.

2) Documents: As a UK citizen you will need to have your full valid passport with you at all times in addition to your driving license, preferably the newer style photocard version as well as insurance documents and registration documents. If stopped you will be asked to produce all/any of these.

3) Officially hands-free kits with ear pieces are illegal, as are sat-navs so beware when thinking you are on the right side of the Spanish law when you may not be....

4) Seat belts are obligatory both in the front and the back.

5) Spain has stricter drink-driving laws than the UK - 0.5 miligrams to the 0.8 allowed in the UK so the lax holiday driving regulations expected are far from true. New drivers are subject to practical alcholoc exclusion limits. On-the-spot fines are quite usual.

6) As in the UK, speed trap cameras are popular. As are unmarked police cars.

7) Visibility vests are compulsory for all drivers. You need to ensure you have a reflective jacket for use at any time of the day you are involved in an accident as well as 2 red warning triangles and also spare bulbs and the means to change them should you need to as well as spare glasses if you wear them.

8) Speed limits vary across the roads and can also change within the same stretch of road but the limits are well sign-posted so do pay attention. Generally, motorways (autopistas) have a 120km/hr limit, a dual carriageway (autovia) may vary from 80km/hr to 110km/hr, national roads may have limits up to 100km/hr and roads in more built up areas are also clearly marked.

9) Slip roads are also used very differently in Spain...They are generally shorter and do not always serve as the easiest of routes on to a big road. You can expect to have to stop at the end of a slip road as you won't always be allowed out straight away.

And finally, book your Spanish car hire via a reputable firm who will ensure that you will only ever be given a car that is equipped with all the necessary items, allowing you to enjoy all Spain has to offer you.