Robert Gillespie, Author at Indigo Car Hire

Reduced Car Parking Charges In Northern Ireland

April 8, 2014 Robert Gillespie Travel News Comments Off

Lower car parking charges are to be introduced into 25 locations in Northern Ireland for a trial period of up to 6 months.

In total, 93 car parks operated by Roads Service are to charge £1 for five hours parking.

Regional Development Minister Danny Kennedy said it would help attract more shoppers to towns and cities.

The initiative, which comes into operation on Saturday, was first tried over Christmas and New Year.

However, it will exclude Belfast.

Mr Kennedy said: “Local retailers have told me that they are continuing to operate in a challenging environment.

“This will support both the local economy and their efforts to encourage more shoppers back into towns and cities across Northern Ireland.”

Among the town and cities benefiting are Coleraine, Armagh, Ballymena, Enniskillen, Londonderry and Omagh.

New Location Alanya City

April 7, 2014 Robert Gillespie Car Hire News Comments Off

Turkey has always been a tricky location for us to arrange car hire as the suppliers are limited which is why we are so happy to announce our brand new location, Alanya city. Formerly known as Alaiye the city is a very popular beach resort for holiday goers in the Mediterranean region of Turkey. Due to its popularity we really wanted firstly to see if our customers can hire cars here so we got in contact with some of the car rental within the area.

As previously stated we eventually managed to arrange this with great difficulty, however the supplier that we managed to arrange this with also allowed our customers to have a further two deals which include…

Car Hire Without A Credit – Typically when you are trying to hire a car then you will need to have a credit card in order to make the payment which can be inconvenient for several people. The deal we have managed to arrange allows you to be able to hire at Alanya with a debit card given that it meets the suppliers restrictions. As these restrictions differ, depending on the location, it is always best to call or email us prior to making a booking.

Low Deposit – One of the struggles people often encounter when wanting to hire a car is the deposit amount, deposits can be exceptionally on occasions can be exceptionally high. Often when people need to hire a car it’s at quite an expensive time as you have paid for the holiday, accommodation and the rental so the last thing you want is to have a massive deposit of up to £3,000 held on your card for the duration of your rental. The deal we arranged with the supplier means that they will only take a 200 Euro deposit significantly cheaper than most.

If you are interested in getting the best offers and deals within Alanya then simply call us on +44 (0)113 880 0748 or email us at sales@thealternativeagency.co.uk and we will be happy to help arrange this for you.

Top destinations for walking holidays

April 4, 2014 Robert Gillespie Spain, Travel Advice Comments Off

Want to experience nature at its absolute best? No two walking holidays are the same, whether you want a luxurious walk or a challenging climb these holidays are for you.

There are several top walking destinations both in the UK and Overseas, we have narrowed down some of the top destinations we think you may enjoy.

Hadrian’s Wall – England (Moderate)

This lovely walk starts in Newcastle by the side of the beautiful River Tyne where modern life meets traditional. Eventually passing by the jaw droppingly wonderful rural town of Lanercost and as you go through the steel rigg you come upon Chollerford where their is a fully maintained Roman fort, something you will never experience anywhere else in the world.

Walks in the sound of music – Austria (Easy)

A delightful themed walk of “the sound of music”.Have the once in a lifetime chance to hike in the footsteps of Empress Elisabeth, both the Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary and wife to Franz Joseph. The walk will also take you past the majestic lake St.Wolfgang, this historic hike is not one to be missed.

Costa Blanca – Spain (Hard)

Lovely winter sunshine across this challenging walk in the Costa Blanca containing many mountain climbs and coastal walks, but don’t let that put you off. There are many amazing features such as great sandy beaches, small hidden bays, towering cliffs and headlands its the perfect opportunity to put your skills to the test and enjoy doing it at the same time, with one of the driest summers in the world who would want to miss out on that?

Rhine Gorge – Germany (Moderate)

A self guided hike passing through historic famous villages such as Oberwesel, Bacharach, St.Goar, Boppard and Rhens. Experiencing all different walks of life through the very varied German towns, giving you the experience of both old life germany and life as we know it today a walk through history, learn whilst you walk.

Rural Kent Walk – England (Easy)

A walk made to discover the true heart of Kent, with its beautiful countrysides, lengthy history and local crafts. Rural Kent is a magnificent place once you go you will not want to leave. The cottages add to the delightful look of the countryside giving it a very historic feel like you’ve stepped back in time a refreshing getaway from life in 2019 as we know it.

South Africa Car Hire For Younger Drivers

April 3, 2014 Robert Gillespie Car Hire Offers Comments Off

We had a recent enquiry from one of our potential customers about whether they can hire a car in South Africa, the problem was that they were a young driver aged 19 and ideally wanted a low young driver fee.

We contacted a few companies located at the main South African airports in order to try and arrange some sort of deal that would allow young drivers to hire, typically 19 is an age that you would really struggle anywhere in the world.

However against the odds we eventually managed to find a supplier willing to allow this customer to hire, and we can happily announce that we can now hire to people the age of 18 given that they have held their licence for a year prior to hiring with us.

On top of already arranging a young driver deal for South Africa we also managed to arrange a few more…

Low Deposit Car Hire: Deposits are usually a big problem as they can range as high as approximately £3,000 which for many is just not an acceptable amount to have blocked on their card for the duration of your rental. This same supplier we have deals with have deposits starting as low as £80!

Debit Card Car Hire: This is another problem when you come to rent a car, most suppliers don’t accept the use of anything other than a credit card. This supplier however have agreed that our customers can use debit cards given that they meet three main restrictions. If you want to read more about using a debit card in South Africa please click this link.

Are you interested in arranging a rental vehicle in South Africa? Being either a young driver, searching for a low deposit or trying to arrange something without a credit card can be a nightmare so just come straight to Indigo Car Hire and we will sort everything for you. Simply call our experienced and knowledgeable reservation agents on +44 (0)113 880 0748 or email them at sales@thealternativeagency.co.uk, don’t worry their friendly!

Staycation Holidays

April 2, 2014 Robert Gillespie Travel News, UK Comments Off

Who is planning a bit of a family holiday this year? You can have a great family holiday within the UK at an affordable price, here are our top picks for Staycations in the UK.

The Manor House Hotel – Devon
Perfect family holiday for a family with young children. There are all sorts of games, rides and places that the kids can socialise and make new friends. There are indoor and outdoor Game Zones for the children with slides and ball pits, or if you fancy sneaking off there is Childcare Sessions that you can leave your child in whilst they play and get fully supervised by certified employees. During this time you have a variety of choices ranging from golf on their full 18 hole golf course to spa facilities with the availability of 29 different spa treatments.

Kielder Water Lodges – Northumberland
Fantastic family adventure holiday with loads of various activities to take part in as a family. Theres a range of activities to do such as an indoor heated pool, Indoor ice skating in their ice rink or if you’re more of an outdoor adventure person there are tons more activities ranging from archery to snorkelling. Theres also a restaurant and bar within the facilities so everything is literally there for you, guaranteed fun at low prices due to their standard savers savings.

Colwell bay – Isle of White
A unique family holiday with cottage style houses and traditional facilities. Their lovely homely cottages are perfect for enjoying your holiday in style, there are also some nice facilities on the resort such as a childs play area, indoor swimming pool, tennis courses and a perfect walking path for a nice stroll with the family. Local attractions are also a very welcomed site with places such as Fort Victoria and Compton bay.

Gwel an Mor – North Cornwall
Recently voted the best holiday destination in the UK it speaks for itself, with beautiful log lodges you can sleep in comfort and warmth in picture esk style. Tons of facilities for various different things such as fitness where they have a fully equipped gym and an indoor heated swimming pool, and if that wears you down they have a fantastic sauna and jacuzzi to wind down. As for the kids they have indoor and outdoor childrens play facilities that the children will love. The perfect holiday for a family.

Kenwick Lodges – Lincolnshire
Located in the woodlands its the perfect rural getaway with the resort stretching a massive 320 acres it has everything you will ever need to have the perfect holiday. Magnificent Log cabins are more than adequate to keep the whole family happy. It has everything in terms of facilities from Techno Gyms to Steam rooms and 18 hole golf courses you can have a holiday in style and comfort.

Driving Licence In Your Maiden Name?

April 1, 2014 Robert Gillespie Car Hire Tips, Motoring Law News Comments Off

As you can imagaine identification is needed to prove that you have a full licence and for various other details such as your age when you come to renting a car, another thing that is checked is that the name on the identification matches the name on the payment card. This can throw up one very specific issue if you have recently been married and your surname has changed.

When you get married there are tons of changes that you need to make and often one of the things that is left to last is changing the name on your driving licence, passport, credit or debit card. This can cause a bit of an issue when you come to hiring a car as one may not match the other and because of that you can be rejected.

There are solutions to this however; using other forms of ID can verify that you are in fact the owner of the card. Some suppliers however are stricter than others so you need to make sure that you book with a supplier that will allow you to use other forms of identification like a marriage certificate to prove your maiden name, it can be quite confusing for some and its always best to ensure that your identification is present and correct before arriving to pick up the car.

The marriage certificate must be written in Roman script meaning it can be read and understood by the supplier. This is similar to hiring a car with an international driving permit, this acts as a translation tool for the supplier.

To make sure that you don’t get stranded without a car you need to make sure that you get everything right before hand, to do this simply call us here at Indigo Car Hire. Each situation is different as to what identification they will accept so for more information contact our experienced reservation agents on +44 (0)113 880 0748 or email us at sales@thealternativeagency.co.uk and we will be happy to answer any questions that you may have about car hire and find you a solution.

Mileage Restrictions

March 31, 2014 Robert Gillespie Car Hire Tips, Travel News Comments Off

When it comes to hiring a car there are several different terms and conditions, one section which you will come across is about mileage restrictions. Different car rental suppliers have different conditions for the limit on the amount of miles you can do during your rental; you will find that you are given a daily quota of mileage. Most customers never meet this mileage limit but there are a few occasions where you may require a larger mileage allowance.

One question we got recently was to do with the mileage limit for a supplier in Leeds. The customer was picking up the car from Leeds but actually lived around 45 miles away in which they needed to travel home and then travel a 340 mile distance and back so the mileage added up to quite a significant amount and the rental was only for a short period.

Going over your mileage restriction can be quite an expensive thing to do as you get charged an extra amount for each mile you are over your limit. This amount depends purely on the supplier but it can potentially reach a significant figure, and if you are unaware of your mileage limit you won’t be expecting the charge.

There is a solution however which we gave to this customer which was an unlimited mileage policy, often you have to pay extra to increase your mileage quota but we have a better option. Some of the suppliers that we work with offer an unlimited mileage policy for our customers completely free of any charge and this is available in several locations worldwide.

So if you are worried about going over the mileage limit then simply just let us know before booking the car and we will arrange an unlimited mileage deal.

If you are still confused about mileage policies or just have a general question about car hire then simply just call our experienced and knowledgeable reservation agents on +44 (0)113 880 0748 or email us at sales@thealternativeagency.co.uk and they will be happy to answer any questions that you may have about car hire.

Car Hire With A Debit Card At Rome Ciampino Airport

March 28, 2014 Robert Gillespie Italy Comments Off

One of the world’s most popular cities, Rome, is home to three airports major airports one of which is Rome Ciampino Airport or to be exact the full name is Ciampino-G.B. Pastine International Airport. The airport is situated just 7.5 miles outside of the city centre just to the south east; Ciampino is one of the oldest airports that is still in operation opening back in 1916.

Ciampino airport gets around 4.5 million passengers a year which travel from a variety of destinations all across Europe with some of the popular destinations including Barcelona, Stansted, Madrid, Manchester and Trapani. The large amount of passengers make the airport a popular destination for people to renting vehicles, so finding the best deal is essential but firstly you have to make sure that you meet the requirements to get be given a vehicle.

One of the main issues that people find when hiring is that many suppliers require that you have a credit card in order to be able to make the payment. This can be a real issue as several of our customers don’t have credit cards for a variety of different reasons; we wanted to ensure that these customers could still get cars so we tried to find an alternative payment method.

Eventually we where successful at Rome Ciampino Airport and can happily announce that we accept debit cards. There are restrictions in regards to the card, to find out if your card meets these, please get in touch with our team.

Due to the complex nature of hiring a car without a credit card we request that you call us directly. You can reach our knowledgeable and experienced reservation agents on +44 (0)113 880 0748 or emailing them on sales@thealternativeagency.co.uk.

Renewing Your Licence At 75

March 27, 2014 Robert Gillespie Car Hire Tips, Motoring Law News Comments Off

We had a customer ask us recently if they were able to hire a car after renewing your licence at 75. The potential customer was 78 years of age and had just passed a test which meant that they could renew their licence for five more years, the problem with this was is that they didn’t know if they were able to hire due to the strict car hire restrictions.

There are two possible restrictions that could catch this specific customer out; one is that a large percentage of companies who offer car hire have an upper age limit of between 70-75. There was no need to worry in regards to this however as we have deals around the world with several multi national suppliers who will allow us to hire up until the age of 99 so this wasn’t an issue.

The other potential issue was that you need to have at least 12 months driving experience in order to be able to get a car. As the customer had renewed their licence they where unsure if their previous experience counted, you can rest assured however that your previous experience does count as the renewed licence still shows your original test pass date so there is no issue here and you can hire a car without any issues.

If you are interested in getting a car and you are a senior driver then we need to make sure that we get a supplier who will allow for drivers over the age of 70 to hire without charging them an extra daily rate. Getting the best rate is easy, just simply call our experienced reservation agents on +44 (0)113 880 0748 or email them at sales@thealternativeagency.co.uk and they will be happy to help assist you and answer any questions that you may have about the car hire process.

Best Hire Car For A Group Trip

March 26, 2014 Robert Gillespie Car Hire Tips Comments Off

What is the Best Hire Car For A Group Trip? With so many different trips the chances are that you will need to hire a car at some point in time, there’s certain things you need to get right when hiring a car such as getting the right car suited to the amount of people that you’re wanting to ferry around, or how luxurious you want the car to be or even how much boot space does it have if say you’re off hiking, golfing or something else where you will need a lot of luggage.

Something of seemingly little importance can ruin your holiday, so getting it right is a must!

Best Hire Car For A Group Trip

Ford Galaxy Zetec
The ford galaxy would be a decent car to hire for any group trips, with 7 seats and 5 large doors its more than adequate for a decent sized group of people. The galaxy has a fairly smooth drive with no real noticeable issues, its also got comfortable seating due to the arrangements giving you space in the footwells for a bit of movement. There is an in-car radio as entertainment and a average boot size that would fit a large sized bike.

BMW X5
This 7 seater has 5 average sized doors, however the interior is a beautiful leather making it extremely comfortable. Since its a BMW the drive is also luxurious and smooth, the X5 is regarded by a majority as one of the best 7 seater cars out in todays market, it ticks every box you would need for a hired car trip including a large boot space and decent in car entertainment.

Land Rover Discovery
If you fancy a bit more of an adventurous trip with a bit of off-roading this car is a great one to hire. This again has 7 seats and 5 doors, Although expensive to hire there a real reason for it, the comfort and drive is incredible and well worth it, the boot space is also massive much like all the space inside the car giving you plenty of room to carry everything and anything, luggage, hiking gear, golf clubs you name it.

Peugeot 5008
Although labeled as a family car its more than adequate for any group to use, its won a host of award for various different things, It has easily fold downable seats and many cubby hole pockets to store little things in, the boot space is also average, enough room for most. Its got a very spacious interior making it comfortable and roomy.

For more information about Multi Passenger Car Hire, or any types of vehicles, please contact us over the phone on +44 (0)113 880 0748 or via email on sales@thealternativeagency.co.uk

Reduced Car Parking Charges In Northern Ireland

New Location Alanya City

Top destinations for walking holidays

Hadrian’s Wall – England (Moderate)

Walks in the sound of music – Austria (Easy)

Costa Blanca – Spain (Hard)

Rhine Gorge – Germany (Moderate)

Rural Kent Walk – England (Easy)

South Africa Car Hire For Younger Drivers

Staycation Holidays

Driving Licence In Your Maiden Name?

Mileage Restrictions

Car Hire With A Debit Card At Rome Ciampino Airport

Renewing Your Licence At 75

Best Hire Car For A Group Trip

Best Hire Car For A Group Trip

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