6 Steps to a stress-free Canary Islands Car Hire

October 31, 2020 Cherie Carter News Comments Off

Guide to Car Hire in the Canary Islands

We’ve put together a quick guide that hopefully answers any questions you have about Car Hire Canary Islands making your experience stress free!

With the Canaries being added to the UK travel corridor recently, they are the perfect option for a quick getaway – sunny, warm, and most importantly, very cheap!

Step 1 – Make sure you have all the details right

Whilst this may sound very basic, it can be more confusing than you might think – a lot of the airports and islands have similar names and often do get mixed up. For example, you have La Palma airport on the island of La Palma, which often gets confused with Gran Canaria Airport. This is also called Las Palmas Airport due to it being in the city Las Palmas!

It’s similarly easy to mix up the dates/times (especially when not using the 24hr clock), so just double-check all your details and make sure everything is correct on the enquiry forms and when entering dates on the site.

Below is just a handy breakdown of the international airports, the islands they are on and their airport codes, and if in doubt just use the code to be 100% sure.

Airport	Island	Airport Code
Tenerife South Airport	Tenerife	TFS
Tenerife North Airport	Tenerife	TFN
Gran Canaria Airport	Gran Canaria	LPA
Fuerteventura Airport	Fuerteventura	FUE
Lanzarote Airport	Lanzarote	ACE
La Palma Airport	La Palma	SPC

Step 2 – Do you have any special requirements for Car Hire in the Canary Islands?

Are you perhaps a younger driver, only have a debit card or would just prefer a rental with unlimited mileage in the Canary Islands? These are all things that can create roadblocks with a lot of car hire companies. Fortunately we have lots of offers and special options available for many specific requirements, here are just a few of the deals we offer:

Debit Card Car Hire – we can accept all standard Visa and MasterCard debit cards, as well as Maestro cards also. The only cards we can’t take are prepaid, Electron and Union Pay.
Young Driver Car Hire – we can hire to anyone over the age of 18, there may just be a small young driver fee if you are under 23.
Senior Driver Car Hire – no max age limit on our rentals here, and no extra cost just for being over 75!
New Driver Car Hire – we can help if you have only held your licence a single day, you just need to be over 18 and have the physical photocard licence.
Low Deposit Car Hire – we have a minimum deposit of only 100 EUR, very useful for those with a low credit limit or if you simply don’t want to have a large amount blocked on your card whilst wanting to a Hire Car in the Canary Islands.
Unlimited Mileage Car Hire – no extra cost for unlimited mileage, allowing you to travel around as much as you want to.

It is worth mentioning that if you do have any of these requirements just make sure you contact us directly to book, as not all these options will be available to book on the website.

Step 3 – Booking the vehicle

We make booking Car Hire in the Canary Islands as smooth as possible. Please feel free to just call or email us with your location and dates/times and we can get a quote straight up for you, book in and provide you with all the info necessary. If you want to book yourself just enter your dates on the website and click search to find the cheapest rates. Just make sure that if you have any special requirements though that you do contact us directly.

Step 4 – Collecting your car on arrival

There are 3 different options for collecting, so if you have a preference just make sure that’s specified when you book:

Collection in the terminal – this is generally the easiest and quickest way, you just have to simply walk up to the desk in the airport, sign the documents and then collect the car, easy as that!
Meet and greet – also very straightforward and with this option the representative will simply meet you outside arrivals with your name on a board, and again you just sign the documents and collect the car.
Shuttle bus collection – with shuttle bus collection you just go to the arranged pickup point, a shuttle bus will then collect and take you to the nearby branch where you can collect the car.

Step 5 – Driving in the Canaries

Driving in an unknown country, especially on the opposite side of the road, is not always easy, here’s a quick guide to driving in the Canaries below, and for more comprehensive info see driving essentials

Side of the road?	Drive on the right-hand side.
Miles or km?	KM.
Min renting and driving age?	18 for both renting and driving.
Road tolls?	Very few and all paid on-site when passing through.
Speed limit?	120kph for motorways, 50kph in urban areas.
Documents needed?	Licence and passport.
Emergency number?	112.
Currency?	EUR €.

Step 6 – Enjoying your holiday!

And with that you are free to just enjoy your holiday – it’s our job to make the whole process as smooth as possible so that renting barely crosses your mind. If you do happen to run into any issues or emergencies, then we are still available out of hours so just call us straight away if you need anything.

For further info re our service in the Canaries please click the link below.

Car Hire Tenerife

Car Hire Fuerteventura

Car Hire Lanzarote

Debit Card Car Hire In Morocco

February 13, 2019 Robert Gillespie Car Hire Tips, Debit Card Car Hire News, Morocco Comments Off

We’ve had a debit card option available in Morocco for some time now, however up until now we have only been able to help from Marrakech Airport, which was a huge limiting factor in the number of people we could help. Since making a new arrangement with our suppliers though we are now able to arrange debit card hire from almost all the major airports, including Morocco’s most famous and populous city Casablanca, as well as its capital – Rabat.

Airport Locations

Rabat Airport
Fez Airport
Marrakesh Airport
Agadir Airport
Oujda Airport
Tangier Airport
Ouarzazate Airport
Essaouira Airport
Nadar Laroui Airport
Casablanca Airport

Downtown Locations

Casablanca
Rabat
Fes

What cars are available to rent with a debit card?

The only restriction when hiring with a debit card is that you cannot rent premium / luxury vehicles – other than that you can take your pick at any of the vehicles available:

[table id=303 /]

What other services are available at these locations?

We have quite a few services here that we can offer in conjunction with a debit card hire:

Low deposit car hire – on most of these vehicles we can offer a very low deposit of only 2000 MAD (Just £160 / €185), which is just held on your debit card on arrival and released back to you on return. This is much more affordable than a lot of our contemporaries, many of whom have deposits up to 30000MAD (around £2500!).

Young driver car hire – we can offer debit card rentals to anyone over the age of 21 with a licence held for at least a year. Young driver fees are also minimal to none at this location too, so don’t expect to have to bear a huge cost just for being under 25.

As part of being able to hire a car in these locations with the use of a debit card then we had to agree to some conditions in regards to which debit cards we were allowed to accept. They were very specific as to which cards could be allowed, if you wish to find out if your card will be accepted, please contact us.

If you are planning to rent a car in Morocco and don’t have a credit card then please make sure that you contact us directly so that we can ensure you get the right supplier. Simply call our experienced and knowledgeable reservation agents on +44 (0)113 880 0748 or emailing them at sales@thealternativeagency.co.uk.

Golf Trip & Luggage Space

July 3, 2014 Robert Gillespie Scotland, UK Comments Off

I have recently being trying to arrange a rental for myself and a group of people travelling to the Isle Of Arran in October to play in the ‘Arran Challenge’ which is a golf competition running throughout the month.

The problem I have had is finding a suitable vehicle to accommodate a group of lads, a weekend bag and a set of golf clubs each.

The group was initially 12 people so my intial thought was to go for two 7,8 or 9 seat vehicles which would take 6 chaps each and squeeze the luggage in with them at a cost of about £300 per vehicle per week. Im not sure if you have ever seen the space in a 9 seater but there is just no chance that 6 bags and 6 sets of golf clubs would fit.

The next option was a 17 seater minibus, we have a driver with a D1 on his licence so we are ok from that point of view, this would provide more than enough room for everyone and the luggage and at £395 for the week it was cheap enough divided between 12 of us.

The group then grew slowly and reached a peak of 20 people. This presented us with a problem as the 17 seat minibus is the largest vehicle we can hire. So do we lay out another £300 for a people carrier to give us 24 seats but still struggle with luggage space or… Hire a van.

What a great idea, that gives us exactly 20 seats and whole SWB Transit worth of luggage space. The cost of the van is about £175 for the week which is a hige saving compared to a people carrier.

So we have a minibus at £395 and a SWB van at £175 which is £570 for the week, £28.50 per person which is an absolute bargain. Yes we do need to consider that we now have 2 fuel tanks to fill and 2 ferry crossing charges but all in all this is by far the best option for us.

Really looking forward to the trip and will no doubt be blogging about the Isle of Arran when im back, just dont mention the golf…

Dont Get Lost On Holiday This Year

June 25, 2014 Robert Gillespie Car Hire Tips Comments Off

J.R.R Tolkien said in one of his iconic books … “Not all those who wander are lost…” If you are renting a car for your holidays and want to wander but not get lost you may think about using a GPS or satellite navigation system.

This will particularly appeal to men, who, as we know, are notorious for not wanting to stop and ask for directions. This is not sexist propaganda, it is a fact that most women are painfully aware of and men will sheepishly admit. Of course, there is also the fact that if you are driving in a foreign country and you don’t speak the language stopping and asking for directions may frankly be impossible. You don’t want to spend your valuable holiday time driving around in circles especially in hot weather when you could be sipping sangria on the beach or around the pool.

Most car hire companies offer these as optional extras and you may be tempted to book it as part of your hire, but here at Indigo we would advise you to think twice as it is definitely not cost effective. Renting a GPS can cost you up to £18.00 per day in some cases with most of which not having a cap you will be charged this for the duration of your rental. As with most extras it doesn’t seem like much per day but when you add it up over a fortnight it would cost you a whopping 252 pounds. There are lots of nice things I am sure that you would rather do with that money.

The good thing about new technology is that GPSs are portable and can be moved from one car to another, also can be used effectively in any country. So it would be the easiest thing in the world o buy one locally before you go and take it along with you on your trip to save money.

Here are some of the most common Sat Nav’s that you can find in hundreds of shops across the UK…

Navman F610 5” Screen – £33.32

The built in easy quick start menu contained within the modern and lightweight design is more than adequate to get you from A to B through your holiday. This Sat Nav also warns you of camera locations and gives instructions of correct lane manoeuvres and all for a very reasonable price.

Binatone R435 UK & ROI 4.3” Screen – £24.99

Also equipped with a speed camera alert system the Binatone R435 has a super bright, anti-reflection touch screen so the picture is crystal clear at all times, with clear voice guidance and millions of pre-installed points of interest to find you’ll never get lost again!

TomTom XL IQ – £76.95

The most popular name amongst Sat Navs, TomTom always produce the best. This GPS offers a 3-hour battery life, 24 languages and speedy arrival times with pre-installed alerts to help you drive more safely and responsibly. As part of this package you also get free lifetime maps, an Easyport Mount, USB car charger and cable as well as the GPS of course.

So basically we can see that even if you decide to go for the most expensive GPS system we have mentioned, the TomTom, you will still have made a substantial saving and it will be yours to use when you return home and for any further trips you may make it the future. That is what we can call cost-effective!! And even more important for everyone, a stress free drive to and from the airport or around your destination without arguments over whose fault it is you are lost.

If you are interested in finding out more about hiring a car and buying a GPS then just come straight to our reservation agents and they will give you some tips and guide you through the whole process, they may even help you buy the most suitable Sat Nav! To contact them please call +44 (0)113 880 0748 or email us directly at sales@thealternativeagency.co.uk and we will get right back to you.

All You Need To Know About Renting Vehicles With Tow Bars

June 20, 2014 Robert Gillespie Tow Bar, UK Comments Off

“Towing” the line with Indigo – All you need to know about renting vehicles with tow bars.

As summer approaches, there are many reasons you may want to hire vehicle with tow bar. Caravans, horseboxes, and trailers are the main reasons our clients need a special vehicle and British people certainly do have a penchant for taking to the great outdoors and the freedom and variety a holiday on the open road can offer.

Despite demand, renting vehicles with tow bars can be problematic as not every company offers this service. The fact that probability of damage to a tow vehicle is higher due to whatever is attached to it means that insurance liability is increased and many hire companies simply do not offer the option.

However, here at Indigo we are pleased to be able offer the service to our clients. We can offer a wide range of 4×4 vehicles and double cab pick-ups that will suit your needs. We only use vehicles from top manufacturers such as Mercedes, VW, Audi, Volvo and Ford and these are offered at certain locations throughout the UK. These are:

[table id=275 /]

So what happens if you do not live near any of these locations? Don’t worry; in many cases we can arrange vehicle hire with tow bar near me of the vehicle, so it is important that you contact us to see what we have to offer.

Summer is of course the most popular time to rent vehicles with tow bars, especially for touring holidays. Due to the limited availability of such vehicles it is essential that you book in good time to avoid disappointment. You must be over 25, have been driving for more than 2 years, and have a clean driving licence. You also need to meet the legal requirements for towing, and if you have any query on this please contact us for expert advice before you book.

All tow bars on our vehicles will be fitted with either the standard single 7 pin or new European 13 pin socket, but again, if you are unsure about which type of tow bar that you need please contact us and we will be happy to advise.

If you are planning on a touring holiday and rent car with tow bar, we can still help but you must let us know this before you book. At Indigo our strengths are transparent pricing, all inclusive quotes and excellent customer service, we offer a call back service or an online chat service to make your booking, and it is always advisable to speak to us directly if you have any particular requirements such as needing a towing vehicle.

If you are interested in hiring a car and need some guidance in terms of vehicles with tow bars or indeed any other special requirements then our reservation agents will be happy to assist you. Contact us directly by calling +44 (0)113 880 0748 or emailing us at sales@thealternativeagency.co.uk and we will get right back to you.

New Mercedes C-Class Available from Avis

June 17, 2014 Robert Gillespie UK Comments Off

Avis have updated their prestige fleet with the new C-Class from Mercedes and it is available from all of their locations in the UK.

There’s plenty of standard equipment on the new Mercedes C-Class, including a reversing camera, rain-sensing wipers, Attention Assist, Speedtronic cruise control, heated windscreen wiper washers, a tyre pressure monitoring system and Collision Prevention Assist Plus as standard.

The Agility Select system is also included, allowing the driver to choose from five driving modes – Comfort, Eco, Sport, Sport+ and Individual.

The C-Class was officially revealed at an exclusive event on the eve of the Detroit Motor Show. The new, fifth-generation model is far more than just another posh compact saloon – it’s set to be the most efficient, refined and dynamic model in its class.

Michael McInerney, fleet director, Avis UK, commented: ‘As people increasingly look to hire premium cars for both business and leisure, we’re delighted to add the Mercedes C-Class C200 Sport Saloon Auto to our fleet. Whether for a city break or a longer tour across the country, it’s the perfect choice for those looking for a luxury driving experience.’

If you are looking for something extra special when hiring a car or maybe you are interested in buying one and would like an extended test drive then please get in touch, we can arrange rentals of this new model at many locations throughout the UK. You can call us on +44 (0)113 880 0748, chat with us online or email us on sales@thealternativeagency.co.uk.

Great News At Stansted Airport

June 11, 2014 Robert Gillespie UK Comments Off

We have just received some great news about the Avis/Budget location at Stansted Airport, for as long as we can remember it has been a franschise location under the Budget brand. This means although the franchisee has certain guidelines to stick to, they can pretty much run the business as they please.

This didnt go down well with our cutomers in the early days as they were used to the high levels of service generally received at other Avis locations but time and time again the feedback we got was not good. Generally surrounding the specific terms the location had in place such as, high deposits, expensive excess reduction, age limits and dubious damage charges.

Now that this location has fallen back under the Avis brand we are confident in an improvement in all areas and on top of that the general terms of business that Avis work to such as, low deposits, cheaper insurance costs, high levels of customer service and high quality vehicles.

If you are flying into the Stansted Airport and are looking to hire a car, then speak to the experts at Indigo. Call us on +44 (0)113 880 0748, chat with us online or email us on sales@thealternativeagency.co.uk.

Orlando: Not Just Walt Disney World

June 11, 2014 Robert Gillespie Travel News, USA Comments Off

As soon as we hear the word Orlando, we immediately think of the world famous Walt Disney World, which is what really put Orlando on the global map. However, Orlando has many other attractions for children and adults alike and here at Indigo we have put together 10 of the best of them that you may want to visit durung your stay.

UNIVERSAL ORLANDO RESORT: A huge complex packed with rides, shops and restaurants.

CIRQUE DE SOLEIL: A fantastic show comprising of music, gymnastics and thatr.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTRE: Get an inside look at the people and technology that conquered space.

ST AUGUSTINE CITY: Spanish colonial city, the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in North America. A must for fans ofhistory.

HARRY P.LEU GARDENS: The “Land of Flowers”, 40 acres of them!!

PLAYA LINDA: In Spanish this name literally means “pretty beach”. 24 miles of undeveloped publich beach, here you can see nesting turtles from May to October.

YBOR CITY: The home of Cuban cigar production and a lovely historic city to visit.

FANTASY OF FLIGHT: Orlando´s answer to the Air and Space museum.

SEAWORLD: See and touch the inhabitants of the ocean, learn more about the planet, and ride two fabulous roller coasters.

ORLANDO MUSEUM OF ART AND THE SCIENCE CENTRE: Watch some Shakespeare in the Shakespeare theatre, look at some nice paintings and be blinded by science.

Passenger Numbers Rising Rapidly At Manchester Airport

June 10, 2014 Robert Gillespie UK Comments Off

Over 2 million passengers travelled through the gates at Manchester Airport in May this year as summer moved into full swing, which was over 7% higher than the same time in 2013.

The bumper month saw travellers enjoying two long bank holidays as well as the school half term holidays.

Significantly, May also saw annual passenger numbers break through the Airport’s 21 million target, with Singapore Airlines carrying the 21 millionth passenger from the Northern gateway.

Now, Manchester Airport is confident that it can reach and exceed its all-time peak of 22 million passengers, achieved in 2007 – and is on track to hit this figure in the next 18 months.

Ken O’Toole, chief commercial officer for MAG, owner of Manchester Airport, said: “Reaching the milestone of carrying our 21 millionth passenger has been a significant achievement for us, and is a result of a huge amount of hard work in bringing airlines and passengers back to Manchester.

“We aim to continue that pattern and have already set the conditions for further growth here that will build on what we’ve already achieved.”

The month also saw the inaugural FlyNas to Jeddah flight take-off, along with a brand new American Airlines flight to Charlotte in North Carolina, USA, which is one of the largest hubs in America that connects passengers across North and South America.

Jet2.com also launched its new service to Vienna in Austria, a previously unserved European capital city, which the airport was keen to add to the route network for passengers using Manchester.

O’Toole added: “The new routes launched in May, together with exciting new destinations planned for 2015, will help us win back more passengers here in the North who still do not use Manchester as their departure airport of choice.

“The 22 million mark is our next target, but we are confident that Manchester can continue to deliver growth for the region.”

Festival Season Is Here

June 5, 2014 Robert Gillespie Events, UK Comments Off

It´s that time of year when the days get longer and the weather gets better (fingers crossed!). Feeling the sun on your face gives you those butterflies in your tummy and that warm feeling that anything is possible and good times are just around the corner.

For live music lovers, summer also means Festival Season. Festivals are fun whatever the weather but if the sun is shining it is the best and purest way to enjoy live music.

Renting a car to go to a music festival can be the easiest and in some cases the only way to get to the venue. A lot of people don’t realise that cars can not only be rented from airports, they can be rented from local offices and even be delivered to your house. At Indigo we can help young drivers to rent a car, and we accept most debit cards so a credit card is not always necessary. So please contact our sales team and see what we can offer you to make your Festival experience the best possible.

Below is a list and details of the top 10 best UK Festivals this year, as provided by Varsity magazine, Cambridge. Enjoy!!

1. Reading and Leeds
Where: Richfield Avenue, Reading and Bramham Park, Leeds
When: 22-24 August
Cost: £99.50 (day-ticket), £213 (weekend-ticket)
Headlining: Queens of the Stone Age, Blink 182, Paramore, Arctic Monkeys
orting: Imagaine Dragons, Bombay Bicycle Club, You me At Six, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, The Courteeners, Disclosure, Jake Bugg, Vampire Weekend

2. Creamfields
Where: Daresbury, Halton, Cheshire
When: 22-24 August
Cost: £80-85 (day-ticket), £180 (weekend-ticket)
Headlining: DeadMau5, Pete Tong, Avicii, Afrojack, Eric Prydz, Hardwell, Armin van Buuren, Steve Angello
Supporting: Claude Vonstroke, Skream, Sasha, Annie Mac

3. Download
Where: Donington Park, Derby
When: 13-15 June
Cost: £180 (weekend-ticket)
Headlining: Linkin Park, Aerosmith, Avenged Sevenfold
Supporting: The Offspring, Status Quo, Trivium, Alter Bridge, Fall Out Boy

4. Glastonbury
Where: Worthy Farm, Pilton
When: 25-29 June
Cost: £210 (weekend-ticket)
Headlining: Kasabian, Arcade Fire (more TBC)
Supporting: Dolly Parton, Elbow, The Black Keys, Blondie, Disclosure, Jack White, James Blake, Lily Allen

5. Latitude
Where: Henham Park, Suffolk
When: 17-20 July
Cost: £84.50 (day-ticket), £195.50 (weekend-ticket)
Headlining: Damon Albarn, The Black Keys, Two Door Cinema Club
Supporting: Editors, Haim, Billy Bragg, Bombay Bicycle Club, Kelis, Mogwai, Royksopp

6. The Secret Garden Party
Where: Abbots Ripton, Huntingdon
When: 24-27 July
Cost: £180.50 (weekend-ticket)
Headlining: Little Dragon, Fat Freddy’s Drop, The Correspondents, Clean Bandit, Foxes, The Vandellas
Supporting: Denai Moore, Jagwar Ma, Wolf Alice Sub, Focus DJ Set + ID

7. Sonisphere
Where: Knebworth Park, Hertfordshire
When: 4-6 July
Cost: £63.25 (day-ticket), £159 (weekend-ticket)
Headlining: Iron Maiden, The Prodigy, Metallica, Dream Theatre, Limpbizkit
Supporting: Deftones, Alice In Chains, Slayer, Anthrax, Gary Numan

8. Bestival
Where: Robin Hill, Isle of Wight
When: 4-7 September
Cost: £180.50 (weekend-ticket)
Headlining: Outkast, Chic, Foals, Beck, Busta Rhymes, Annie Mac, Wilkinson
Supporting: London Grammar, Chvrches, Darkside, Wild Beasts, Glass Animals, Bonobo

9. The Isle of Wight Festival
Where: Isle of Wight
When: 12-15 June
Cost: £75 (day-ticket), £190 (weekend-ticket)
Headlining: Red Hot Chili Peppers, Kings of Leon, Biffy Clyro, Calvin Harris
Supporting: Boy George, John Newman, Suede, Swim Deep, Katy B, Rudimental, The Horrors

10. V-Festival
Where: Hylands Park, Chelmsford and Weston Park, Staffordshire
When: 16-17 August
Cost: £89 (day-ticket), £189 (weekend-ticket)
Headlining: Justin Timberlake, The Killers
Supporting: Kaiser Chiefs, Manic Street Preachers, Ed Sheeran, Lily Allen, Paolo Nutini

6 Steps to a stress-free Canary Islands Car Hire

Guide to Car Hire in the Canary Islands

Debit Card Car Hire In Morocco

What cars are available to rent with a debit card?

What other services are available at these locations?

Golf Trip & Luggage Space

Dont Get Lost On Holiday This Year

All You Need To Know About Renting Vehicles With Tow Bars

New Mercedes C-Class Available from Avis

Great News At Stansted Airport

Orlando: Not Just Walt Disney World

Passenger Numbers Rising Rapidly At Manchester Airport

Festival Season Is Here

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