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Whether you’re braving the Cabot Trail in Canada or the Columbia River Gorge back home, the leadup to a road trip can be incredibly exciting, especially when you can taste the possibilities of a potentially life-affirming experience on the air. Unfortunately, taking a road trip also comes alongside a fair few more practical considerations that you’re going to want to factor for during this period.

By this, we don’t just mean what you intend to put on your road trip soundtrack (also this is more important than you might think, and you should definitely spare it a thought in advance!). Rather, we’re referring to the practical considerations of making your road trip a reality that invigorates you rather than knocks your confidence. 

The smoothest possible road trip experience especially relies on deciding between two key considerations that are guaranteed to leave you torn – taking your car or investing in a rental. After all, your decision here is ultimately going to spell the difference between a great trip and a potentially challenging one. Yet, while rentals can often seem like an obvious choice (ready to go in your location, a fun chance to try something different, etc.) the reality is often very different. While that doesn’t necessarily mean you should jump into taking an existing car that might not be up for the challenge, it does mean you should consider the following realities about whether or not a rental’s right after all.

# 1 – The reality of rental costs

Often, affordability is cited as a tempting reason to invest in a rental rather than exposing your own car to significant wear and tear, but it’s also important to remember that rentals aren’t always the affordable option that you might assume. In fact, while stocking up on your own vehicle from a company like Portsmouth Ford could see you spending one set fee on a car that could last you for years, rentals could cost almost as much for the duration of your trip alone. This is especially the case considering that, as well as set rental fees, you’ll need to consider things like additional insurance on top of what you pay for back home, as well as any depreciation costs or lease penalties if things go wrong. And, you’ll still need to pay for the fuel in your tank yourself! Add all this together, and you could well end up deciding that either bringing your current car along or investing in an upgrade for the purpose is a far wiser investment in the long run.

# 2 – An unfamiliar driving experience

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Regardless of where you choose to road trip, the chances are that you’re going to have to spend at least some time driving on unfamiliar roads. With this in mind, you might not be all that keen on driving a car that you’ve never seen or experienced before. Yet, that’s exactly the reality of a road trip rental. If you’re a nervous driver or simply aren’t used to driving unfamiliar routes, this especially leaves you at risk of getting flustered and increases your risks of an accident. By comparison, taking your car along with you means sticking to at least something that you know, making it far easier for you to manage even brand new driving experiences without such high stakes.

# 3 – A potentially unsuitable vehicle

While some vehicle rental companies do give you a choice of vehicles in advance, you’re often left facing a decision of either what’s left on the day, or what the owners deem best for your needs. This can prove problematic when you end up with a soft-top two-door for your three-person winter trip, and could even unravel everyone’s enjoyment of your time away. Obviously, you could get around this by making sure to seek a car rental company that offers pre-booking on a set selection of vehicles, but needing to book without viewing could still trip you up here. In that sense, the only true way to ensure a suitable vehicle if you have a specific need for one (e.g. a set number of travelers, a hefty amount of luggage, etc.), is to take a car that you’ve selected, seen first hand, and that’s already proven itself worthy of use. 

# 4 – Less chance to prepare

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It’s also worth noting that the choice you make here is also going to make a huge difference in terms of your ability to get ready before the big day. With rentals, especially, it doesn’t make any sense to pay for extra time just to get your gear packed and get yourselves situated, meaning that you may well set eyes on your vehicle of choice for the first time when you’re already en route. This will leave you with far less chance to ensure you’re ticking all of the boxes on those crucial road trip checklists, as well as reducing your chances of getting your sat nav ready to go so that you don’t get lost as early as your first day. If you’re the kind of person who prefers to get everything just so, or if you’re road tripping in a remote area where you can’t just replace those little bits that you forgot to put in, this could quickly become a problem. And, it’s one that you’ll never face with your own car, which you could pack as much as a week or more in advance if the mood took you. 

A final word

Really, the vehicle you choose for your road trip is incredibly personal and could depend on everything from your needs for the trip to the location of your choosing (rentals are almost always better for an overseas road trip…), but you must understand the intricacies of each decision. Specifically, instead of believing that rentals are an obvious preferable choice, it’s important to understand these potential pitfalls and to seriously consider whether you wouldn’t be better off, both financially and technically, making do with the car you’ve already got.