What did you do in 2012?

 

Why not visit some of the locations that made history last year, this year!

SEOUL


The music video Gangnam Style from South Korean PSY has been viewed over 1.5 billion times on You Tube and it is the site's most watched video of all time. PSY Summer Stand Live Concert  in Jamsil Stadium in Seoul was amazing.

NEW YORK

Hurricane Sandy struck with a vengeance on Oct. 29, 2012, causing unprecedented destruction as 80 mph winds and record storm surges wreaked havoc across the East Coast, destroying homes, leaving millions without power and claiming the lives of more than 90 people in the U.S. Many of the famous New York yellow taxis were submerged in floodwaters in the wake of superstorm Sandy.

It began by tearing through the Caribbean, making landfall at Jamaica on Oct. 24.

TIKAL

The Mayan's interpretation of history is embedded in their calendar, completed by priest-astronomers in the year 1479 and carved into the Aztec-Mayan sunstone. The Mayan calendar details long passages of time, including mathematical calculations so accurate that modern astronomers are at a loss to understand how a traditional people could arrive at them.

The Mayan fire ceremony held at dawn in Tikal on 21 December 2012, took place in the main plaza in front of the Temple of the Great Jaguar.

STRATOSPHERE

Felix Baumgartner stood alone at the edge of space, poised in the open doorway of a capsule suspended above Earth and wondering if he would make it back alive. Twenty four miles below him, millions of people were right there with him, watching on the Internet and marvelling at the wonder of the moment.

A second later, he stepped off the capsule and barrelled toward the New Mexico desert as a tiny white speck against a darkly-tinted sky.

LONDON

If Yorkshire was a country, as some of its more fanatical supporters might prefer, it would have finished 15th in the London 2012 medal table, just behind New Zealand but ahead of sporting giants South Africa, Spain and Brazil.

The London Olympics have left us with some incredible memories, and as the dust settles on what was a successful Games, it's time to look to Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

Bergamo Airport Orio Car Hire

Bergamo Orio Airport is a relatively small airport with increasing popularity. Low cost airline companies prefer it as it's a lucrative alternative of the much busier (and expensive) Malpensa and Linate airports near Milan. We planned our weekend journey to cover Bergamo and Milan, and if we have time- the beautiful Como lake. That's the reason we went for the option to rent a car.

Car hire office at Bergamo Airport

Car hire offices are located on the right hand side of the arrival's exit. Our plane landed in the evening and around 8:30 PM we were at the Auto Europe/Dollar/SicilybyCar office. It's a small office with only one personnel inside opened from 7:30 AM till 10:30 PM.

There was another client  before us so we had to wait for his documents to be handled first. It took about 15 minutes till our turn came. Our printed voucher and documents were processed quite quickly. The Italian guy behind the desk gave prompt answers to our questions although he wasn't overly polite :-) The best thing he wasn't very pushy on offering us extra stuff.

Car rental shuttle bus stop

Useful Tip: Bring your own GPS if you have- that will save you a lot and still you'll be able to drive in the foreign land with an ease. 

Our documents were handled for less than 20 minutes and we went out to catch the car rental parking shuttle that was supposed to drive us to our car. The shuttle stop is just in front of the exit- there is an old small sign pointing it.

Inside the shuttle bus

We waited for about 15 more minutes for the shuttle. At least 10 other people joined us in waiting. The trip to car hire parking was very short. As we would understand later- there's a walk-through passage that leads to the parking (in case you don't have a lot of bags, of course).

We found our car easily although it was quite dark (9:30 PM). Nissan Micra @ 50,000 km with 2 small scratches, that were diligently marked on the paperwork we got from the agency. It's a good practice to take a photo of your car before getting it as there might be some hidden scratches.

Our rented Nissan Micra

I mounted my own GPS and we drove out. Bergamo is not a very big town so we found our hotel quite fast (thanks to that precious GPS of mine!). Bed & Breakfast Ciliegio has some great ratings and reviews at Booking.com so it was an easy choice. The owner, Philippo, welcomed us in the late evening and  even managed to recommend us a fine restaurant in the neighbourhood. He was complaining he was still waiting for an Italian (yes, native!) couple who got lost depending on public transport and couldn't manage to the hotel. That was another proof for us that getting a car hire was the right decision. Grotta Azzurra, the restaurant recommended by Philippo, was just a kilometer away. It was full to the brim, we hardy found parking place. (Parking is located in the inner yard of the restaurant- it had at least 60-70 places). Food was very delicious, the "old-school-non-english-speaking" waiters brought in even more charm to the situation- great final for our Italian evening.

Città Alta

If you happen to visit Bergamo, a must see visit is The Old Town. It's called "Città Alta"- a very charming place. It's better to visit it on spring or summer, not like us in the winter but still- the place is very beautiful. We parked our rented car at the parking, just outside the tall Venetian walls of Città Alta and went on walking. (No tourist's cars allowed inside and there are many streets that are so narrow, that two people could hardly walk shoulder to shoulder). There were a lot of offers for guided walks (starting from 10 euro per person) but we decided to go on our own- feeling confident and prepared enough.

Via Rosato in Città Alta

Our journey started at the Piazza Luigi Angelini; we visited the Gombito Tower and some other tower houses. After that we looked around for the Piazza Vecchia and surrounding buildings. We discovered the beautiful Santa Maria Maggiore and the Colleoni Chapel. We had a break at Bar Flora for a ristretto (30 ml of very strong espresso). Refreshed, we went through side streets to the church of San Salvatore. And finally, we couldn't help but testing the famous "funicolare"- a cable railway in which a cable attached to a pair of tram-like vehicles moves them up-down the steep slope.

The famous Funicolare

Although it was cloudy and raining from time to time, we had a great time in Bergamo. Once again- we recommend summer time to visit those charming cobbled-stone ancient streets with marvelous churches and cozy restaurants.

My next article will describe our visit to Milan- the centre of Lombardia and the main goal of our journey.

For conclusion, a few words on returning our rented car. We had to return our car with full fuel tank in the early morning when was our flight. In the contract, the fuel tank was divided into eights- 1/8, 2/8…8/8. I also noticed at the beginning, the Micra fuel gauge had 8 levels when completely full. So the night before return, I filled the tank to the brim and again it showed 8/8. In the morning, we managed to get to the parking lot.

Full tank fuel on the car hire receipt

A good tip: When getting the car from parking lot, save the exact location to your GPS. That could save you a lot of hassle when returning the car as roads around airports could be very complicated.

We were a bit worried if there'll be a shuttle bus that early in the morning (6:30 AM). A guy at the parking lot showed us a direct walking path to the airport and we were about to go on foot when the shuttle bus came.

The car rental office wasn't opened at the time of our arrival but there was a hole in the window and a lot of car keys on the floor. So that's what we did- filled our return document and dropped the key and the yellow paper through the hole to the floor.


Prego.

Green Motion Heathrow Airport

A recent Tipoa customer sent us a review of their experience at London's Heathrow Airport and one of our rental car supplier's Green Motion:

Green Motion Office at Heathrow Airport

You have to go to Bus Stop 3 directly outside Terminal 1 after exiting the arrivals hall. The bus stop is marked BUS STOP 3 and you take the bus number H1 marked "H1 Holiday Inn (M4)" There is a bus every 20 minutes from 04:42 and from 15:22 every 25 minutes. The bus ticket costs £4.50 single and £8.00 return. The journey time is about 15 mins (it goes via Terminal 3).

The car rental office of Green Motion had two members of staff. Process time took 15 minutes for the paperwork. The office itself is located in separate building right outside the Holiday Inn entrance. I received a new clean car (about 8,200 Miles). Overall process time takes 30 minutes by time you check over the car.

Clean new car (8,200 Miles)

It was a similar experience when I returned the vehicle. Overall time from arriving at the Green Motion office to returning to Heathrow again takes 30 minutes.

The bus stops at two other hotels nearby, close to the M4 motorway, but the bus journey itself was only 15 minutes.

The whole process ran very smoothly, given I arrived on a Monday morning and departed on a Saturday afternoon. - On this ocassion I can definately recommend booking online with www.tipoa.com and
there is no need to avoid Green Motion as often they are the cheapest option.

The car hire office is opposite Holiday Inn

Brian thank you for this review! we hope it will assist others. If any other customers, wish to provide similar articles on their travelling experiences, then we would be more than happy to publish it to our blog. (good or bad)

Tipoa Car Hire

Are We At The Airport?

A very common question we are asked,  "Are our suppliers based at the airport?"

In the majority of cases, when you make a search or reservation at the Tipoa Car Hire website, the supplier our system will choose will be based at the airport.



However, if you choose the cheapest car offered, based upon the criteria you have entered, then there is a chance that these suppliers will be "off-site" and will require you catch the shuttle bus / transport supplied. Full instructions are contained within your confirmation voucher that is emailed to you, following your reservation.



If you wish to change your reservation, once made, providing there is enough time, we can request a change to an on airport supplier, but this may effect the rental rate.

 Details of suppliers that are known to be off airport can be viewed at Off Airport Car Hire.

Mrs Tip

Meteora- Greece's sky city

When we talk about Greece, we imagine sunshine, cozy white little houses spread over the hills, decorated in blue, clear sky and turquoise calm sea. And history.

Meteora (Μετέωρα) is one of the largest complexes of monasteries in Greece. It's second only to famous Mount Athos in Halkidiki peninsula. Meteora is located at the northwestern edge of the Plain of Thessaly. It's about 70 km on the west of Larissa. The nearest town is Kalambaka.

There, in the dark green mass of trees, about 60 gigantic rocks (upto 300 metres in height) are reaching high to the sky in different shapes, like towers. The monasteries are uniquely located on the top of those sharp rocks.

The exact date of the establishment of the monasteries is unknown. By the late 11th and early 12th century, a rudimentary monastic state had formed called the Skete of Stagoi and was centered around the still-standing church of Theotokos (mother of God).

In 1344, Athanasios Koinovitis from Mount Athos brought a group of followers to Metéora. From 1356 to 1372, he founded the great Meteoron monastery on Broad Rock. The only means of reaching it was by climbing a long ladder, which was drawn up whenever the monks felt threatened. There used to be twenty- four monasteries; now active are only six or seven. Each monastery has fewer than 10 inhabitants. The monasteries are now tourist attractions.

Although Meteora is one of the top Greek attractions, the place is quite isolated (seclusion is part of the monastery idea, I guess). We reached it with a rented car from Tipoa Car Hire from Thessaloniki airport. It was easy to find it after less than 3 hours drive. From the airport, we crossed Thessaloniki heading for the highway to Athens (E75). After a short drive, we followed highway E90. Both highways required partial toll payments. It costed us about 5 euro in tolls. At Grevena, we took the Exit 15 to Trikala. The road is new but it has a lot of turns (way too many :-)) There are plenty of Meteora signs on the way, so you can't miss it. A road is heading right to the top of the cliffs so you can park very near to the monasteries. Admission ticket for Holy Monastery of Great Meteoron is 2 euro. There's a striking skull room inside (still shivering).

 You could easily spend the whole day, wandering around the monasteries. The nearest town of Kalambaka is a tourist place so it has a lot of restaurants, taverns and little comfy hotels to stay.

Finally, a tip for car hire travellers: bring your own GPS (if you have one)- this will save you costs and you'll still be able to find your destination of interest.

Car hire: 10 ways to avoid being ripped off

1. Buy the basic package only

The secret to saving money on car hire is to buy the basic package only. Hire Car suppliers make all their profits by selling you the add-ons, which are usually absurdly expensive. In particular, ignore pressure to buy their collision damage waiver (CDW) or "super" CDW insurance, which will cover the "excess", usually 500-1,000, not covered by the basic insurance. Instead, arrange your own cover independently - see step three.

Use online agents such as Tipoa Car Hire to check hire prices first.

If possible use off airport operators -  often you can avoid lengthy rental desk queues at peak airport terminal times, and they usually offer a wider and cheaper range of vehicles. Hire deals organised by airlines such as Ryanair's link with Hertz or going to the hire firm direct are rarely better value than using a broker.

2. Bring your own satnav and child car seats 

We tested the cost of hiring a satnav for a week in Italy with Hertz and were asked for €97 (£78.50) for one week. In Spain, Europcar wanted £77. This is a waste of money. You can buy a new satnav that covers both the UK and Europe for around £50-£60, or bring your own.

Child seats are more tricky. Hertz wanted £78.50 while Europcar asked for £74, and £60 for a booster seat. But if you are flying with a charter airline such as Monarch, it is free to take a child seat with you. Booster seats cost as little as £8 to buy in the UK, indicating just how overpriced the car hire deals are.

If you are flying on a low-cost airline such as Ryanair, check the additional baggage cost when booking. Ryanair charges £10 each way for a child car seat, so even with this extra cost it can still make sense to bring it along.

3. Save £100 by buying excess insurance

Most car rental companies charge an Excess. If you have a claim - typically you pay the first € 500 or so. Also, most policies issued by car rental companies don't cover windows, tyres, undercarriage, roof or loss of keys.

Excess Insurance from our third party partner ALLIANZ GLOBAL ASSISTANCE gives you complete peace of mind for just € 5.65 per day. The policy will cover up to € 2390.52 of any excess; it can be used on any vehicle type and if your particular vehicle can't be confirmed, you can use it with any rental company so you won't lose out. Please note: Excess Insurance is billed separately on your credit card statement…

UPDATE: Many suppliers now realise they are loosing a valuable income with brokers such as Tipoa Car Hire offering comprehensive Excess Insurance online, so you may see some all inclusive deals, promising " zero excess ' but beware, these are not comprehensive and they still so not cover many of the things they should, such as tyres, loss of keys, window damage.

4. Ignore the sales patter at the collection desk

This is where you need to be strong. Don't be persuaded to buy insurance you have already paid for (above). When you fill out the rental agreement, the local agent will try to sell you their super CDW that reduces the excess to zero. They will tell you that your insurance isn't valid (it is) and they will try to sell you windscreen wheel, tyre, and undercarriage insurance.

Assuming you have a policy, don't fall for it and take a copy of the ALLIANZ policy with you. We get lots of complaints about this, and the car hire firm is under no obligation to refund you because you bought two policies - nor is the agent you hired the car from. If you paid twice, it's your mistake.

When you refuse the extra cover, the rental firm will "pre-authorise" a sum to cover the excess on your credit card - typically £600 or so in the local currency. This is normal and allows the firm to charge your card the excess if you do have a crash. They will also charge you for the fuel if appropriate.

You will need enough available credit on your card to handle both.

5. Check the fuel policy, the mileage and other extras

Before you hand over your credit card details, look up the company's fuel policy. If you are driving a long way, does your rental limit the mileage in any way? If you are under 25, is there a surcharge?

A growing number of firms (for Spanish rentals in particular) now insist on a full-to-empty fuel policy on rentals of more than three or four days. You pay for a full tank of fuel and then bring it back empty, which is fine in theory, but if you aren't using the car much you'll end up paying for three-quarters of a tank of fuel you didn't use.

Renters on the small Spanish islands report it being impossible to use a full tank of fuel. Even the big firms now adopt this policy. The only way round it in Spain for those on a week's holiday is to go for a series of short rentals. Elsewhere, such as Italy, it is less prevalent, but starting to appear.

UPDATE: You can choose your fuel policy and view the cost, online prior to making your reservation at Tipoa.com STEP2. Look down the left hand side for the filter and click on FUEL POLICY

6. Note all damage, and video or photograph the car

This is the key moment. Before you leave, go round the car and look for any damage and mark even minor scratches on the rental agreement. Don't leave anything off. Same for the interior. Check the spare wheel is there, inflated and undamaged. Check the car is full of fuel if it supposed to be, and record the mileage, if it's restricted.

Once you have marked all the damage on the sheet, get someone at the rental desk to sign it - even if it is a long walk or drive back to the desk. If you don't there is nothing to stop the firm arguing that you caused the damage at the end the rental.

Once signed for, there can be no dispute. Take a video or digital pictures of the car (especially any pre-existing damage) as extra proof.

7. Photo the car on return and keep the paperwork

Assuming you have done no damage, and have filled it up (if required), park it up and then take digital photos of each panel of the car, the wheels, the mileometer, and other shots.

Hand the keys back to the person at the desk. If late at night post them through the letter box. Be wary if approached by someone in the car park claiming to work for the car firm. One reader faced a lengthy battle after his car was stolen in this way.

Lastly, keep hold of the paperwork. Don't throw it away, thinking the rental is over - it's not.

8. Keep an eye on your credit card statement

Check your credit card statement a few days later to make sure promised fuel payments and excess charges are returned and keep an eye out in later statements that no extra payments have mysteriously materialised.

9. Fight any additional charges

If you have wisely bought excess protection, simply claim from the firm in question. If the claim is spurious, pass this on to them and let them sort it out. If you bought the car hire firm's policy (why?) and the claimed damage is not covered - it rarely is - then it is time to go into battle.

Send a copy of the photos you took, and talk to the company. Some, particularly those in Spain, will ignore you. 

Ask for evidence of repairs that were supposedly carried out.

If you don't get anywhere and know you are innocent, raise the dispute with your credit card provider. The card firm may again try to ignore it. It will then be up to the car hire firm to prove its claim is valid.

Tipoa Car Hire welcome emails from you on these matters.

10. So which car hire company do you go with?

Shop around, of course, and consider Tipoa Car Hire. It has the advantage of offering a one-stop shop in that you can buy its basic rental - it also offers excess insurance and you can reserve your extras, such as baby seats, ski racks, GPS all in the same booking.

Just remember if you've already paid and don't pay again at the rental desk. 

Check list for Online Car Rental Booking

1. Print your rental voucher

You will need to present it and the "Terms of Service" pages at the rental desk.

2. Take your full & up to date driving license

Usually drivers must hold a full license for minimum of 1 year with no major endorsements.

3. A credit card with the main driver's name

Although you will be allowed to book a car with a debit card, you'll need a credit card at the rental desk to release the vehicle.

4. Get your passport or any photo ID other than your driver's license

For more interesting tips, please visit Tipoa Car Hire