Travel tips: Save money on car rentals

Travelers have been seeing sales on airfares and hotel rooms, but the same can't be said of car rentals, where rates have been going up. Here are our tips for using alternate locations to get a more reasonable rate on your next rental.

Because rental rates can vary greatly, depending on the date of travel, check car rates before you book your airline ticket. When cities hold special events or big conventions, rental prices can skyrocket. It may be considerably cheaper to fly to an alternate city where you won't be competing for cars with hordes of travelers. You may even find a cheaper airfare to that alternate city and save even more.

For example, we checked rates in Boston on a date that coincided with a popular sailing festival, and the weekly rental was over $1,000. Weekly rentals for the same time period in Hartford, Conn., which is 100 miles from Boston, started at $200, and the airfare was a little cheaper.

You also can save by checking the rates at off-airport rental locations. These locations don't have as many taxes and fees tacked on to their rates, so they may offer cheaper rentals.

Many hotels offer an airport shuttle, so you could check rates at rental locations near your hotel. You also may find it's worth the cab fare from the airport to an off-airport rental location if you can't catch a shuttle.

If you're flying into an airport, but your final destination is a different city or town, you may find cheaper rental rates at your final destination. For example, when we checked rates in Orlando, an intermediate car was $63 per day at the Orlando airport, but the rate for the same-size car at nearby Winter Park was $31 per day from the same company. If you have friends or family who can give you a ride to the secondary site, this is a great option. You may also find affordable ground transportation to get you there.