When I travel I like to spend as little time as possible at the airport. Therefore when I get off of a plane I want to get in my rental car and on my way. I have tried many of the rental car companies in the US and Hertz seem to be the most efficient in getting me out and on my way.

If you rent cars more than twice a year I suggest that you purchase a Hertz #1 Club Gold membership. For the price of £32 per year you can skip the check-in counter all together. You can simply make your reservations and when you arrive at the airport you can go right to your car. This saves the time and hassle of going to the counter. You also can earn airline miles for most major airlines when you rent as a #1 Club Gold member. If you end up renting many times during the year you will be sent car upgrade vouchers and free rental vouchers.

The check-in can not be easier. In most major airports you are taken to the Hertz lot via one of their yellow and black shuttle buses. If the airport actually has cars on the lot Hertz will be one of the car companies there. There are rental companies that are not on the airport premises or don’t offer shuttle buses. Be sure you check and make sure this is the case.

When you arrive at the lot, Gold members are taken directly to a display board. Your name and the lot space where the car is located will be prominently displayed. The car is usually a two or three aisle walk away. The best part is that the walkways and cars are covered so even in inclement weather you stay dry.

Hertz is in partnership with Ford so more than likely you will be driving a Ford product. Do not despair though; it is the entire Ford line so there are so fun rentals in there. There are four levels of cars available for rent: Economy, Mid-Size, Full Size and Premier.

The mid-size class is the most commonly rented class. Models that typify the class are the Ford Taurus, Ford Mustang (non-convertible), or Ford Escape. I have on occasion seen a Nissan Maxima. This is the most commonly rented class so there is a good chance they will run out of cars in this class and upgrade you to full size.

The premier class has some fun cars in it. Cars that I have driven out of the premier class are the Jaguar S-Type, the Ford Mustang Convertible and the Lincoln Navigator. You can get into this class of car more often than you think if you work the system properly. I have listed some tricks in the next section.

Neverlost is the Global Positioning System (GPS) that you can add as an option to your rental. The cost is a meager £4 extra per day. This is invaluable for cities with which you are not familiar. All that you have to do is punch in the address of where you are going to and it talks you through how to get there. I no longer have to print of a book full of Yahoo maps every time I leave town.

The other reason I like getting this option is that they often run out of cars with this option so the only available option for them it to upgrade your service. I have been upgraded to a Jaguar, Navigator or convertible Mustang on many occasions due to the fact that they were out of Neverlost equipped cars in my class or the class above it.

There are three additional things to keep in mind if you are renting from Hertz. The first is the fuel purchase option. You can pre-purchase a tank of gas (petrol). The fuel is usually priced slightly below the market price and they encourage you to bring the car back empty. If you do not take this option you either have to get gas right before you return the car, thus slowing you down, or they will charge you for what is not in the tank. This is usually at double the market price so beware; this can add a huge amount to your final bill.

Lastly, if you carry a gold or platinum credit card, chances are that your credit car offers some level of insurance for you car rentals. Make sure you find what this is before you go on your trip so that you don’t pay for this insurance twice.

I have been able to step off the plane and be in my car in as little as ten minutes with Hertz. At other rental companies where you have to stop at the counter I have had to wait as long as forty-five minutes to get into my car. Their prices are not the cheapest but then again, they are not the most expensive of the lot either. The time I save alone makes them a good value for the money.