Dorset is a beautiful county in South West England, located on the English Channel coast bordering Devon, Somerset, Wiltshire and Hampshire.

Hire a car in Dorset and you could drive the length of the Jurassic Coast, visit the wealth of seaside resorts including Bournemouth, Poole and Weymouth, shop in the county town of Dorchester and explore the character town of Lyme Regis and stroll along The Cobb or take the kids to Dinosaurland.

Dorset has a large rural area and has been the inspirational home of many authors and poets such as Thomas Hardy, whose cottage near Dorchester is owned by the National Trust. With your rental car tour the picturesque countryside, and drive to and explore the picture box rural Dorset villages such as Piddlehinton, Wimborne St Giles and Sixpenny Handley.

The UNESCO Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site covers almost the whole of the Dorset coastline and walks along the South West Coast Path are enjoyed by many although walking the whole 630 miles from Cornwall to Poole Harbour in Dorset could take some time!

Bournemouth boasts some seven miles of sandy beaches and is very popular with water sports enthusiasts.  The newly developed artificial reef, Weights Reef, was opened to the public on the 3rd November 2009, built to ensure great body boarding and surfing facilities or a calm lagoon for swimming when the weather calms. There is an excellent choice of shops in Bournemouth as well as superb facilities for the whole family to enjoy and a great nightlife.

One of the locations for the embarkation for troops on D-Day, Poole Harbour is rich in maritime history.  Poole’s Sandbanks beach is one of Britain’s best family friendly beaches and has held the EU Blue Flag for over 20 years and location is the for the British Beach Polo Championships in July. Take a stroll through the woods of Blue Pool, visit the National Motor Museum or during the summer, take

Exploring New Zealand by road is very popular, either by hire car or motor home, allowing you the luxury of exploring this beautiful country at a leisurely pace.
 
Make sure you leave plenty of time to drive around New Zealand as the country is larger than the UK, the roads often winding and most of the highways outside of the cities consisting of just one lane in each direction. There are many small islands sprinkled around New Zealand, which compromise of two main islands; “North Island” and “South Island”. 

Driving in New Zealand couldn’t be easier – they drive on the left!  Like in the UK, when the traffic lights are red, you must stop, and give way to the right.  The speed limits however, are kilometers per hour. The minimum age to rent a car is 21 years and seat belts must be worn in the front and back of vehicles.

To combine stunning white beaches and dense forests, take a tour of the north of the North Island. Start in Auckland, and visit the Bay of Islands region, a beautiful area made up of 144 islands and quiet bays where you may go marlin fishing or seek whales, penguins or dolphins. The beauty of the Coromandel is just 90 minutes from Auckland, rich in history, rainforests and long pristine beaches. To enjoy a little Maori culture and European history, head to Roturua.

The South Island is best known for its glorious Alps and Fjords. Start in the capital of Christchurch, and take the TranzAlpine train to Greymouth, one of the world’s most scenic routes. From here you could then drive along the west coast to the Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers.  Inland is the Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park, New Zealand’s highest mountain. Enjoy the exhilaration of a Shotover Jet ride speeding down the Shotover River or the normality of historic Arrowtown.

Florida is the number one location for Brits travelling within the USA and hiring a rental car. It’s simple to do (hiring the car with easyCar), the roads are well sign posted and directions easy to navigate. There is also so much to do and see in Florida that with a hire car, you could be surfing at West Palm Beach on the Atlantic Ocean one day and bathing on the Gulf of Mexico in Clearwater the next – followed by a trip to the coral reefs of Key Largo and dolphin swimming in Orlando!

There are just a few points that will help you understand driving in Florida.
Drive on the right. If you are turning right and the traffic lights are red, provided there is no sign telling you to the contrary and of course, no traffic coming, you can turn right. Passengers in the front of cars in Florida must wear seat belts, and all passengers under 18 years old must wear a seat belt or child restraint device (front and back).

Do not drink and drive. The Florida drinking laws and limits are stricter than nearly every other USA state.

Like the UK, speed limits are in miles per hour (MPH). Around schools, the speed limit in Florida is 20 mph, residential and business areas 30 mph, with rural interstate and limited access highways a maximum of 70 mph; however, watch and adhere to all speed limits posted as they do vary often. In 2002, Florida passed a “Mover over Act” which means that when approaching emergency vehicles e.g. ambulance, police, fire service etc, that drivers move into the next lane or slow down to 20 mph below the posted speed limit.

If you approach a Stop sign, make sure you totally stop and don’t just slow down. You can be fined for not completing the stop manoeuvre. No one has the right of way, and the law states you must yield the right of way, so do everything possible to prevent a crash.

When driving on the Florida Turnpike and other toll roads, make sure you carry cash. You are able to purchase rolls of quatres which is the preferred tender although other coins are accepted, and these can be bought at the toll plaza with the green “Change Given” lane. If you have a SunPass, do not stop as you travel through the relevant automated lane at the toll plaza as other drivers behind you will not (white/yellow sign)! Between some of the rural locations, rather than a coin system, you will be given a ticket showing point of entry onto the toll and time of exit.

Visiting family?  Visiting friends? Hosting a quiet dinner for two?  However you plan on spending Christmas Day and Boxing Day, you’ll find that most people will spend at least some time travelling up and down the UK highways and motorways.

Why not consider hiring a car with easyCar for the festive season? 

Not only would booking car rental in the UK give you the flexibility to be where you want to be, when you want to be there if you don’t already have a car, but it would mean that you would save the mileage of your own car, therefore helping to retain its value.

Have you bought so many presents that on your Christmas trip there won’t be room in your own car?  Then hire a car larger than your own.  Does mum and dad live in the country and you want to make sure you also see all your friends, but can’t because you don’t have a car?

With easyCar the low cost car hire specialists, rental prices start for 3 full days, from just £80.01 (2 days, £76, 6 days, £133.76) hiring a super mini 5 door air conditioned car such as a Chevrolet Matiz, from £232.27 for a full size automatic air conditioned estate such as a Volvo V70 – and many other styles and prices of cars in between.  How about requesting a Landrover Discovery 2.7 or similar from £604.08 or a luxury Mercedes CLS for another £53? All prices based on pick up/drop off from Gatwick airport on 24th December for 3 x 24 hours, as quoted 5th November (except where stated otherwise).

So Merry Christmas and have a very happy and healthy New Year!  Watch the roads, leave plenty of time for your Christmas journeys and drive carefully.

If holidaying in France, do as the French do and drive!  Many don’t believe in leaving their country, and come August, the city dwellers head straight for the many spectacular French beaches – it won’t be long before you realise why!

Head to the French Riviera otherwise known as the Cote d’Azur and pick up cheap Nice airport car hire with easyCar.  Overlooking the glorious Mediterranean Sea, Nice is the perfect location for a weekend break with its fantastic shopping, Promenade des Anglais walks, historic buildings and popular beach.  Just 20 minutes away by road is Cannes famous for the May Film Festival when it is full of the rich and famous. Take a stroll down la Croissette and see who you can spot (any time of year)!

If you prebook Nice car rental however, the south of France becomes so much more!  The scenic views as you follow one of the coastal roads, Corniches de la Riviera, between Nice and Menton is both spectacular and dramatic, so why not consider hiring a convertible car?  Look towards the east if driving from Cannes Mandelieu through Theoule sur Mer, and you should be able to see the striking mountain ranges – perfect photo opportunities!  There are the pretty villages of the Luberon, the bustling sea side resorts of Saint Raphael and Frejus, trendy and popular St Tropez and just so much more to explore!

Arrange car rental from Toulouse airport and you either drive towards the Languedoc Rouission region and the delightful family friendly beaches close to Perpignan such as Canet and St Cyprien, or closer to Beziers and popular Cap d’Agde.  Driving to the Pyrenees is also easy from Toulouse and the scenery again is spectacular and the villages delightful.  Car hire at Carcassonne airport is popular and having stopped for lunch in this medieval city, just a short drive from the south coast too.

When travelling any distance in France be it through Normandy, Brittany, the Dordogne, Provence or the mountainous Rhone-Alpes, collecting a hire car does make driving easier when using the tolls roads or when overtaking.  The charges to use the toll roads can add up, but there is nearly always less traffic and the roads are well maintained as well as offering numerous picnic stops and toilets.

Accommodation is plentiful and available at any budget for holidays in France. Choose a deluxe four star hotel in the south or a privately run gite in the north. Pick an apartment in a family friendly complex from a huge choice of locations around the coast (north, west or south) or a luxury villa with spectacular countryside or sea views.