Smarter Car Renting

Here are car rental tips from the road trip-seasoned editors of RoadsideAmerica.com:

•  Credit Cards for Pick-Up: Many agencies require a credit card upon pick-up. Yes, Opie, we live in that kind of world. So make sure you are in good standing with your "plastic." Call the car rental agency in Seaside before arrival or verify in the rental policy and rules to see which forms of payment they accept.

•  Many States, One Car: If renting a car for a longer road trip, check with the car rental companies in Seaside, California to see if they have policies about crossing state lines that affect the final rate you pay. May be no effect, but don't assume you can crisscross the globe with unlimited mileage impunity. There may be a GPS tracker in the car!

•  Leave Nothing Behind: At a road trip's end, we find we've accumulated souvenirs, kitschy mementoes, and piles of brochures from tourist attractions. These treasures prove you really traveled -- that it wasn't just some wacky delusion. When dropping off your rental car, carefully check every door pocket, drink holder and storage bin for these keepsakes. The rental car company sure doesn't have any use for them.

Click here to see Seaside attractions

Seaside CA Area Attractions

• Naval Postgraduate School (2.48 miles)
• Downtown Monterey (3.54 miles)
• Monterey Bay Aquarium (3.77 miles)
• Dead Whale Monument (4.72 miles)
• Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca (4.79 miles)
• Community Hospital Monterey Peninsula (5.00 miles)
• Point Pinos Lighthouse (5.72 miles)
• 17-Mile Drive (5.93 miles)
• Poppy Hills (6.15 miles)
• Pebble Beach Country Club and Resort (6.27 miles)
• Winfield Gallery (6.37 miles)
• Carmel Mission (6.89 miles)
• Pebble Beach Golf Links (7.02 miles)
• Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital (10.81 miles)
• Steinbeck Museum (10.83 miles)
• Giant Artichoke (11.36 miles)
• Natividad Medical Center (13.40 miles)
• Two Story Outhouse (23.07 miles)

Seaside rental guide