Smarter Car Renting

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

•  Damaged: Always carefully eyeball your vehicle before leaving the rental agency, whether you're in Port Charlotte or East Podunkville. The last renter may have pulled in after a meteor shower! Prior scratches, dents, and other vehicle damage can cause extra headaches and costs if not noted before you leave the rental car lot. If you see any damage on the car's exterior and interior before you leave, make sure it's noted on the rental car papers, and point it out to an agency employee. This will resolve any questions that could arise when you return. And avoid meteor showers.

•  Many States, One Car: If renting a car for a longer road trip, check with the car rental companies in Port Charlotte, Florida 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!

•  Fear of the Unknown: Unfamiliar with the streets of Port Charlotte? Consider adding a GPS navigation system to your rental. GPS provides turn-by-turn directions to a number of Port Charlotte attractions and businesses, and is offered by almost all Port Charlotte car rental agencies. The GPS helps you navigate like some mythical Greek God of Navigation! You can also add your own portable GPS on your handy windshield sucker, but remember to take it all with you when you turn in the car at the end of your trip.

Click here to see Port Charlotte attractions

Port Charlotte FL Area Attractions

• Bon Secours- St Joseph Health
• Fawcett Memorial Hospital
• Fisherman's Village Resort Club (4.23 miles)
• Florida Adventure Museum (4.24 miles)
• Charlotte Regional Medical Center (4.63 miles)
• Bon Secours- Venice Hospital (22.35 miles)
• Crowley Museum and Nature Center (24.55 miles)
• Cape Coral Hospital (25.34 miles)
• Burroughs Home (26.77 miles)
• Downtown Fort Myers (27.26 miles)
• Edison & Ford Winter Estates (27.63 miles)
• Lee Memorial Health System (28.07 miles)
• Edison Mall (29.55 miles)
• Southwest Florida College (29.78 miles)
• Calusa Nature Ctr and Planetarum (30.71 miles)
• Heron Lagoon Club (31.09 miles)
• Medical Rotational Hospital (31.17 miles)
• Doctors Hospital of Sarasota (31.17 miles)

Port Charlotte rental guide