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 Houston 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 Houston, Texas 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 Houston? Consider adding a GPS navigation system to your rental. GPS provides turn-by-turn directions to a number of Houston attractions and businesses, and is offered by almost all Houston 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 Houston attractions

Houston TX Area Attractions

• Adventure Bay Water Theme Park
• Astrodome Museum
• Autry Court - Rice University
• Bayou City Art Festival
• Bayou Place
• Bear Creek War Monument
• Beer Can House
• Burke Baker Planetarium
• Byzantine Fresco Chapel Museum
• Children's Museum of Houston
• Christus St Joseph Hospital
• Cockrell Butterfly Center
• Contemporary Arts Museum
• Downtown Aquarium
• Downtown Houston
• Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary
• George R. Brown Convention Center
• Glenwood Cemetery

Houston rental guide