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.

•  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 Houston before arrival or verify in the rental policy and rules to see which forms of payment they accept.

•  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