Croatia Travel Blog

Posts Tagged ‘driving Croatia’

“Holidaymakers could find car rentals harder to come by this summer, as the economic downturn forces car hire companies to cut their fleets during peak periods.” proclaimed an article in the Telegraph. Note that the article was published February 4 2009!

The prediction proved completely accurate at least as far as Croatia was concerned.  When I expressed concern at the number of dealer cancellations of cars booked through my partner, Economycarrentals.com, in the summer of 2009  I received this response:

Due to the current difficult economic situation, almost all car rental companies have decreased their fleet and that is why we get many cancellations. It’s been a tough summer and this is going to continue until the end of August, that is why we warned our clients to book as early as possible to avoid cancellations and inconvenience. (emphasis mine)

Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee that all last-minute bookings will get confirmed, but we push our partners to serve as many of our clients as possible.

Now, the Telegraph is again warning of car rental shortages in this article. I would urge you to take the warning seriously if you are planning a trip to Croatia this summer. The economic situation that led to shortages last summer is, if anything, worse this year. There is no expansion of car-hire fleets on the horizon this summer in Croatia so there is a strong possibility that last-minute bookers will be forced into a much higher category of vehicle, or will pay a premium price or will be shut out completely.

Takeaway: as soon as you get your flights booked, work on your car rental. I recommend economycarrentals.com for the best cars at the cheapest prices but you’ll find a list of Croatia car rental companies and more car rental advice here.