Where to park your car when you travel from Alicante airport?

When we go on holidays by air plane we always have the inconvenience that we don´t know where to leave our car during the period that we are out, because we normally use the car only to get to the airport and to go back home.

 

Always when we have to travel we have the same inconvenience. We arrive at the airport by car and we don´t know where to leave it.

  

In many of the Spanish airports, near their terminals, we can find industrial areas or a nearby town where we can park and leave our car. In these cases we can easely find a parking place in the street and leave it there until we return from our holiday. But near the Alicante airpoort we do not have this option, there is no nearby town or industrial area, so our options are greatly reduced.

 

The most common option is parking your vehicle on the airport´s public parking. The main advantage of this is that you can park your car for sure and you can go directly to the gate.

  

But, what inconveniences does it has?
Among its major drawbacks the fact is that this parking area is not completely closed and private and of course the price, which is quite high.

 

What problem does this parking has for not being a private area?
At Alicante airport parking, thousands of people are walking dayly through it, and likewise, hundreds of cars are parking at its facilities.

 

Most of these stayings are for less than one hour. Small damages to your car should be also taken into considerations because of the high number of cars that parks in the area. Beside, if the driver who ran into our car doesn´t leave any message or note, it will be very dificult to find out who did it, since the parking area is not monitored.

 

What about the airport parking price, is it a reasonable price
Another aspect to consider is the high price that they charge you. Parking at Alicante airport costs 18,30€/day and if we leave our car for longer than 5 days the dayly price reduces to 14,65€. Quit expensive.

 

Another option is to hire a parking place with any of the many companies specialized in offering this service.

 

These companies are in the vicinity of the airport. They tend to have very spacious plots devoted exclusively for short and long parking stayments

 

I am a user of a short or long period stayment?
Short stayments users are normally customers who must travel by plane from Alicante airport and only dispose about their own vehicle to get to the airport. That´s why they have to leave parked their car for a few days until they come back from their trip and be able to collect it at the airport when they return.

 

Long stayments users are normally customers who spend long periods of time in their country of origin as well as here in Spain, that´s why they prefer having their vehicle parked safely near the airport. It is also the perfect place to leave for example your caravan, trucks or buses which are not going to be used for a long period of time, without involving to a great expense for the owner.

 

Is it cheaper than parking at the airport?
Of course it is. For example parking your car near Alicante airport for one week can cost you meaby 25€ or a long period stayment for one year may cost you about 320€.

 

What services should a parking company include at the airport?

• Because of being located at some distance from the airport, we must pay attention when making the booking and make sure that the transport from and too the airport is included in the price. There are many companies who don´t inlcude this service in there rental parking price and offer it as an additional price.
• By leaving our flight number we will ensure that there will be a courtesy car from the company waiting for us to take us from and too the airport. This way our effor will be minimal and the displacement to the Terminal on foot will even be less than if we park our vehicle directly at the airport parking.
• Normally, the company does not move the customer´s vehicle, the customer is the one who parks the vehicle and take the keys with him. They do offer the service so that you can leave your keys there until you come back, in case there is a mishap and your car needs to be moved.
• The area is guarded 24 hours a day. It is not a busy parking area where hundreds of people or vehicles passes through every day.
• All vehicles entering the premises have a register, as well as they are guided up to his concerted parking place.
• Some companies do also offer free car cleaning service or for a very low cost, as well as car covers or closed enclosures to protect even more your vehicle at an additional price.

 

Can you think of any better idea where to leave your car when you go on holidays by plane?

VictoriaCars start their car rental service in new destinations such as Majorca, Ibiza, Tenerife, London...

Since the implementation of VictoriaCars’ new booking engine, requests for new destinations have continued to increase, resulting in VictoriaCars searching for more destinations to offer their customer.

Last March Victoria Rent a Car unveiled their new booking engine that let you search for a hire car anywhere in the world.
The major change that the company carried out only half a year ago has done nothing but increase the confidence and their number of customers.
The implemented system is one of the most technologically advanced, designed under the OTA XML standards ... and this is?

XML is a language used for distributing information and OTA is the standard for sharing information between reservation systems, the association; Open Travel Alliance (OTA) defines these standards.

VictoriaCars currently offers its own rental cars at the airports in Barcelona, Valencia, Alicante and Murcia, and at their office located in Calpe. However if the customer chooses any delivery point other than those mentioned, the car hire service will be based on the company's collaborators supplying the best car hire at those destinations.

Where I can rent a car with Victoria Rent a Car?

VictoriaCars offers customers across Europe car hire in London, Paris, Rome,car hire Mallorca, etc. as well as other international destinations such as Thailand, New York, Moscow, Dakar, the Caribbean or anywhere where the customer want to travel.

The customer only has to begin to enter a location and a dropdown appears with destinations to choose from. At the same time, within a single area it is possible to deliver the car to multiple sites, not just at the airport, port or train station. This gives customers even more options and is not bound to a single point of delivery.

"Since implementing this system we are receiving requests from all over the world," said Teresa Martinez, Communications Manager of Victoria Rent a Car.

"Among the most popular destinations are New York, California, Brasilia, Rio de Janeiro, Cancun and the Dominican Republic in the USA. In Asia we have increased demand in India, Hong Kong, Japan and lately we have more and more requests for Vietnam.
In Europe, by far the most requested country is Spain, followed by Italy. However, a demand is received for countries in northern Europe. Here the demand is usually for a shorter period and for high-end vehicles, usually for executives on business trips," she reaffirms.
"We are currently looking for more destinations to offer customers an even better service, always trying to offer the best value on the market.
How about you? What has been your experience when renting a car outside of Spain?

Aspects to consider when driving through Europe.

If you drive through different European countries you have to bear in mind that the traffic regulations of each country can vary considerably.

More and more Europeans are travelling for both pleasure and business within the EU countries. But whilst being within the European Community you should know that the traffic rules may be different in each country, although central governments are making great efforts to try and unify them, but there’s still a long way to go.

How fast I can drive?
When we go to another country the first thing we should know is the speed limit. If travelling by car, by just entering the country you should see a panel indicating the highest speeds and the basic rules.

Be aware that in many countries the highway speed is 130km/h unlike Spain where it is 120km/h. In Germany you can find sections of the highway with no speed limits. It is very common to see cars driving over 200km/h here, so you have to pay extra attention when overtaking.

Am I covered by my insurance in case of an accident?
Insurance is indispensable when travelling. If we decide to go with our own car we have to have a green card that will be provided by your insurance company. We should consult our insurer about which countries we can drive in with the same conditions as in Spain, with regards to coverage. It is advisable, as well as having the phone number for roadside assistance, to contract a travel insurance policy.

If you hire a car the company will provide you with at least the compulsory insurance for within that country. Consumer organizations recommend that users contract the full insurance that is usually offered by car hire companies. If you decide to leave the country from which the car was hired, you have to consider what coverage you have, generally you are only given a valid insurance for the country you hired the car in and will not be supplied with a green card.
What documentation do I have to carry while driving?
When travelling you always have to have your ID or passport, along with your driving license. If travelling outside the European community you have to carry an international driving permit which is obtainable from your current country of residence. In addition, the documents must be valid for at least 6 months. Photocopies are not valid, so you must be always carrying the originals.

The vehicle must contain the registration certificate, an up to date ITV (MOT) and the insurance policy. In the registration plate it should have a symbol of the country you’re in, which can either be etched on the plate as a white letter on a blue background with white stars, or a white sticker with the letter of the country stuck on the back of the car in the same area.
What happens if I get fined?
Having different rules can make it very easy for us to be fined while driving abroad. In most cases the authority will ask you to pay the fine on the spot, otherwise they will have the authority to detain the car until payment thereof. In some countries, like Italy, we are only obliged to pay 20% of the fine on the spot.

At the same time, the amounts of the fines can vary widely from one country to another. For example in some places you may have to pay about 10€ for a small offence, whilst in others you can expect to pay about 6000€ for an excess of alcohol, as is the case in the UK.

Remember that if you do receive a fine abroad, although in theory you could appeal the charges, it can be very annoying. Due to the language barrier in some countries the process is judicial and not administrative, meaning that most people don’t appeal and settle the payment.
The best thing before leaving home is to take time to study the basic rules of each country and thus try and avoid being fined.

What about you? Have you had a mishap in a European country when you've gone on a trip with your car?



VictoriaCars
Car hire Mallorca
http://www.victoriacars.com/
www.facebook.com/victoriarentacar

The return of the beer festival in Calpe

This year in 2011, as with every year, we will once again celebrate the well-known Oktoberfest; a 12 day holiday renowned for its traditional German beer and tasty food.

As mandated by tradition, on October 6 at 20:00 pm the Mayor of Calpe, Cesar Sanchez, will open the first barrel of beer. This will give way to another year of the well-known Oktoberfest in Calpe.

This German holiday has its roots in the German town of Munich and was held for the first time on October 12, 1810. Today it is the town which holds the largest Oktoberfest in the world.
In Calpe it was first held in October 1982 and has since been organized every year by the Calpe Carnaval Club. It is the largest and oldest beer festival in Spain.

Over the years it has gained recognition and people from all over Europe come to celebrate. In any Internet forum you can find people like Fernando de Altea, who says he tries to go to this festival every year:  “I remember the many times in the past that I travelled to Munich to visit this event and can certify that the environment is no different there that to what it is here" (http://www.calpecostablanca.com/calpe/programa-completo-oktoberfest-2010-calpe-fiesta-cerveza/3568).

Last year in 2010 the festival was again a success. About 300 barrels of beer imported from Germany. Visitors tasted the famous knuckles and German sausages, while dancing to the rhythm of traditional German music. For this purpose, they hired more than 25 waiters and about 15 people in the kitchens so that visitors could have the best time possible. It is estimated that more than 10 000 people went through the marquee behind the tennis club in the Partida Gargasindi.
This year it will be held in the same place and it is estimated that even more visitors will attend. It will begin on October 6, as usual at 20:00 and end on the 16th at 20:00 hours.
As every year, the last day is reserved for the groups of bikers and will most likely include a rock concert. The festival will end with a paella contest at about 8 o'clock pm.
After reaching a consensus with the Calpe hoteliers, in 2012 the dates will be changed and the Oktoberfest celebration will be held between October 25 and November 4. They have taken this decision to help the tourism sector, because the date coincides with the long weekend in October. This will help lengthen the season a little more.

Octoberfest 2011 Program:
Thursday 06.10.2011
Inauguration, opening of the barrel by the mayor, dethroning the 2010 Queen of the Festival and the coronation of the 2011 Queen of the Festival

Friday 07.10.2011
Music hits from the past 20 years, Oktoberfest Party with Stefi.
Contest: lifting jugs of beer.

Saturday, 08.10.2011
Celebration with Steinsberg, oldie music night from the 70s/80s/90s, Night Fever Party with "Steinsberg Partyexpress"

Sunday, 09.10.2011
At 11:00 am snack with jazz music from the band "New Orleans Hot Dogs".
Night: Oktoberfest Party with Andy Heu Heu-Zick Zack-HAPPY DAY-

Monday, 10.10.2011
Concert with requested music with Steinsberg, songs with Doris and Bernd-HAPPY DAY-

Tuesday, 11.10.2011
Oktoberfest music hits from the past 20 years and Doris + Steinsbergern Cherilyn.
Oktoberfest Party.

Wednesday, 12.10.2011
At 11:00 am snack with live country music.
Night: Music with Steinsberg and log sawing contest. -HAPPY DAY-

Thursday, 13.10.2011
Non-stop party with Steinsberg, Oldies but Goldies Doris + Cherilyn and Steinsberg-HAPPY DAY-

Friday, 14.10.2011
Music with Steinsberg, Heu Heu Zick Zack, Oktoberfest party. Log sawing contest.

Saturday, 15.10.2011
Oktoberfest Party with The Steinsberg, music hits from 70s/80s/90s.

Sunday, 16.10.2011
At 11:00 am Paellas Competition, Oktoberfest music until the end of the party, about 20:00. -HAPPY DAY-



VictoriaCars
Car Hire Alicante
http://www.victoriacars.com/
http://victoriacars.blogspot.com/
www.facebook.com/victoriarentacar