The year has only just started but some amazing car ads have already hit the worldwide markets. Here’s our selection of the funniest, smartest or coolest ads of 2016.
Huyndai
Tesla
Honda
BMW
Subaru
Author: noel
New Zealand Road Trip for Wine Aficionados
Wine itineraries published in the Northern Hemisphere usually present wine regions from the Mediterranean countries as the most exciting destinations for wine aficionados. True, France, Italy and Spain unquestionably have their charm, but what about New Zealand?? We reckon Aotearoa is one the best destinations in the world for wine lovers, with boutique vineyard experiences that are unmatched elsewhere. Grab a free rental car and go on an unforgettable wine road trip across New Zealand. Here are a couple of our favourite spots.
Otago
When starting your wine tour in Focus Wine Cellars of New Zealand in the South, you can start in Christchurch or Queenstown and grab a free rental campervan. Before indulging in the wines of the world-famous Otago region, you should see some interesting attractions along the way, such as divine Lake Tekapo.
There are three incredible wineries worth a visit close to Queenstown. You could go round Chard Farm Winery and Mt Difficulty Winery in the same day. Our favourite view ever is from Rippon Vineyard in Wanaka. Otago is a region with a long winemaking tradition. Thanks to its specific, cooler climate, this region offers the best aromatic wines and pinot noirs.
Marlborough
Situated in the northern part of the South Island, Marlborough is we think the second most interesting wine region of the south. It will take you about eight hours to get from Queenstown to Blenheim, the heart of wine industry in Marlborough.
When it comes to wines in these regions, you should try sauvignon blanc or pinot at Cloudy Bay Winery. Also, go to Johanneshof Cellars, because this underground winery will enchant you with its incredible architecture, as well as their Gewürztraminer wine.
Martinborough
Martinborough is often overlooked, but it’s surprisingly close to Wellington, just over an hour’s drive. It is situated in the South Wairarapa district. The life in this region is based on two industries: wine production and agriculture. If you can schedule your NZ wine trip for November, you will witness one of the funkiest little wine festivals in the world – the Toast Martinborough Festival. It will give you an opportunity to taste all the major wines of this region in one place.
However, if you come here at any other time of the year, you have to try the pinot noir and chardonnay made in accordance with the tradition of Martinborough Vineyard. On the other hand, those who want a taste of Europe in the middle of New Zealand have to visit Schubert Wines Winery.
Hawke’s Bay
Once in Napier, You must go to Mission Estate Winery, which is one of the world famous wine-producing places in New Zealand. They have been producing wine for more than 150 years. It’s on the outskirts of Napier, so it will not be hard to find it.
We also recommend that you visit Clearview Estate Winery, situated on the ocean shore, about 20 km south of Napier. Taste their rich chardonnays and red wines, as well as some splendid meals they serve in their Red Shed Restaurant.
No matter where you go, visiting wineries in New Zealand is a truly a delightful experience; with a free rental car or campervan, you’ll have more money to spend at the vineyards!
Source: https://hauslerwines.com.au/our-tastings/
Text Lillian Connors and Pascal Languillon
Photos Pascal Languillon and FlickR creative commons
Australian Road Trip Adventures: East or West?
Australia has vast empty spaces, beautiful landscapes and modern highways which represent a genuine treat to every road adventurer. There’s so much to discover, so where to start? In this article we tell you what you can expect if you make a trip along the West or East Coast.
The West Quest
Since most tourist itineraries dedicate more time and space to the East Coast, we are going to start on the other side of Australia. Although not as star-studded as the eastern part when it comes to famous sights, the West Coast is famous for its beautiful landscapes, vineyards with gentles slopes and incredible coral areas.
From Perth to Exmouth
The first of two trips along the West Coast we are going to present here starts in Perth. The final goal of this trip is Exmouth. The distance between these two towns is about 2,200 miles. It will take you about 10 days to get from Perth to Exmouth. Since you will be driving along the Indian Ocean, you can stop at many places to enjoy some breath-taking views of the ocean. The strip from Perth to Exmouth is also called the Australia’s Coral Coast and it is lined with wonderful beaches, rich with atolls and azure sea.
You should also visit Coral Bay, a village which is the best starting point to get to Ningaloo Reef. If you come to this attraction in the period between March and late June, you might get a chance to see whale sharks and even swim with those unique animals.
On the other hand, travellers who are not keen on sea adventures should pay a visit to the Kalbarri National Park. Here you can make a two-day stop and go trekking through this wild park. When you finally get to Exmouth, you can get back to Perth or maybe fly to the East Coast.
From Perth to the South
The other exciting road trip along the West Coast that we recommend is the route from Perth to Albany. This trip is perfect for wine lovers and surfers. As you leave Perth, the first attraction to visit is Bunbury. This vivid town with a large port offers a great number of beautiful restaurants with fresh seafood. Here you can see some wild dolphins, as well. Now that you have had some shrimps or calamari, you will be ready for some surfing when you get to Margaret River. This is probably the finest region in Australia for surfing enthusiasts. With about 90 miles of coastline, it gives enough options to every type of surfers.
After an exciting day on the waves, it is time for a wine night. The Margaret River Region is so famous for its wine that even the Guardian has made a special wine guide about this area. Of course, tasting wines demands a night stay in this region. Once you reach Albany, you can go back to Perth along the Albany Highway in less than four hours or choose to fly to another part of Australia.
Feast in the East
Although the Australian East Coast has more famous sights, it is less exciting in terms of road trips. Nevertheless, every road adventurer should try the route from Sydney to Brisbane.
- From Sydney to Brisbane
The distance between Sydney and Brisbane is about 700 miles. The road that takes you there is the Pacific Highway, which should take about 10 hours’ drive. However, there will be some off-highway turns, so the whole trip could last longer. The first such turn should be made near Newcastle, where you should leave the highway and turn to the Hunter Valley. Since you will be leaving the main route for a couple of times, it would be wise to get a reliable GPS navigation. Since this is arguably the most attractive wine region in Australia, you should book a hotel room in advance and spend a couple of days tasting wines and enjoying the region.
Before you get back to the highway and continue your trip to Brisbane, make a stop in Newcastle. This is one of the most attractive artistic and cultural hubs of Australia. Brimming with modern boutiques, art galleries and artistic vibrations, Newcastle is a sort of Australian San Francisco and it is worth a visit.
As you keep heading northward, you could make a break in dreamy Port Stephens, where you can watch a dolphin and whale ocean show. As you keep getting closer to your goal, pay attention to Byron Bay, one of the most idyllic places in Australia, with its golden beaches and some great surf breaks. When you finally reach Brisbane, have a look around the town, visit these attractions and visit the divine Gold Coast on your way back to Sydney.
Australia is ready to offer you some great roads and places to visit for your road trip. Pack your things, buckle up and have a fantastic road trip Down Under.
AUTHOR: Lillian Connors is an avid traveler, often just letting her insatiable wanderlust take her to the places she never thought she visit. As a seasoned blogger within this niche, she regularly shares her insights with those infested with a travel bug. This aside, she enjoys losing herself in a good book and knocking back a couple of pints of quality pale ale.
Carpooling: a smart way to share the cost of your relocation
Getting a free rental car is great, isn’t it? However you’ll often have to pay for all or part of the fuel used to relocate the car, and on long journeys you may spend over $100… The smartest way to keep costs down is to share the trip with friendly passengers and split the fuel bill. Read more on how this may be achieved in practice. A trip from Christchurch to Auckland could end up costing you only $25 if you take a free rental car and share the cost of fuel with fellow travellers. Carpooling is not very popular in New Zealand yet, however it is huge in Europe, and it can only grow here too…
Chariot is a brand new app that matches users, drivers and passengers, along the same route. Fares are calculated based on trip distance, mileage rate and fare zone. Trip distance is measured by Google Maps. The contribution is cashless, via the secure app. Users agree to a cost-sharing agreement upfront using the app.
“Our mission is to reduce the number of empty seats in cars, cut traffic congestion and carbon emissions by offering a platform for social ride sharing,” said Chariot’s CEO, Thomas Kiefer.
The app has literally just launched a few weeks ago so it can be a bit buggy and the number of rides offered is small for now, but this can only improve and grow in the near future.
CarpoolWorld is another good tool for New Zealand travellers with some long distance trips. You can find for instance drivers or passengers willing to go from Auckland to Queenstown, Christchurch to Wellington, etc. The website doesn’t look very sharp but the system works well.
Let’s Car Pool is a New Zealand government run website that allows those interested in carpooling to register and upload any trips they are taking, but this is mostly inter-city, in Auckland or Wellington for instance.
Let us know about your experience if you use any of these services with one of our free rental cars!
How to Survive a Transfercar Road Trip as a Parent
For most people who have reached a certain age, the idea of a road trip is an image of a perfectly happy family having the time of their life traversing the country, discovering new places and experiences, learning about each other and forgetting about their worries.
Thanks to Transfercar, it is now possible for families who may not be “vehicularly well-equipped” to also enjoy road trips in cars and campervans that they would otherwise be unable to afford. This free rental car setup also enhances the road trip with an added layer of adventure, making it a truly unique family experience.
In reality, however, road trips are a much more erratic affair which can take its toll on everyone, parents in particular. I have had a ton of experience as a road trip participant, first as one of the children, but in the last few years also in the capacity of The Dad….Here are my tips:
Research Beforehand
The idea of a road trip that you undertake out of the blue may seem like an adventurous and exciting one, but in reality you are only inviting misery. If you just take off, it is far more likely than not that you are going to encounter nothing but boredom, sprinkled by occasional moments of panic.
You probably already have a route in mind and you should research it in depth before heading out. This will include finding the sights to see and experiences to be had. When doing this, you should keep in mind who you are traveling with. If your children are your average 10 or 15-year olds, a visit to a furniture manufacturer or a typewriter museum might not be the best idea. Stick with stuff that you know children love.
You might also want to make your road trip a teaching experience, both when it comes to the area you will be traveling through and when it comes to cars and driving. Children can learn plenty about cars and proper ways of taking long journeys on a road trip. Of course, if your own expertise is somewhat limited, there are always places where you can learn. This blog, for instance, is great for learning about repairs, this one is a fantastic one if you have daughters who might want to learn about cars from women’s perspective and this blog will teach you all there is about tyres. There is really no shortage of info out there.
Do not Overdo It
It is very easy to overdo it once you start planning your road trip. Many of us have those “tendencies”, so to say, to turn into scheduling monsters that cannot be contained and that are able to ruin even the most pleasurable of trips with their itineraries, their programme and immovability. It is absolutely essential that you do not turn into one of those monsters.
One of the best ways to avoid this is to be attentive of clues that will be all around you. If you keep hearing the sighs of your children in the back seat because the next bathroom break is not due for another 60 minutes, you are becoming the monster!
A road trip should be a pleasurable experience and you need to remember to be Zen from time to time. The planet will not fall off its axis if you miss a spot along your route or if the night catches you 13 kilometres sooner than you expected.
Relax. Enjoy time with your family.
Enjoying your Free Rental Car
If you decide to take advantage of Transfercar to find a vehicle for your family road trip, there are a few things that you will want to keep in mind. For example, it is going to be a one-way trip, so it might be a good idea to try and coordinate the free cars in a way that your family does not have to wait for days at your end destination before you can all drive back. The good news is that many people do these back-to-back bookings with Transfercar and it should not be a problem.
Another good idea would be to apply for a few vehicles in both your starting and your return destination so that you maximize the chances of landing the best possible vehicle at the best possible time. Also, depending on the size of your family, you will want to ensure that the car is going to be suitable for your road trip. After my previous experience I should say that now I think of renting a commercial passenger van, as we had so much stuff with us and too little space in the car.
Finally, keep one thing in mind, road trips are fun adventures and with Transfercar they just might become even more fun.
Source: vinsautogroup.com.sg.
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AUTHOR: James D. Burbank is the editor-in-chief of a business-oriented blog BizzMarkBlog and a father of two. He has also been a huge road trip enthusiast his entire life. Oh yeah, he is also a huge Utah Jazz fan.
Transfercar for Dummies: Learn to Relocate like a Pro
Long gone are the days when being accepted for a car relocation was just pure luck. When Transfercar started its operations back in 2008, we only had a handful of vehicles that needed to be relocated each month. Now we’re talking thousands, so there is definitely an opportunity for you to find the right car or camper relocation, but it all starts with a bit of planning and an understanding of how Transfercar works. So we’ve decided, to start the year, to help you to make the most of our amazing system with some simple tips:
1. Understand the basics
There are no direct bookings on Transfercar; Drivers make requests to relocate a vehicle, the rental operators get alerted and then select a driver when they log in to our system. Rental operators can receive just one request or sometimes 5 or more for the same vehicle, as there is usually a few hours between the time they list their relocation and the moment when there are able to process those requests. This means that in many cases some drivers’ requests will be rejected as only one can be selected per car. Rental operators either choose the successful driver on a first-come, first-served basis, or can also choose to trust a driver that has previously relocated before, or who requests extra paid days. Therefore if your relocation request gets rejected or expires, it is nothing personal, and you should try again with another vehicle.
2. Request multiple vehicles for the same route
As explained above, you will not always be accepted for a relocation you have requested, therefore to maximize your chances of driving a free Perth car hire or campervan, it’s best if you can request up to 3 vehicles for the same route and similar dates as this will increase your chances of getting a car. Once you get accepted for one relocation, our system will automatically cancel the other pending requests, so you should no worry about any cancellation fee. Optionally, you may recycle unwanted car and get top cash for a new one.
3. Subscribe to email alerts
Look for this button on the left column of the page where search results are displayed, or go to ‘Settings’ in your Transfercar account, to set up email notifications regarding the listing of new vehicles on your preferred route.
and then:
This enables you to be the first informed about the availability of a relocation for the dates that interest you.
4. Plan ahead
You need to allow enough time to request vehicles, as it’s usually hard to get accepted for a same day request as rental operators need time to respond.That said, we usually don’t have availability for car relocations six months down the track, so the best time to start looking for a relocation is usually a few weeks to a few days before your desired pick-up date.
5. Trust your eyes…
Trust that what you can see on the website is true. The rule is, ”if it’s not on the website, we don’t have it”. Please don’t call customer support to ask for availability about a camper that you would like to relocate a few months down the track; If it is not listed on the website, then our answer will always be no…
Likewise, relocations are non-negotiable. If it’s written that a car is a manual, then it’s a waste of your time to try to ask for the car to be automatic instead. If it’s written that the ferry is not included, there is no point in trying to negotiate this either…
6…. but read carefully
Please read all the relocation details carefully and email support with any questions you may have, rather than requesting a car and then cancelling it you realised you made a mistake. You would not believe the number of people who cancelled a booking because they thought the ferry or fuel was included, when it was clearly stated the contrary….Remember that we may charge a fee for last-minute cancellations!
7. Understand the difference between 24 hours and calendar days.
Read this blog post to understand how rental operators use different methods of calculation for the number of days rented depending on if the vehicle is a car or a campervan: https://www.transfercar.co.nz/blog/transfercar-user-tips-nz/our-new-date-picker-explained
8. Allow enough time between drop-off and pick-up for back-to back bookings
You can for instance relocate a car from Queenstown to Christchurch and then pick-up another car from Christchurch to continue your journey on the same day. However to do this in our system, you will have to make sure that the drop-off time of your first relocation falls before the pick-up time of the second vehicle, otherwise it will be flagged as an error. You should always secure your first relocation first, and then select a second one once you have been accepted for the first relocation, rather than requesting both at the same time, to avoid having to cancel the second leg if you’re not accepted for the first leg.
Now search for your free rental car and happy travelling!