How to Rent a Car in Goa | Solo Travel

Planning a solo trip to Goa and concerned about commuting options within the state? Well, renting a car is one of the best options to explore Goa on solo travel, especially if you are a woman. Also, it is the best option if you do not know how to ride a bike. Hiring a car is a better option while travelling solo as you get complete freedom of planning your trip. You do not have to be considerate about other people’s timing and do not have to plan your trip as per the schedule of buses and availability of cabs.

Besides, a car will give you that additional security from the rogues who begin to misbehave as soon as they see a woman alone. Having personal transport also gives you the independence to explore every nook and corner of the state without worrying whether you will get a ride back to the hotel or not. So, for the given reasons, here is a guide to help you rent a car in Goa.

Rent a car from local car rentals

Since renting bikes and cars is one of the most popular and convenient ways of travelling in Goa, you can find a lot of local car rental places in Goa. Here you can rent various types of cars according to your need. If you are a solo traveller but also a photographer or blogger, you will probably have a lot of fragile instruments such as a camera, lens, tripod, etc. And carrying all this stuff in public transport, bike, or scooter is not easy. However, renting a sedan or a hatchback will be the best way to travel in Goa. Moreover, if you aim to cover most of the visitable places in Goa, there’s probably no better option than renting a car.

Points to keep in mind before renting a car from local car rentals

• Don’t rent a car if you don’t have a driver’s license, even if you know how to drive a car. Moreover, if you have a driver’s license but forgot to carry the hard copy, you should download the DigiLocker on your phone before renting a car. DigiLocker will provide you with a soft copy of your license and act the same as a physical licence. 
• Take a short test drive of the car you will rent and carefully check the whole car before renting it. Take photos of the car if there’s any accident mark or dent. Car rentals often try to get extra money from you because of previous dents and scratches.
• Drive very carefully and obey all the traffic rules. Make sure you don’t get into an accident. Most car rentals only cover their cars under third-party insurance. It means that they will only get the insurance amount if the accident is caused by the mistake of a third person on the road. 

Online car rental apps

The second option to rent a car in Goa is to use popular car rental apps like zoom car, supercar rentals, etc. You should consider this option if you can make some extra expenses. However, the pros of renting a car from an app-based rental service for a slightly higher amount is that you can escape all the scams going on in Goa. There are a lot of incidents shared by tourists every year that they took a car on rent from a local car rental service and on the time of submitting the car back, they were asked a huge amount for scratches and dents which were not belonging to them.

These situations can be managed by taking the above-listed precautions. But still, if you are a solo traveller, you may find yourself in a very uncomfortable situation. That’s why app-based rental services will be a more convenient option for you if you travel solo. These services will cost you around Rs. 600 per day.

Moreover, there is another benefit or a hack from my side. If you are travelling to Goa in peak season, then you should consider these app-based rental services because in the peak season, it becomes hard to find cars at local rentals, and even if you can find one, then they will ask you a higher rent than usual. In app-based rental services, the rent remains almost the same throughout the year. 

Rent a taxi for a whole day

Now, both options above are for those with a driver’s license. But what if you don’t have one. If you don’t know how to drive a car, hiring a local taxi for a whole day is one of the best options. You can ask the local taxi drivers for their “per kilometre rates” and hire. However, you also have to pay them the waiting charges, but still, it will cost you much lower than hiring taxis again and again. But always remember to ask the driver for the keys if you are leaving your stuff in the car. The best part is you can cover a lot of different locations in Goa in one day. 

Get rolling!

So now that you know how to rent a car in Goa, I hope you will enjoy your trip to the best and explore Goa to the best of your limits. A car undoubtedly frees you from the public transport schedule and lets you enjoy the ambience of various places even at odd hours. Besides, if you rent a car, you can enjoy Goa’s nightlife without worrying about getting a cab back to the hotel in the wee hours. Therefore, renting a car is the best option if you want to travel completely throughout Goa according to your will. So, get behind the wheel and experience the beauty of the beautiful state!

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