Spain car rental tips

adminonMarch 10, 2022February 11, 2022Leave a Comment

rent a car.tips gives you at this point helpful information for your car rental search in spain and mallorca. With the appropriate tips and information, we provide you with suitable information on the topic of car rental in spain, including everything that is important and worth knowing for you.

spain car rental rates comparison

note to the spain& mallorca car hire price comparison: no matter if barcelona, madrid, palma de mallorca, ibiza or gran canaria – if you are looking for a rental car for spain, you will be asked on the car rental price comparison site right on the booking screen, whether you are younger than 25 or older than 69 years old. In spain it is common that drivers under 25 years have to pay a so called young driver fee. Under certain circumstances, older drivers may also have to pay a so-called senior citizen surcharge. so you should check the box and enter your age, if this applies to you, because then our car rental price comparison for spain can immediately pick out the right offer for your spain trip, which perfectly suits your needs& age is tailored. For them, this means less searching. Note: for many rental companies, the maximum rental age in spain is 99 years. This means that seniors rarely pay a surcharge in spain.

Resume: no matter which offer you prefer in terms of price, always have a look at the corresponding rental conditions. Because the cheapest offer can quickly become the most expensive in the end, if there are any surcharges, etc., to pay. Add. For this reason, put the hook at "you are under 25 years or over 69 years old" – but still check the rental conditions again to see if the car rental company gives precise information about the age requirements.

How high the young driver fee in spain can be, we have for you below, under the point upgrades& extras, extra listed and compiled.

hint to time of rental& delivery: if possible always choose the same time, i.e. rent and return at 12 o’clock, otherwise if you return after 12 o’clock you will be charged for an extra day!

driving license

Holidaymakers who want to rent a car in spain or mallorca must be in possession of a valid national driver’s license. In the rental conditions you will usually also find a note on how long you have to be in possession of your driver’s license in order to be able to rent a car. for the whole of spain the rule is 1 year driver’s license possession. However, car renters who do not reside in spain or the balearic islands should note that many car rental companies in spain require, in addition to the time of rental, an valid passport to valid national driver’s license (EU driving license) want to see. Our Tip: for your safety, please take your passport with you.

note on the national driver’s license: has your driver’s license not been issued in the latin alphabet (z. B. is this the case for arabic, greek, russian or chinese), they need a international driving license in connection with their national driving license and should also have their passport with them. Relatively, should it not concern a multilingual driver’s license, then we recommend the additional taking along of an international driver’s license.

Note: the minimum rental age for many car rental companies in spain is 21 years, but often it is 25 years.

Tip: young drivers of 21 years find with the organizer car europe often the right car rental for your spain or mallorca round trip.

Vehicle category

At the spanish car rental stations you will find the following car rental categories, which we have clearly arranged for you below. We also give you an important overview about the sizes to people& number of pieces of luggage with it. this way you will have a good idea of what you can expect in the corresponding vehicle categories. space and size will of course depend on which rental car (car brand) you will finally get in the booked category.

small car (2-door; up to 4 persons; offers space for 2 medium sized suitcases)
compact class (4-door; up to 4 persons; offers space for 3 medium-sized suitcases)
middle class (4-door; up to 5 persons; offers space for 3 medium sized suitcases)
upper/luxury class (4-door; 5 to 9 persons; offers space for up to 7 medium-sized suitcases)
station wagon (4-door; up to 5 persons; offers space for 4 medium-sized suitcases)
off-road/ SUV (4-door; 4 to 5 persons; offers space for 2 to 3 medium-sized suitcases)
Van (4-door; 5 to 7 people; offers space for 3 medium-sized suitcases)
convertible (2-door; up to 2 people; offers space for 1 medium-sized suitcase)
Transporter (2 to 4-door; 2 to 3 persons; offers space for 5 medium-sized suitcases, gbf. also more)

note: the specification of the pieces of suitcases here are within the limits of safety regulations& with full occupancy (z. B. van with 7 seats& 7 persons there is room for approx. 3 medium-sized suitcases), d.H. The load does not go beyond the headrests! Of course you can rent a small car for 4 people, then load up the trunk and hope that nothing slides forward in case of an accident& happens! But do you really want to expose yourself to this danger?? We think not, because otherwise you would not have landed on this page to inform yourself extensively about the topic "car rental in spain!

Vehicle recommendations for couples

Notice: with an appropriate budget, there are no upper limits for renting a car. In this we also do not see the art. We from car rental.Tips try to find for you and your loved ones a suitable& to find a comfortable rental car for as little money as possible in spain – because that’s where we see the challenge.

For city trips in spain: if you are a couple looking for a suitable rental car for the city, z. B. Palma, are, then of course a small car completely out of. With a small car you will hardly do anything wrong in cities like barcelona, madrid or palma and you will also fit into every parking space, no matter how small it is.

For intercity and freeway trips in spain: however, if your trip to spain should involve longer trips on the highway, then i recommend you to go for a somewhat larger car for safety’s sake – one that is also comfortable and perhaps has a bit more room for your luggage. Here are especially vehicles from the compact or mid-size rather.

Vehicle recommendations for families

Note: with an appropriate budget there are no upper limits for car rental in spain. In it we also do not see the art. We at car rental.Tips try to find for you and your loved ones a suitable& to find a comfortable rental car for as little money as possible in spain – because that’s where we see the challenge.

For city trips in spain: if you are a family of up to 4 people and need a suitable rental car to get from A to B within madrid, i recommend the following for city traffic compact class. If you are traveling with 5 people, we recommend at this point the middle class which offers space for up to 5 persons.

For intercity and freeway travel in spain: if you as a family with up to 5 people have several hours of intercity or highway trips ahead of you, i advise you to rent at least one car from the middle class to rent, in order to have enough space for your luggage in the trunk. For more space and legroom also provides the station wagon or van class.

insurances

Insurance plays an important role in a rental car offer. If your insurance cover may be too low, but the offer is tempting at a reasonable price, this can fall flat on your face in the event of a claim and you will not have saved anything in the end, but merely paid dearly for it. So that you are spared this fiasco on your car rental trip through spain or the balearic islands, it is advisable to check the spain car rental price comparison on the left under the item "insurance cover" all offers with "premium protection" show you. You pay on average 3,30€ more per day for spain, but you are optimally insured, as the following offer shows you:

Very good car rental offer for z. B. 8 days spain from barcelona (incl. Premium protection)

Liability: unlimited (note: for spain there are many offers with unlimited coverage)

comprehensive/theft without deductible ( pay attention here, in many spain car rental offers it is not uncommon that z. B. fully comprehensive insurance without SB is included, but you will read in the rental conditions: "inkl. Deductible (=SB) is equal to the deposit amount; SB is retained by interrent in case of damage and refunded by autoeurope". At this point, do not panic, if something happens to your rental car during your trip, z. B. The car rental company interrent will keep your excess, which was blocked with the deposit. However, you will receive from your operator z. B. Autoeurope will reimburse them. So you have to pay no deductible, just like it is written in your offer above! Important: the car rental company interrent offers you o. a. When you rent a car, they offer you the possibility to exclude the excess by paying an extra fee, then please decline! You are already adequately insured by your operator and will be reimbursed the excess in case of a claim. The car rental companies earn more on additional insurances they want to push on you. Some of them, like this one, are just money-grubbing and won’t really help you.
glass/tyre/underbody insured
fair fuel regulation (full/full): see under the point fuel regulation what "fair fuel regulation" means.
All kilometers free

upgrades& extras

If you have found the ideal car rental offer for spain via the price comparison portal and finally click on "to the offer", you can add any extras you may require on the following page. For spain, when it comes to upgrades& extras the following things& prices to consider.

Tip: check first if their offer also provides you with the option for extras. With few offers, the car rental company will either not provide you with many extras (e.g. B. Is not everywhere a child seat to get) or even no extras can be booked at all! In the following we have compiled an overview of what you can expect in spain and on the balearic islands in terms of extras you can get.

[accordions ]
[accordion title="under 25" load="show"]if you are under 25 years old when renting a car, you have to pay an additional fee at all car rental companies in spain: the so called young driver fee. For the young driver fee, please be sure to check the rental conditions individually for each! This is around €7.50 per day in spain. [/accordion]
[accordion title="second or third driver" load="hide"]if the second or additional driver is not included in your offer, you will have to pay an extra fee of. Please note that the additional driver must also have a corresponding minimum age in most cases. the second driver fee in spain is usually from 5,37€ + vat per day and as a maximum 79,34€ + vat. For an additional third driver a fee i.H.V. 1€ per day extra charge. [/accordion]
[accordion title="child seat and baby seat" load="hide"]according to the spanish road traffic regulations children up to 12 years (or 150cm) have to sit on a child seat. The fee for baby and child seats is usually 42€ per rental or 5,99€ per day (can vary a bit from car rental company to car rental company) and has to be paid either at the time of booking or at the time of pick up on site.[/accordion]
[accordion title="navi / GPS" load="hide"]if you don’t have your own navigation system with you, you can book one additionally. The fee is approx. 10€ per day and has to be paid either at the time of booking or at the time of pick up. [/accordion] [accordion title="luggage carrier" load="hide"]if you need an additional luggage carrier for your rental car trip, you can book it additionally.[/accordion] [accordion title="winter tires" load="hide"]if you need additional winter tires for your spain car rental trip, you can book them separately. The fee for winter tires in barcelona starts from 32€ and depends on the duration of the rental.[/accordion] [accordion title="snow chains" load="hide"]if you need additional snow chains for your trip through spain, the fee for them is about 14€ per day.[/accordion] [accordion title="cross border" load="hide"]if you want to cross borders, you can book them extra, if they are not in the rental conditions. The one-time fee is about 50€ per day.[/accordion]
[/accordions]

Tip: we have only tried to collect the minimum and maximum prices for you here. For the exact prices please refer to the extras of your offer. Here each car rental company has listed its exact price.

Saving tip

Often we find that extras become cheaper with the duration of the rental. This is for example the case for winter tires. If you rent a car for one day, the cost of winter tires is about 32€ + car rental, if you rent a car for 2 days, the cost of winter tires is about 39€ + car rental, if you rent a car for 3 days, the cost of winter tires is about 39€ + car rental. day only 40€ + car rental. The price therefore does not increase linearly. Often you will get a better deal if you rent the car for an extra day. This procedure depends very much on what you have to book in addition. For spain it can be worthwhile, however, since the actual car rental per day is very cheap here resp. Low is and additional extras& upgrades often at the end the price can change again strongly.

pickup& submit

On the subject of pick up& dropping off the rental car in spain arguably plays the more important role for rental car companies. Here are especially topics like the fuel regulation and the deposit a very popular topic, which can raise questions again and again.

Fuel regime

If you rent a car for spain or mallorca, you can first choose between a petrol or diesel car. Most of the rental cars of the common car rental companies in spain are petrol cars. a diesel is usually more expensive to rent (about 20€ per day), but cheaper to fill up. Tip: here it might be worthwhile to compare the two fuel types in relation to the route length and rental duration.

Worth knowing: every now and then you will find a reference in the rental conditions to a fee for the warranty of a vehicle with a diesel engine – this means that for an additional fee of approx. € 3 per day incl. VAT. A vehicle with a diesel engine guaranteed to request. However, the request must be made at the time of booking. So if you absolutely want a diesel vehicle, you can play it safe this way.

For the fuel regime for rental vehicles in spain there is the following possibility, which has become popular with car renters:

fair fuel regulation (full/full): you must return the vehicle with the same level of fuel as when you picked it up. This way you avoid the usually expensive refueling by the rental company.

Deposit of the security

Usually the main rider must have at least one valid credit card issued in his name at the time of rental. The credit card is required for the deposit, which is blocked by the landlord on the spot. The amount of this deposit consists at least of a deductible in case of damage or loss. In case of vehicle theft (the higher amount in each case) + cost of one tank of gas + taxes together. The amount of the deductible you will find in the rental conditions again. As soon as you have returned your rental vehicle in the same condition as when you rented it, the deposit will be released in full.

But many vehicle renters do not always have a credit card. In this particular case, a look at "details& rental conditions" the offers quickly provide information on which means of payment is accepted by the respective landlord for the security deposit. Throughout spain, debit cards (EC-card, maestro, visa-electron etc) are often used.) cash deposit as well as pre-paid credit cards are NOT accepted for deposit on site.

Tip: if you do not have sufficient funds on your credit card, you can use z. B. At car europe rental take out the SUPER RELAX INSURANCE offered on the spot, so that the deposit amount can be waived.

the insolvency code offers over-indebted consumers the opportunity to file for bankruptcy within regular 3 years (plus the out-of-court preparation period) to be freed from their debt, even if no attachable income or assets can be obtained during the entire duration of the proceedings. Due to the regulation of deferral of costs even those who are completely destitute can participate in the procedure and achieve debt relief.

How do consumer insolvency proceedings work??

Affected parties can apply to the competent insolvency court for a opening of consumer insolvency proceedings combined with an application for the granting of "residual debt discharge". First, however, they must try to reach an out-of-court agreement with creditors on debt repayment. A suitable insolvency advice center or person, usually a lawyer, must be involved in this settlement attempt.

At the very least, personal counseling with in-depth examination of the income and asset situation have taken place. If such a settlement cannot be reached, the debt is formally established in insolvency proceedings. Any assets that can still be seized are realized and the debtor is discharged proceeds distributed to creditors. This is followed by the so-called "good conduct phase" which, together with the insolvency proceedings, regularly lasts 3 years.

During this period, the debtor must assign the attachable income to a trustee. The debtor distributes the collected amounts to his creditors. If these amounts are not sufficient to pay off the entire debt, the remaining debt will be forgiven at the end of the proceedings. If the debtor is so destitute that, despite his efforts, no assets or attachable income are distributed during the term of the proceedings, he is released from the obligation to pay for all his debts.

The procedure proceeds in the following steps:

1. Out-of-court settlement attempt
(a prerequisite for filing a petition)
2. application to the insolvency court
(incl. Certificate from a suitable office or person about the failure of the out-of-court settlement attempt)
3. Possibly. Debt settlement procedure
(further attempt to reach an agreement with the creditors with the support of the court, if the court considers a renewed attempt to be expedient)
4. Insolvency proceedings
(determination of the asset and debt situation, if necessary. Realization of existing attachable assets)
5. Possibly. insolvency plan proceedings
(reorganization procedure in insolvency proceedings with the participation of the court, creditors and the insolvency administrator)
6. Good conduct phase
(assignment of attachable income to insolvency administrator, obligation to perform reasonable work, notification of significant changes to court and insolvency administrator)
duration: regular 3 years, starting from the opening of the insolvency proceedings

How long does the consumer insolvency procedure last??

Consumer insolvency usually lasts 3 years. This applies to all procedures that have been started since 01.10.2020 have been filed.

For proceedings initiated between 17.12.2019 and the 30.09.2020 have been applied for, the following transitional regulation is valid:

Application from 17.12.2019: 5 years 7 months
Application from 17.01.2020: 5 years 6 months
application from 17.02.2020 : 5 years 5 months
Application from 17.03.2020: 5 years 4 months
Application as of 17.04.2020: 5 years 3 months
Request from 17.05.2020: 5 years 2 months
Application from 17.06.2020: 5 years 1 months
Application from 17.07.2020: 5 years 0 months
Application from 17.08.2020: 4 years 11 months
Request from 17.09. Until 30.09.2020: 4 years 10 months

For proceedings already commenced before 17.12.2019 application, a residual debt discharge period from a total of 6 years. Under certain conditions, this period can be extended to 5 or more years. 3 years can be shortened.

Does the duration of the procedure change if i want to go through a second procedure?

Yes, the duration of a 2. The procedure is extended if the discharge of residual debt has already been obtained once. For secondary proceedings, a period of 5 years applies, if the debtor is awarded a debt on the basis of a judgment issued after 30 years of age. If you have already been granted discharge of residual debt once before the application was filed on September 17, 2020.

Can I also go through insolvency proceedings as a recipient of unemployment benefit I or II??

Basically yes. Although you are obliged to actively seek work during the duration of the procedure and to accept any reasonable work. However, if you do not find any, you can still be released from your debts, even if the creditors have not received any payments at all. It is important, however, that you can prove your efforts – such as regular applications.

What happens if i become unemployed during the process?

no problem, you can still be freed from your debts. However, you must actively seek a new job and be able to prove it. However, it must also be reasonable to expect you to take up a job, which means that you have to be able to pay the costs. B. In the case of bringing up small children, this may not be the case.

Do I have to work again as a pensioner in order to be freed from my debts? What if I receive social assistance or. I am incapacitated?

If you have reached the statutory retirement age or are incapacitated for health or other reasons, you will no longer be required to work during the proceedings. Obligation to make efforts to find a job. A debt relief is still possible. However, the situation is usually different if you have taken early retirement before reaching the statutory age limit.

What are the costs and who pays them?

The procedure is subject to a fee. There are the following costs:

court costs
costs of the insolvency administrator / trustee
If applicable. attorney fees (only if you hire your own attorney).

In principle, the costs are paid out of the "mass" paid, i.e. from what can be seized from you. However, this will often not be much.

If your own funds are not sufficient to cover the costs of the proceedings, you can apply for a deferral of the costs for each stage of the proceedings.

The court grants the deferment if there are no reasons that exclude the discharge of residual debt.

If seizable amounts flow to the insolvency administrator/trustee during the proceedings, the costs will be compensated first. If the costs are not covered at the end of the procedure, you must contribute to the repayment of the costs for a maximum of 4 additional years, provided that you are financially able to do so. This is only the case if you have higher income after the end of the procedure. the deferment may be subsequently revoked if your circumstances change, you have made false statements or you have not fulfilled your obligations.

Can I transfer my assets (e.g. B. car, owner-occupied apartment) and still be discharged from debt?

Basically no. your existing assets will be liquidated, residential property will be auctioned off. Otherwise, the attachment regulations of the German Code of Civil Procedure apply. What is necessary for living may not be taken away from you. You will only be allowed to keep a car if you or a family member absolutely need it to get to work, resp. If you are severely disabled or seriously ill and are therefore dependent on it. The same applies if you need the vehicle for a severely disabled or seriously ill family member. If it is a relatively valuable car, the insolvency administrator can make an exchange despite seizure protection and provide you with a less valuable model.

What happens to my rented or cooperative apartment??

Rental or cooperative apartments are not affected by insolvency. You must continue to pay the monthly housing costs yourself during the proceedings. The security deposit with the landlord will not be liquidated as long as you live in the apartment. If you are in default during the opened If you move during insolvency proceedings and then receive the deposit back from your landlord, it will only become part of the insolvency estate and be used by the insolvency administrator if the landlord had not previously released the apartment. As a rule, he will already do so at the beginning of the proceedings. So normally you have nothing to worry about and you can use the returned security deposit z.B. Use for your new apartment. Only if the declaration of release of the insolvency administrator was not granted for once, the latter would be able to use the deposit. In this case it would not help you that you need the deposit for the next deposit payment to the future landlord. During the good behavior period however, you do not have to hand over the deposit to the estate in any case. Cooperative shares are mostly protected. Here too, however, you must be prepared for the fact that the cooperative shares that become available may be liquidated in the event of a change of residence.

What I have left to live on during the proceedings?

No one can take away your subsistence level. If you have an income, what you have left is determined by the garnishment table in accordance with § 850c of the German Code of Civil Procedure. Here is what you must have left to live on, graded according to income and maintenance obligation. Under certain circumstances, however, the amount remaining to you may be increased. This may be the case, for example, if you have to pay particularly high rents or incur high costs for traveling to work.

Will I be released from all debts?

The discharge of residual debt applies in principle to all debts that you have at the time of the opening of the proceedings.

Exception: debts from intentional crimes and the like. So if you z. B. If you have committed fraud, bodily injury or damage to property, you must continue to pay for the damage caused by this. You may also have to continue paying off tax debts and maintenance debts even after the end of the proceedings and the granting of residual debt discharge if you have committed tax evasion or breached your duty to pay maintenance.

Are there any special obligations that I must observe during the procedure??

Yes, you have particular duties to inform and cooperate. The most important ones are:

Disclosure of asset and income situation.
Duty to inform about change of residence and workplace.
obligation to look for reasonable work.
Surrender of half of the inheritance.
Disgorgement of winnings from sweepstakes, lotteries, etc. However, there is a de minimis limit for gains of minor value.
Half of gifts given out, unless such gifts are usual and customary.

Can my insolvency proceedings fail?

Yes, a consumer insolvency fails primarily if the proceedings are inadmissible or the discharge of residual debt is denied by the court. This occurs mainly when they have not fulfilled their specific obligations during the process. In addition, there may be other reasons why the process may fail. The most important ones are:

Conviction for an insolvency offense.
Misrepresentation for the purpose of obtaining credit or public benefits (e.g., fraud).B. social benefits).
Waste of assets.
concealment of assets, setting aside of assets.
Recent conclusion of insolvency proceedings.
Justification of unreasonable liabilities.

Can I be discharged from my debts without court proceedings??

Under certain circumstances yes. The law obliges the debtor to first try to reach an out-of-court settlement with his creditors.

If this settlement attempt is based on what the creditors are likely to get in the court proceedings, they may also agree to a corresponding voluntary agreement. For the creditors, too, conducting the proceedings is time-consuming and costly.

Is there a minimum amount that I must pay to the creditors in any case??

No, the legislator deliberately did not introduce a minimum quota in order to give debtors with no income the chance of a fresh start.

What can I do now?

You can start preparing immediately. This includes, above all, arranging and completing all documents relating to its creditors and the claims they have asserted. It is also important that they obtain as honest an overview as possible of their income and expenses and compare them with each other. Making an appointment with a recognized non-profit debt counseling agency should be done as early as possible, as unfortunately they often have waiting periods.

This content was prepared by the community editorial team in cooperation with verbraucherzentrale nordrhein-westfalen for the network of consumer advice centers in germany.

Children are demanding. They need love from parents, encouragement, toys, exercise, and a personal cab. the cab drivers are (like everything else) most likely to be us parents. That’s why today’s parents almost always take a family car. Since we have three small children to transport on the one hand and carsharing on the other hand, we have a lot of experience with the advantages and disadvantages of different types of cars for small people and big families. So here’s a little family car buying advice.

You don’t really need a car for short distances! Bicycle and bicycle trailer prove themselves very well here. In mountainous terrain, an e-bike is also welcome as a draft horse. But who z.B. On weekends, the fastest way to get from the flatlands to the mountains is often by car (but sometimes also by train)!). And for a big family shopping not everyone wants to overload the bike trailer to the brim (although that is fine!). So what kind of vehicle is reasonable, and for whom?? We discuss and compare the most popular models (small cars, station wagons and vans, SUVs, buses) as well as sensible alternatives and additions to family mobility.

small car

We personally like small cars very much. They are maneuverable, cheap, practical and at least somewhat reduced polluting. As a family of four, we have repeatedly been able to travel successfully in the smallest of cars, for example on camping vacations. The car is really full. You can’t take much luxury with you, but compared to backpacking (which also goes well) there is still a lot of space. However, most subcompact cars will not fit five people. So as the family size grows, this option is eventually eliminated.

Unless it’s a four-seater or you have to move every weekend, small cars are good all around. The myth that no three child seats fit side by side in a car like this is not true. Maybe not every maxi comfort child seat fits in every small car, but we have already tested different examples of child seats and small cars and always got three seats on the backseat bench. In very small cars, a child had to "move" to the front passenger seat if necessary. in the city center, every centimeter of saved car length is a pleasure – not only for us as the driver of the car, but also for the other traffic participants, because there is simply more space for everyone. Small cars are therefore the best choice for economical pragmatists and incipient altruists.

station wagon, caddy, panel van

If you want to move your family through everyday life in a carefree and relatively sensible way, you will find what you are looking for in the classic station wagons and panel vans. Here can be packed into the trunk, what is just necessary. Climbing equipment, skis, children’s vehicles u.V.M. They are easy to take along without hesitation. This is not necessarily all important (because even with minimal luggage, children are happy outside), BUT it makes the already complicated everyday life more comfortable. An advantage that should not be underestimated in families. A nice small car is of course still more environmentally friendly and just as capable of transporting the family from A to B. For this you can spend the night together in the van if necessary ..

Own children increasingly serve as an argument for choosing an SUV. The reasons often given for buying such an urban SUV are greater overview and increased safety. In fact, you can see better from higher up. However, the good visibility is immediately limited by the smaller windows typical of SUVs. Especially when children approach from the side, they are easily overlooked. minibuses – on the market 30 years ago – were better designed in this respect.

The increased safety for the passengers, on the other hand, does indeed exist. The car is big, heavy, solidly built and therefore well equipped for an impact. However, according to studies, they are 8 times more likely to tip over than "normal" cars due to their high center of gravity. And the safety offered in the crash is a rather one-sided safety: what the SUV driver is spared, the more sustainably oriented accident opponent with a small car or the child on the road is hit all the harder.

You also lose if you crash a small SUV head-on into a larger one. So in order to continue to be safer as promised, the big cars would have to get even bigger … (see picture).

SUV problems – SUV shame?

There are several arguments against the purchase of an SUV. Environmental impact and resource consumption are high. Even a fuel-efficient or hybrid SUV emits more toxins and greenhouse gases than a lighter car. The often wider tires make the car louder and also create more particulate matter. And an SUV not only needs more fuel to operate, but its production also consumes considerable resources (the weight has to come from somewhere).

Another argument for not choosing an SUV is what our own children think about it. the next generation is loudly and justifiably critical of our lifestyle. Ever heard the word "SUV shame"?? Who would like to be asked in a few years by the offspring, why he drove an unreasonable and environmentally destructive luxury tank car around at that time? Isn’t it nicer for children and parents alike when the children can proudly tell about the sensible family car (or even carsharing) instead of being ashamed of being driven around in an SUV?? And the danger that the car will be scratched and set on fire by angry climate protection activists in berlin is also less. There are probably more reasons against than in favor of an SUV for the family.

(camping) bus

Buses and camping buses are polarizing: for some the epitome of freedom, for others decadence. With this vehicle, it probably depends on whether you are just buying the feeling of freedom as a status symbol, or whether you actually plan to use it. if a camping bus is used every few weeks to escape from everyday life into freedom and nature, that’s probably not so bad at all. If it is used as an everyday car and, beyond romantic ideas, is never used for its true "purpose", a bus is an expensive bad decision.

However, it is difficult to give an objective answer as to whether the expense is justified. There is added value for families, who may experience many more exciting adventures with the bus than without and if necessary. Even create a good alternative to "flying into the vacation" with it. What kind of bus depends on the preferences of the parents and makes no difference to the children – they sleep just as well in a normal VW bus with a mattress as in a converted camping bus. The important thing is that the bus owners use the device cleverly for the family.

Alternatives to own car

We ourselves do not want to be car drivers. In the past, it was not necessary to have your own car. We lived in the big city and had bus and subway in front of the door. Today we don’t want to own a car anymore to save at least a little bit of personal resources. Still, we don’t want to miss anything out there. But how does it work?

As much as possible we travel by bike, bus and train. With a bicycle trailer and child seat, three (small) children can easily be transported on one bicycle. Freight bikes are also very much in vogue right now. And somewhat older children are usually motivated to ride their own children’s bikes to kindergarten and school. With the side effect that you are more balanced thanks to regular exercise and can orientate yourself better in your surroundings.

If it goes into the mountains, at least in switzerland with the postbus (postbus) almost every destination can be reached. even norwegian hiking trails are surprisingly easy to reach by bus. In germany it looks different. The railroad is good, but we need individual solutions as well!

How do individual mobility solutions for outdoor family trips work today?? For us, car sharing has proven to be the best option. Of course, this way you also have a share in the consumption of car resources. But at least carsharer cars are mostly well-used vehicles that don’t sit around rusting most of the time. Planning with our local carsharer is very simple: a few days (or even two minutes) beforehand, select a car in the corresponding app or on the internet according to the current purpose, hold the chip card against the windshield, and drive off. TuV, winter tires and insurance are taken care of by the car-maintainer. And financially, at least "our" station-based model is also attractive to us!

Personal family mobility

What is needed for an active mobile outdoor family? A healthy mixture of good concepts. Maybe a small car and carsharing? Or a camping bus and e-bike with trailer in addition? Or in the big city and quite modern no car at all? With the train is also a lot of things possible, and especially super-sparpreis-tickets are unbeatable cheap.

The important thing is to find a healthy and efficient compromise between providing beautiful experiences for children and parents and acceptable consumption of resources and the environment. To keep our beautiful world as good as possible. And at least our children don’t have to be ashamed of the fact that we are unnecessarily endangering their future prospects.

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