Road trips are great fun and a cheap car rental allows you and a bunch of friends to experience everything that South Africa had to offer. With the price of petrol finally falling and salaries on the rise, organising a holiday road trip is the perfect antidote to a year of hard work. Whatever your budget is, you can benefit from the holiday experience of a lifetime.

The first step is to hop online and check out the latest deals from cheaper car rental companies. Online is the only way to go, as there will most likely be internet-only savings which anyone looking to save a bit of cash can benefit from. Also, the longer you rent your car the cheaper it will be overall. This rule can also be applied to weekends, where the rates literally drop to half their original prices.

Do not blindly accept all the insurance which car rental agencies suggest you should take. The standard policies cover all damage to the car and any loss to the rental company. Yet many rental agencies will try to load you with many policies which are often quite similar. Read the fine print and conditions before signing away more money than is deemed essential.

Many car rental agencies have members only club such as Thrifty, Dollar and Avis. Joining these exclusive clubs [which usually cost a small yearly fee] will unlock many benefits for you such as free car rentals, free miles and more. For the frequent renter, this option is best and equals the cheapest car rentals. Another hidden car hire cost are child seats. Some car rental companies charge as much R100 per seat per day! So bringing along your own child seat for the little ones on a family trip is the perfect solution to cut down on costs. Believe it or not, a car hire from the airport can cost on average 10% more than your typical rental fee. Renting directly from the car rental lot will save you on airport taxes and other unnecessary fees.

Be wary when car rental agencies offer you a free upgrade to a large vehicle. Sure, the extra space and chance to drive a faster, meaner vehicle may sound enticing, but everyone knows that bigger cars burn more fuel and before you know it, your ?free? upgrade would have cost you double the cost in fuel that a modest rental option could have provided you.

My last tip is a perhaps the most useful of them all. Regardless of how low petrol drops, never accept a pre-filled tank from the car rental dealership unless you plan to use every last drop in that tank. Many rental agencies will offer you two choices: to either pay for refuelling yourself or to drive away with a full tank. Paying in advance for a full tank is an added convenience but not on your wallet. From a purely financial standpoint paying for a full tank of fuel is considered a waste of money, unless you plan to use it all up.

After reading these tips, I think it's time to hit the road! If you don't know where you are going, and love planning ahead then an optional GPS unit rental will suit your needs perfectly. All GPS units are now fully equipped of reading the layout of our native land. Of course, the spirit of adventure is lost, but the comfort of knowing exactly where you are going is gained. Drive safe, stick to the speed limits and most of all, have fun. Your holiday can be fun and cheap. Car rental means that it's your vacation, and the road is waiting for you.