In the common vacation film “Planes, Trains and Automobiles,” an airport shuttle leaves Steve Martin in a distant parking ton only to find the auto he rented is not there. He spends the subsequent several days hoping to get house by any indicates attainable.

Scenes like that are being played out this summer months across the nation. In some sites, no rental automobiles are obtainable at any price tag. In some others, an financial system-size rental may perhaps price far more than the airline ticket that bought you across the nation.

Whilst some individuals want no aspect of the craziness and have postponed travel designs, many others obtain resourceful remedies.

The finest tip of all: E-book your rental automobile ahead of you do anything at all else.

The rental car or truck drought

There’s a lack of rental autos because there is a lack of new cars since there is a lack of the microchips utilized to control almost everything from entertainment devices to basic safety products.

That domino effect is little by little reversing, enabling rental vehicle providers to rebuild their fleets to meet a travel surge. For illustration, as vacation ground to a halt in 2020, Hertz sought individual bankruptcy protection and marketed off hundreds of thousands of vehicles. It emerged from individual bankruptcy in June and is adding cars and trucks to its inventory, according to a business spokesperson.

Mismatches amongst supply and desire are however popular. Will need a minivan for a Labor Working day weekend getaway? Applying the look for engine Kayak.com to evaluate availability, that four-day rental in Las Vegas would price at the very least $441 in Portland, Oregon, $1,029 and in Anchorage, Alaska, you would be out of luck at any value.

Assume outside the airport

Here’s a look at other ways to get where by you require to go — some of which might display up in on-line journey scheduling internet sites alongside Greenback, Price range and Company, some that rely on many others to do the driving:

• Turo is a peer-to-peer rental vehicle website exactly where men and women share their non-public cars and trucks. In some conditions, you can organize to have the Turo vehicle still left at the airport and unlock it with an app. But preserve in intellect that several of these cars are older and other folks could limit the quantity of miles you can drive.
• Getaround is related to Turo, but it lets you rent a car or truck by the hour. For case in point, the value to use a 2019 Honda Civic for 3 several hours in Southern California was around $30.
• Zipcar necessitates a modest membership fee, then costs hourly or every day rates. The cars are saved in city tons or on faculty campuses. You unlock the automobile with an app.
• U-Haul is recognised for trailers and trucks but, in a pinch, these cars can nonetheless deliver fundamental transportation. If you’re driving to a marriage ceremony, make positive the delighted couple is Okay with you arriving in a get the job done van.
• Taxis and ride-hailing companies this kind of as Uber and Lyft are fantastic for shorter hops. Fairly than spending a grand for a week’s rental, you can be pushed by anyone else for significantly considerably less.
• Want a lot more legroom and a driver carrying a tie? With a limo service, you can carry more people and break up the further price tag.
• If you are in the market for a car or truck at home, buy one at your vacation spot and use it for your getaway. Then, generate it again or have it shipped house.

If you must lease a auto

If you do choose to go the rental motor vehicle route, right here are strategies to keep the cost down.

• Check out a community rental lot. Airport facility charges and taxes will not utilize. Check out contacting the spot straight if no availability shows on the web.
• Book for a 7 days. Usually, there is a low cost for a weekly rental. In some circumstances, if you return it early, you will get a refund of the variation.
• Prepay. Dependent on the seller you may save as much as 35%.
• Use your chosen status as a regular renter. It could get you to the front of the line faster, and at the highest ranges, might actually warranty you a car or truck.

Philip Reed writes for NerdWallet. E mail: articles@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @AutoReed.