Who doesn’t love a great travel hack?!
You guys know I’m all about them. From ways to save money, to tips on the best places to visit from the locals who know best, travel hacks are fun to explore and even better to impart. I’ve often found that they help to make a trip! And in our babymoon to Denver, we discovered a new-to-us travel hack that I can’t wait to tell you about: Avail car sharing.
Avail Car Sharing
Here’s the short and sweet: Avail is a peer-to-peer car sharing platform that offers new, affordable, convenient transportation for travelers, all while creating passive income opportunities for car owners. As of January, the service is operational in Denver, Salt Lake City, Phoenix, Dallas, Houston, and Chicago.
It’s great for travelers, because car sharing provides the best value (see below), and it’s also great for those who are sharing their car because it’s an amazing passive income opportunity. (I know what you’re thinking: What about insurance? Both sides are fully covered by AllState!) Win, win all around.
Think of it like Air B&B, but for cars!
5 Things I Loved About Our Experience With Avail Car Sharing
We Traveled On Our Own Terms
Sunrise at the Red Rocks? Check. Elevating into the mountains for a scenic hike? Check. Exploring downtown Denver and all it has to offer? Yup, you guessed it: Check. The variety of things that we did wouldn’t have been possible without our car rental from Avail! We didn’t have to wait on drivers to pick us up, and there were no questions asked about whether we should go somewhere — we just went. Which was so freeing and the experiences we had made our trip!
Even though we used the service in Denver, I’m so excited about it being in Chicago because we travel there so often! This will be perfect for us to hop around the city and visit all our buddies and favorite spots the next time we go there.
Booking Was Super Easy
Booking was all done through the app, which was intuitive and simple to navigate. No phone calls, no waits, no upsells, and it (quite literally) took 3 minutes. Boom-boom-done.
Straightforward Pricing + The Best Value
I’m a total value person with purchases, especially while traveling. To me, something with a great value is one that is high quality while being a fair price. Our experience with Avail definitely proved to be all this and more! No hidden fees, and straightforward pricing was appreciated. (We’ve been surprised in the past with other rental car companies!) Also, I have to say that a huge benefit was that included in the cost is insurance from AllState with 24/7 support and full roadside assistance if we needed it. The peace of mind with that was priceless. (Especially while driving in the mountains!)
The Little Things Were Actually Quite Big
The shuttle to pick us up from the airport was quick and easy. Our car was waiting for us with the heat on, so we wouldn’t have to get into a cold car. That car was a snazzy Audi! (Literally went, “OOHH!!!!” when I saw it.) There were water bottles waiting for us, which was a welcomed treat after a long flight. There were multiple charging cords for our phones all hooked up. The car was clean and tidy. These little things all made us smile!
I Loved That I Was Helping a Local Car Owner
This one of the reasons I love staying in Air B&B’s! There’s something more personal about renting from, well, an actual person.
I loved that our money was helping to provide passive income to someone who lived in Denver, who likely was traveling on business or even had an extra car to loan while we were there. We learned that people who participate in Avail car sharing get: free airport parking, free car cleaning, insurance coverage by Allstate, and of course, the opportunity to earn added income. This is totally one of those ideas where Doug and I kept saying, “Why didn’t we think of this?!” Genius.
See?! A game-changing travel hack. Next time we’re in one of the areas the service is offered, especially Chicago, you can bet we’re cruising around via Avail car sharing!
Just for Isn’t That Charming readers: How about a little money saving code for you?! Use code “ISNTTHATCHARMING” for $25 off your booking, effective through March 2020!
PS – Our Tips For Traveling With Kids + The “Rules” For Our Annual Girl’s Trip
*This post was sponsored by Avail, however as always, all opinions are my own. Thank you for helping to support the brands that partner with Isn’t That Charming!
