Don't Leave Home Without It!
Southern California vacation necessities: Cell phones, travel insurance and rental car reservations
The fun part of vacation planning is answering the all-important question of when and how you're going to spend your time and money. Deciding which amusement park to see, which landmark you'd like to snap photos of, which out-of-the-way place you're going to drive four hours to see.
And then there are a multitude of other decisions you'll make when planning your Southern California vacation: How many sweaters to bring? How to get to the airport? Who's going to feed the dog?
Somewhere between the fun decisions and the necessary decisions are the things that can get overlooked. Stuff that doesn't cost a lot, but will enhance your vacation experience, your comfort level or your ability to see everything you want to see. Thankfully, you've navigated yourself to this page so we can remind you of the importance of having a cell phone, travel insurance and a rental car arranged for your Southern California vacation.
The international cell phone
If you are like most people, you're so used to the convenience of cell phone service that you have trouble functioning without it...even while you're on vacation. Imagine getting lost on the way to the Getty Center Los Angeles: You reach for the phone. Or realizing during an afternoon at the beach that you forgot to make dinner reservations: Again, you reach for the phone.
And then there's the issue of making sure someone back home can reach you. It's likely that you have parents, kids or siblings who aren't joining you on your vacation. If an emergency comes up, they need a means of contacting you. Or you might need to contact them.
As soon as you make your vacation plans, check with your cell phone provider on whether your phone will work in SoCal and, if so, what the roaming charges will be. If you are visiting Southern California from within the U.S., you probably have or can get coverage. If you are visiting Southern California from outside the U.S., your phone may not be compatible with U.S. networks.
If you don't want to mess with switching SIM cards or risk losing your regular phone, you have two options to stay connected: Rent or buy an international cell phone. Purchasing a phone has its advantages; you have one permanent number that you can provide to your loved ones and you don't have to make new arrangements before every trip. Just make sure you understand when and how you are charged for the service. The best option is a phone that only charges you when you make or receive calls.
For $99, you can buy an international cell from Mobal that works in the U.S. and dozens of other countries too.
Travel insurance
Do you like to gamble when the odds are against you? If you say yes, then go ahead and take that vacation without travel insurance. You'll save a few hundred bucks upfront, but you'll have no protection for the multitude of things that can go wrong during a vacation.
Travel insurance can protect you against costs associated with missed connections, out-of-business tour operators, injury, illness, medical emergencies, last-minute cancellations and much more. Many policies also provide you with a concierge service that you can call for help with almost any problem related to your vacation.
The cost of a travel policy depends on the cost of your vacation, the ages of those in your traveling party and where you live. To give you an idea of the investment involved, the cost of insuring a $2500 cruise vacation for a family of four living in California might be in the range of $100. Go here to learn more about travel insurance, price your policy and review coverages.
Rental cars
Public transportation in Southern California isn't the greatest. You could probably use our subways and busses for some of your expeditions, but you don't want to be without your own wheels for your entire vacation. It's just too limiting. Maybe your hotel is in Anaheim, but you're going to see more than just Disneyland, right? How about the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Rodeo Drive? Or the San Diego Zoo? And on top of that, no Southern California vacation would be complete without experiencing rush hour on Interstate 405.
So you need a rental car. You can get one from Advantage, Thrifty, Enterprise, Dollar, Budget, Alamo, Hertz or Avis. Generally speaking, you can expect to pay $20-45 daily for an economy car. The price goes up from there, depending on what size vehicle you need. Use this search engine to compare pricing.
Lastly, remember these two tips to save money on your car rental:
- Most agencies offer daily and weekly pricing. The weekly pricing will have a lower cost per day, so rent the car for an entire week whenever possible.
- Rental car insurance is usually cheaper if you add it to your travel policy rather than paying for it through the car rental agency. Look for a policy that offers primary coverage.
