Jan 11, 2008

Get More Out of Your Rental Car

To help business and pleasure travelers make their journeys less stressful and more entertaining, Avis Rent A Car System has launched a new service to connect its customers to information on concerts, sporting events, museums, galleries, festivals and other popular activities at 25 major travel destinations in the United States. Avis customers who rent Where2, the company's portable GPS navigation system, can also save destination information found at the myWhere2 Web site or anywhere else on the Web onto a Secure Digital (SD) memory card that can be transferred into the Where2 unit when they pick up their rental vehicle.

To use this feature, customers must first download a plug-in available at the Avis myWhere2 Web site and create a bookmark to send addresses of places they want to visit to their personal SD card. When finished, customers can use any Web site or tool to find an address or point of interest and save the addresses directly to their SD memory card, and thus quickly and conveniently program their GPS unit to be able to maximize their free time.

The site also features the "Avis Quick City Guides" to give travelers a wealth of useful information about their destination, including maps, restaurants and contact information for amenities like 24-hour pharmacies, airlines, package shipping outlets and area Avis locations.

Avis Where2 with guidance by Garmin, allows customers to save time by notifying drivers of upcoming traffic snarls and construction tie-ups and automatically suggesting alternative routes. Information on weather delays is also provided where available. Avis Where2 also offers conveniences such as Bluetooth hands-free calling, MP3 playback capability, multiple languages with spoken directions, three-dimensional maps, and more.

"We are determined to help our business customers save time and make the most of their time on the road," said Bob Lambert, senior vice president of commercial sales at Avis Budget Group, Inc., parent company of Avis. "Using our Where2 GPS system and our new online service, travelers need not worry about maps, paper printouts with directions, or even stopping by the side of the road to enter information into the navigation system."