Car hire and car seats

[fishybits]

Can anyone recommend a car hire company that doesn't charge £10 a day for a child's car seat?

Or is this a usual price and something I'm just going to have to suck up.


TIA

[ilovepowerhoop]

could you buy a cheap carseat instead

[BertieBotts]

YY to cheap car seat - This for over a year

This for under a year

[fishybits]

I thought about that but not sure how to get it too the car hire place which is a flight away.

Don't really want it in the hold in case it gets damaged and DD is my cabin baggage

All bright ideas welcome as I'm fresh out of them.

[fishybits]

Liking the price though Bertie!

[Whyriskit]

Can't remember what they're called but think you get blow up car seats? Might help.

[janek]

We've hired a car with avis in france and paid a flat rate to hire a carseat too. Think it was ?17, but i'm not sure.

[fishybits]

Hmmm, the flight is with Easyjet and within the Uk. They say that car seats and travel cots go free in the hold.

Am I being a bit precious about the car seat? It's just DD (14 months) and I traveling and having never flown with her I'm a bit nervous. I'm also normally a cabin luggage only traveler even for a 2 week holiday. I coming to terms with the fact that traveling lightly is a distant memory.

[BertieBotts]

I think they are careful with car seats in the hold these days. You can get special bags which protect them, too. But if you don't want to risk your usual one getting damaged then you could buy a cheap one to take. At 14 months I'd be tempted to try and squeeze her into the baby seat because a harnessed booster won't be very supportive for her, if you don't want to take her usual seat.

[fishybits]

DD is 85cms tall and 12 kg at the moment and is out of her rear facing one as her head was poking out of the top. I was hoping to keep her on my lap for the flight as she's too young to understand instructions and certainly wouldn't stay put on a booster in her own seat. The flight is in June so she'll be even taller then but possibly not much heavier.

I've never flown with her before so not sure what the best/safest thing to do is.

[ilovepowerhoop]

she will not get her own seat under 2 so will be on your lap. You could either take your current seat or take a cheaper version with you so you dont need to worry so much about damage during the flight (seat will go in the hold not into the cabin with you)

[janek]

if she is under two she will have to sit on your lap for take off and landing. so for a uk flight it is not really worth her having her own seat at all!

do you have one of these? perhaps your hand-luggage days are not over after all...

[fishybits]

Brilliant.

New car seat in hold. Bertie, I'll have a good look at your link thank you.

DD has to be on lap which is great and janek I'm immensely heartened by your link

Thank you everyone.

[janek]

they seem to have this one too, but it doesn't mention the dimensions, the first one i linked to is definitely suitable for ryanair (who allow the smallest hand luggage i believe). this one looks a bit better, because it has a side handle as well as one on top, but they don't state the dimensions.

we managed a week away at christmas (including gifts from santa...) with three of these last year. they are surprisingly capacious, just don't stuff the front pocket, or you may exceed your dimensions.

and the last time we flew, we were just waved through whilst everyone else had to show that their bag fitted in the cage, such is their reputation. or they don't look that big. either way, good.

[sid8]

There are different companies in UK you can check through search engine. I have experience of LU car rentals, they have different type of cars and vehicles and all are affordable and all are insured..