The second most famous city in Florida, Orlando, hosts the most significant number of visitors of around 75 million annually. It is the city that shapes Florida's tourism sector and is home to international parks, including the iconic Universal Studios, the magical Walt Disney World, the fascinating SeaWorld, Discovery Cove, Volcano Bay, and Typhoon Lagoon. Moreover, Orlando hosts fantastic recreational activities, such as championship golf courses, high-end restaurants, chic spas, and massive shopping centers.
Most tourists in the city visit the Kennedy Space Center and head to the Crystal River to see the manatees, an endangered species. Moreover, wildlife lovers go the extra mile to hit the Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park for a chance to see Florida panthers, flamingos, blue herons, bobcats, white-tailed deer, among other wildlife species.
How To Get Around Orlando
Visitors are left with various options to choose from to get around the city of Orlando, which they can select depending on the comfort level they request, their need for privacy, and their budget. Most of the public transportation in the city is affordable and convenient since Orlando has a constant massive amount of tourist influxes. Furthermore, some public transport options offer visitors the chance to pick them free of charge from the comfort of their hotels to the top spots that they seek to visit.
People are left with countless options to choose from for getting around the city, with dozens of official taxi companies operating around Orlando, some shared shuttle van services in the city, a developed bus system called LYNX, and the I-Ride Trolley serving popular attractions in Orlando's International Drive Resort area. However, renting a car is still the top choice that visitors in Orlando pick when deciding how to get around the city. With an excellently developed road network, the easy access to the majority of attractions in Orlando, and the extensive parking facilities in town, renting a car is considered the most convenient and cost-effective option to adopt when in Orlando.
Why Orlando Is The Largest Worldwide Car Rental Market
Since car rental is the most widely adopted option for getting around Orlando, the latter became the single largest market for car rentals in the whole world. Most car rental companies operate in the airport, with free shuttle bus rides taking people from the airport to other car rental offices to offer them cheaper options. To have the right to rent a car in Orlando, one must ensure that they hold a US or an international driving license.
People must also remember that Orlando has toll roads that they have to pay for to use. Those are SR-528 West, the main route from the airport to Orlando's major attractions leading to International Drive, and SR-417 South, the second main route to the city's major attractions leading to SR-536.
- Cost for toll roads: $1.75 in tolls for SR-528 West and $2 in tolls for SR-536.
Visitors must also note that they will be paying for their car's petroleum consumption. Many gas stations near the airport and Walt Disney World raise their prices artificially to unrealistic numbers per gallon, disrespecting the norm. Well-known car rental companies, such as Alamo, Avis, Budget, Thrifty, E-Z Rent-A-Car, L&M Car Rental, Enterprise, Dollar, and National all operate within the airport of Orlando.
Getting The Best Prices For Car Rentals In Orlando
To avoid nasty surprises, people willing to rent a car in Orlando must adopt the best practices that allow them to get the most affordable prices when they make their decisions. Many cheap options to rent a car in Orlando are available at the city's airport, with companies like Green Motion and Europcar that keep their prices reasonable and affordable. More mainstream companies like Hertz, with the highest number of agencies in Orlando, adopt higher fees than their counterparts.
Today, after the COVID-19 pandemic, and the opening up of the world economies, demands for car rentals have drastically increased, which led to skyrocketing prices. However, it is still possible to find affordable car rental options if one follows some tips. For instance, even though Green Motion and Europcar are the most affordable among companies operating within Orlando's airport, it is better to search for car rental offices outside of the airport area.
Moreover, searching online on websites such as Kayak, Cheapcarrental.com, and Priceline also gives an additional advantage for those seeking more affordable car rentals. Discount brands are also a better option than big-name companies. For instance, a visitor would choose to rent a car from Advantage, Payless, Dollar Rental, and Thrifty rather than Budget, Enterprise, and Hertz. Needless to say, renting an economy car and sticking to one driver only will also lower the rental cost.
- Cost: Renting an economy car from Hertz costs $135 per day while renting an economy car from Dollar Rental costs $53 per day.
- Recommended: A search on Kayak.com will show that an economy car rental in Orlando will cost as low as $49.