Getting a cheap deal on a rental car takes some research and flexibility.
When demand is high, rental car companies are less willing to make cheap deals. Why should they when there are plenty of people who want to rent a car?
Take Tampa, Florida. People flock there in droves from January to April.
January has the Outback Bowl football game, while February has the Gasparilla Pirate Fest and Florida Strawberry Festival.
March has the Apollo Beach Manatee Arts Festival and the reopening of the Anheuser-Busch Adventure Island 30-acre water theme park after being closed for the winter.
All of these are big draws, forcing rental car rates up, so you definitely want to avoid traveling to Tampa during those months.
You might also want to avoid renting a car in Tampa in October, when thousands dress in their finest Halloween customs head to Tampa’s Latin Quarter, Ybor City, and celebrate Guavaween.
Guavaween may not as big a draw as Tampa’s January through April attractions, but it makes October a “shoulder” month for Tampa - kind of mid-way between “high” season and “low” season. Other “shoulder” months: May and November.
For true “low” season rental car rates, travel to Tampa in June, July, August, September and December.
Most find the climate in Tampa’s summer months to be uncomfortably hot and humid, with temperatures averaging 90 degrees in the summer and the humidity factor off the chart.
That leaves December, a time when fewer people choose to visit Tampa, but when humidity is down, and at 71 degrees, so is the temperature.
In addition to getting the cheapest car rental rate, you’re also likely to get the best air fares and hotel rates in December. Remember to book ahead to get the best rates.