Smarter Car Renting

Here are car rental tips from the road trip-seasoned editors of RoadsideAmerica.com:

•  Damaged: Always carefully eyeball your vehicle before leaving the rental agency, whether you're in Long Beach or East Podunkville. The last renter may have pulled in after a meteor shower! Prior scratches, dents, and other vehicle damage can cause extra headaches and costs if not noted before you leave the rental car lot. If you see any damage on the car's exterior and interior before you leave, make sure it's noted on the rental car papers, and point it out to an agency employee. This will resolve any questions that could arise when you return. And avoid meteor showers.

•  Many States, One Car: If renting a car for a longer road trip, check with the car rental companies in Long Beach, California to see if they have policies about crossing state lines that affect the final rate you pay. May be no effect, but don't assume you can crisscross the globe with unlimited mileage impunity. There may be a GPS tracker in the car!

•  Leave Nothing Behind: At a road trip's end, we find we've accumulated souvenirs, kitschy mementoes, and piles of brochures from tourist attractions. These treasures prove you really traveled -- that it wasn't just some wacky delusion. When dropping off your rental car, carefully check every door pocket, drink holder and storage bin for these keepsakes. The rental car company sure doesn't have any use for them.

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Long Beach CA Area Attractions

• Aquarium of Pacific
• Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier
• Bravo Productions
• Broadway By the Sea
• California Paramedical and Technical College
• California State University - Long Beach
• DeVry University - Long Beach
• Downtown Long Beach
• Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden
• Lbfc Museum
• Long Beach Arena
• Long Beach Arts
• Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center
• Long Beach Memorial Medical Center
• Long Beach Museum
• Miller Children's Hospital
• Museum of Latin American Art
• Pacific Hospital of Long Beach

Long Beach rental guide