Taking a business or leisure trip internationally? Whether it be across the ocean (or maybe only Canada or Mexico, perhaps), this literature is here to inform you on some of the most basic, yet paramount, facts about what you need to know about international car rentals. It is a pretty well-known fact among veteran travelers that the transportation systems in many foreign countries (most notably Western Europe countries, Australia, and Japan among others) are very efficient, cost-effective, and safe. However, you are probably looking for an international rental car not necessarily for those factors, but because you want your own dependable mode of transportation. In addition, in many foreign destinations, public transportation does not exist or is burdensome/expensive/rare and so forth, so take a good look at this list for before you go international car rental shopping.In the case that your destination is Mexico or Canadian-bound, take note that if you rent the automobile in the U.S. and you cross the border with it, the insurance provided on the car by the rental car company is almost always void, unless it is made clear by the agency that this is not the case. Check with your local agent or their international car rentals counterparts.When considering international car rentals, it is almost always better to book your car in advance-rather than when you arrive (say, in Paris, France or Berlin, Germany, for example). Trust me on this one, you’re going to save money and also have a much better chance of getting the international car rental type of car that you want.If you do nothing else, take heed of this: Go through your travel agency or your service agent to get an international driver’s permit. From experience I know that they are quite cheap, and potentially invaluable should you meet with trouble overseas.Going to Europe? A word to the wise: Selecting a compact car will probably save you time and money. How is this, you might ask? Throughout a lot of the continent, the streets tend to be quite thinly spaced and parking can be exactly like New York City.Upon returning international car rentals to their dealers, you realize that you need to/want to drop it off at another location. This is an often the case with travelers, and it is usually not a problem—just be aware of any remote drop-off fees—lest you want to incur a big charge.Something else that could be very valuable when searching international car rentals is packages. Sites such as Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz, and so forth offer hundreds of combination packages with you get a great deal on say an air fare, hotel, and rental car.