Let me tell you about our first trip together to the US, long before we moved here. We flew into San Francisco, jetlagged, starving, exhausted… and then came the rental car saga.
We had booked a comfy SUV with full insurance, thinking it would be a smooth pickup. 😅 Spoiler alert: it was anything but.
We weren’t used to the whole “choose your own car” thing that happens here. In many countries, you’re handed a key and done. But in the US, especially with companies like National, if you’re a member, you walk down a row and pick your favorite. 🚶♀️🚘
Back then, we didn’t know that, and we had no membership. We rented with Avis, and the SUV we booked wasn’t available. I begged a staff member to hold onto a just-returned Ford Escape. I got the plate number and made sure no one would touch it.
Just when we thought we were all set, a staff member casually asked my husband what kind of car he wished he could get. My husband, dreamily: “A Grand Cherokee.”
The guy smiled. “I have one for you.”
✨ Cue angelic music ✨
He pulls the Cherokee next to our car…
And someone else jumps in and drives off with it.
💀💀💀
“Oops, didn’t work out,” the guy says. 🫠
Then he brings another car. We move all 4 suitcases + backpacks over.
A staff member helping us whispers:
“Honestly? The other one was better.”
🤦♀️
We move the bags back.
Just when we’re about to finally leave, the guy again pulls up a Grand Cherokee. My husband is beaming. We load everything — again. We drive to the exit.
🚫 “Sorry, this car is reserved. You have to return it.”
I. Was. Done.
Hangry, exhausted, and so over it.
And here comes the best part…
At that point, I looked like I was going to fight someone. The employee’s face went pale. 😂
I stormed off to grab our original Escape — and there was a family trying to take it.
I turned into a full drama queen:
“NO. This car is MINE.”
Snatched the keys. Locked it.
The Avis guy rushed to “make it up to us” and brought a Suburban—basically a house on wheels. I walked over, saw my husband admiring the wood-trimmed interior, and said:
“No. We are NOT switching again. We’re taking our original car and we’re leaving.”
My husband replied, saying, “But babe, it’s all wood inside”. I looked my husband dead in the eyes and said:
“Let’s move the bags. Now.”
He hesitated, still mesmerized by the wood interior of the Suburban they were trying to offer us.
“I don’t care if it’s carved out of walnut. Let’s go.”
We ended up keeping the Escape, and honestly, it was perfect. Roomy enough, comfy, way easier to drive than a giant Suburban, and it fit all our luggage. Plus, I later found out those giant SUVs often require oversized parking, which I was not ready to deal with on that trip. 😅
The poor employee, terrified of me at that point, even gave us a discount for the whole mess. Avis has a great customer experience, and we still rent from them sometimes.
Moral of the story:
✔ Renting a car in the US is very different
✔ You might get to choose your car
✔ Be prepared for emotional rollercoasters at the rental lot 😆
✔ Don’t mess with a hungry Brazilian woman at the end of a 20-hour travel day
This story lives rent-free in our heads. Have you ever had a wild rental car experience on vacation?
Drop yours in the comments — we need to laugh together. 😂👇
