When we travel, dad and I often need to drive. In fact, some holidays require driving to fully experience that country, like the wide roads of the USA

Car rental counters are never great fun. Especially after a long flight. The staff seem to take forever to process each customer with a laborious process to allocate a car

There are cheaper rental companies than Hertz but dad found out that you could get Gold member status after making just 3 rentals. So, we went with Hertz and have stayed with them over the years

The main advantage of being a Gold member is that if you book a car online, it will be ready for you to collect on arrival, bypassing the queues at the counter. Just check on the Hertz Gold board, find your name and see which stall your car is in. The keys will be in the car. Just get your driving license and documents checked at the exit gate. In bigger locations, if you don’t like the car you’ve been allocated, you can select an alternative vehicle in a marked area though you will get the hard sell to get an upgrade

With modern technology, they even email and text you your car details and its location these days. In some locations, you may have to go to a dedicated Hertz Gold counter instead to collect the keys to your vehicle

Their vehicle stock is good. Dad and I now know which brands of cars we prefer and request those brands. They’re usually quite flexible in granting our wishes

One last tip for my fellow teddy bears who travel. Firstly, dad always puts me in hand luggage when he flies. He couldn’t bear it if I was lost. Secondly, dad puts me on the seat when we drive. However, we soon discovered that whenever dad brakes, I’m not very stable and fly off the seat. So, to all my teddy bear friends, make sure that you belt up!