Avis wants to help you make the most of your holidays, so we have created a range of driving guides to help you plan your route or give you inspiration for where to go for your next getaway.

If you’re thinking of heading to the Loire Valley or if you’re unsure of where to go for your next holiday then check out our Avis Great Drives – Loire Valley driving guide. It gives you great ideas for touring this beautiful region of France and lets you find out more about the fields of sunflowers, gleaming white chateaux and ancient vineyards you can pass while following the Loire river, plus much more.

To find out more about the wonderful sights and tastes the Loire Valley has to offer then download your copy of Avis Great Drives – Loire Valley today.

Click here to download the Avis Great Drives – Loire Valley driving guide.

Plus let us know if you think there are more must sees around this region that we might have missed.

Here at Avis we are always keen to hear feedback from our customers so we can continue to improve our rental services. On hearing that a member of our online advertising agency was using Avis for the first time we asked her to share her experiences.

Abi- London

Having used a number of Avis’ car hire competitors in the past I wanted to rent from Avis to see how their customer services compared and whether they fulfilled their ‘We try harder’ principle.

Planning a weekend break home to Ireland I used the avis.co.uk website to book my rental car for pick up from George Best City Airport.

While making my booking online I didn’t have my flight details to hand so left the field blank. I received a call from a customer service member at the Belfast branch a few hours before my flight was due to depart. They called to check the missing details to ensure my car was ready on time and that if my flight was delayed a member of their team was there to meet me. My Avis customer service experience was off to a promising start!

For me, on a weekend trip home, a car is an enabler to get from A to B and I’m more familiar with the car colour than the make or model. This meant that rather than opting for the Avis Select Series, where I could specify the exact make and model of the car I opted for a small economy car from the standard fleet. I knew this would be large enough to accommodate myself, my boyfriend and our hand luggage.

On arrival at Belfast City Airport I followed the signage to the Avis pickup desk. The Avis team took me through their rental agreement policy. The small print was covered thoroughly but efficiently so I could collect my silver Renault Clio and be on my way. It was refreshing not to have an aggressive hard sell of ancillary products which I had received previously with other rental companies.

I opted for additional driver cover so my boyfriend and I could take turns in driving and gazing out the window at the beautiful rugged Irish coastline.

At the desk, the Avis team explained the location of 3 small scratches on the car and that as it was too dark to double check them myself I could review the car in the daylight the following day. They said that if I felt anything had been missed I could call them with their direct dial telephone number to report it.

The following morning I checked the car, which had a small scratch not noted on the damage report. I called the rental station describing the location and size and they made a note on their system so that when I returned the car they would be aware of it.

Following a climb up Scrabo Tower (Scrabo Country Park) and a short drive along the A20 and A2 we returned the car to George Best City Airport where a cheerful Avis staff member checked over the car and wished us a safe trip home.

Avis’ swift and efficient customer service from booking to drop off made my transport for the weekend seamless. This meant I could concentrate n the scenery and having a good time. It’s safe to say my experience with Avis was smoother than with previous rental companies and I’ll be sure to use them again.

We were pleased to hear our staff made the weekend rental experience convenient and hassle free for Abi. If you’ve had a similar experience on a weekend or longer rental we’d be interested in hearing about it on the blog, please post your stories!

Here at Avis we are please to let you know that we have teamed up with Priority Pass to help make travelling that bit more relaxing and stress free.

Priority Pass is the world’s largest independent airport lounge access program and with a Priority Pass membership you can:

• Enjoy access to over 600 VIP lounges in more than 100 countries and 300 cities worldwide.
• Guaranteed use regardless of the class of travel or airline you’re flying.
• Privileged access to over 70 US Airport VIP Lounges.
• Relaxing ambience – for both you and your guests.
• Complimentary refreshments and snacks.
• Email, internet and conference space.
• Excellent working and leisure facilities.

Plus to celebrate the launch of this new partnership Priority Pass are offering Avis customers up to 20% off their membership fees.

Click here to find out more and take advantage of this great offer.

At Avis in the UK we are excited to announce that by popular demand and positive customer feedback we’ve got the Fiat 500 back on our Avis Select Series fleet. You can currently only rent these fantastic little cars from Avis London Heathrow, but we are looking to offer the Fiat 500s at other Avis location in the UK later down the line.

So why not head to Avis Heathrow, rent a Fiat 500 and let us know what you thought of it. You can book your Fiat 500 today by going to www.avis.co.uk.

The latest Avis Great Drives destination guide is for Lake Balaton in Hungary.

So if you have you holiday booked to Hungary and need inspiration or you are looking for somewhere new to go on your next break then take a look at our Lake Balaton driving guide. For the Hungarians the unspoilt Lake Balaton is seen as a national park, the seaside and a happening clubland all in one place. This Hungarian place to be is also surrounded by fairytale forests, volcanic mountains and much more.

To find out more about Lake Balaton then take a look at our driving guide.

Click here to download the Avis Great Drives – Lake Balaton Hungary.

We are pleased to announce that Avis UK have teamed up with Topguest – a new service that gives real travel rewards from hotels, airports and restaurants for virtually ‘checking in’ on your iPhone® or Android™.

To celebrate we are offering exclusive rewards to customers who ‘check in’ at an Avis UK branch using Facebook Places or Four Square.

You can get started by registering with Topguest and linking your new account to your existing Facebook, Foursquare, or other geolocation accounts, including Gowalla and Twitter. From there, you’re ready to earn 10% off your next booking whenever you check in at an Avis branch in the UK.

If you don’t already use Facebook Places or Foursquare, then Topguest will show you how at www.topguest.com.

Already a Topguest user? Check out our Avis Topguest page.

How it works
Step 1. Sign up to Topguest by downloading the application for your iPhone® or Android™ or going to www.topguest.com
Step 2. Link your Facebook, Foursquare, Gowalla, or Twitter account to Topguest.
Step 3. Check in to an Avis UK branch on your mobile device, using any of the aforementioned services.
Step 4. Automatically receive your 10% discount off your next rental in the UK. A notification with discount code will appear on the mobile application and in your Topguest account within an hour of checking in.
Step 5. To redeem your reward and save 10% on your next UK rental, simply the enter discount code when booking online or through the Reservation Centre on 0844 5818181.

So why not try it out and let us know what you think.