Ready to get your summer going? Excited about the sea, sun and great times with your friends? What better way to spend an unforgettable summer than a road trip to France for some of Europe’s best music. If your looking for a change this summer, France might just be what you need, helping you experience something different, new and exciting.

Enjoy the summer festival season with AVIS car hire helping to make your commute as pleasant as possible. Why spoil the fun travelling on trains and planes? The best and surely most memorable moments are those spent with your friends, driving in the sun with your favourite tunes coming from the radio.

If you like your music loud then travel to Clisson for the Hellfest which lasts for 3 days from June 17th to June 19th. The event is held in Western France just 33km outside of Nantes. This year’s line-up includes lots of famous bands old and new.

June 21st is a very special day in France, the day of Fete de la Musique This special occasion is held throughout France in nearly every city and people often say it’s the best day of the year. Of course with a big music festival, you need a big city, so head to Paris for this one off, one day extravaganza. In Paris you will find stages across the whole of the city and around many famous landmarks such as the Eiffel tower, Champs-elysees etc. You’ll be sure to find lots of local talent playing all sorts of music from samba to rock.

In July there’s more festival action, with the Eurockeennes (http://www.eurockeennes.fr/) which lasts from July 1st to July 3rd. A weekend of music-filled excitement can be had in the East of France in Belfort, 154km south of Strasbourg. This festival combines some of the best international talent with a great selection of French acts to see.

If what you’re looking for is a big road trip and want to experience the wonders of the French countryside then drive down all the way to Nice for the Nice Jazz Festival which lasts for four days, July 8th-12th. Why not go and explore the glorious beaches and amazing coastline that Nice has to offer during or after the festival season.

Another weekend of fun can be spent in the town of Carhaix for the Vieilles Charrues festival, 14th-17th July. The town is situated in the North West of France, 86km away from the nearest city, Brest. You can plan a short route with a drive over via ferry to Saint Malo in Brittany or if you’re feeling more adventurous, drive the long way round.

Enter the final month of summer French festivals and you will find the choice of more fantastic places to go. From August 5th to the14th, you will have the chance to see some brilliant Celtic based music at the InterCeltique festival of Lorient.

Finally, finish off the festival season with two great festivals, La Route du Rock in Rennes from August 13th to August 15th and Rock en Seine which can be found in Paris from August 26th-28th. These last two dates mark the end of a fantastic festival music season in France.

All of this can be enjoyed by hiring a car with AVIS. Add your friends, mix that with some hot sunny weather, and you get the ultimate road trip and an experience of a life time.

Our offices will be closed for the Easter break and we wanted to let you know that during that period we will not be able to respond to your comments. The blog team will be back on Tuesday 26th April, so please keep your comment coming and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

In the meantime, most questions about your rental can be answered on the FAQs section of our website. And if you need to contact us directly, our call centre will be operating regularly, every day, from 7am to 10pm. The number is 0844 5810 147.

All our other contact details can be found here; http://www.avis.co.uk/CustomerService/contacts

Most of our Airport branches will operate normal hours, however some of our smaller local branches may be open shorter than normal business hours. All open branches can be contacted, to find you local branch details please click here.

From all of us at Avis, have a fantastic Easter Break.

Avis and KLM have been working together for many years to offer all our customers the first class service, with exclusive benefits including offers, extra added value and great car rental promotions.

To celebrate KLM’s new route to Miami we are offering all Avis customers the chance to win a dream holiday to Miami.

Your trip will start with the ease and comfort of a KLM flight for two, where you will jet off on their newly launched route to Miami. Once you arrive you can pick up your Avis car hire and head off into the summer sun towards the famous Miami Beach. There you will check in to your 5 star beach side Fontainebleau Hilton hotel, put your feet up and enjoy your holiday.

To find out how to enter visit our KLM Partner offers

I am pleased to tell you all about Avis UK sponsoring the adventurer James Ketchell as he sets off on his quest to scale Mount Everest for charity. All the money raised will go to the ELIFAR Foundation, a charity set up to improve the lives of profoundly disabled children, and run almost entirely by volunteers.

After a near-fatal bike accident in 2007, James was told that he would never fully recover, but today he embarks on one of the biggest challenges possible – scaling the world’s highest mountain. Upon hearing of the momentous challenge James was planning and the amazing work done every day by the ELIFAR foundation, Avis was inspired to make a £3,000 donation. In a show of gratitude to the company’s sponsorship, James will plant an Avis flag when he reaches Everest’s peak.

We hope that our sponsorship will go a long way to improving the lives of those supported by ELIFAR and that others will follow with donations of their own, however large or small. On behalf of everyone at Avis I’d like to wish James the very best of luck as he sets off for Everest.

To read more about James’ challenge go to www.jamesketchell.net or to sponsor him, visit www.justgiving.com/James-Ketchell.

Anthony Ainsworth
Commercial Director