The task of moving, whether it is a home or office, is rarely an enjoyable one. The cost of hiring movers is quite expensive and you find that a simple relocation can have you taking a large lump of your hard earned cash out of your pocket, especially if you hire them to do the packing for you too.

However, there is a great solution to saving some cash when you move and it’s simply just a matter of being motivated and giving yourself a helping hand instead of paying someone else to do it. If you’re motivated then look no further as Alpha Car Hire have the answer for you and it’s in the form of their reliablemoving truck car hire.

What are the benefits?

Cost

The first and probably most important benefit to hiring a truck to move is cost. Despite the fact that you have to pay for the hire of the truck, you will still be saving yourself quite a bit of cash.

To begin with, you will save on excessive fuel hire as you make trips back and forward in your car. With a moving truck, you should only need to make one trip, which means no repeated fill ups.

You will also save money when you don’t hire a professional mover and do the job yourself. In the long run there will also be money saved as you will have saved your car a mountain of wear and tear making repeated trips and no damage will be done to your vehicle by lifting furniture in and out.

Another great money saver comes your way with the current special Alpha Car Hire are offering on truck hire until the end of November. From Monday to Thursday you can enjoy 50% off the applicable hire rate on the day you hire; this is a deal not to be missed.

Time

You will save time! It may not feel like that right now when you are planning the whole move, but a moving truck from Alpha Car Hire will mean you should only need to load up once, twice at the most and this means fewer trips than if you did it with your car.

It’s unanimous; hiring a truck for your move from Alpha Car Hire will save you more time, money and stress than hiring a mover or using your own car. Check them out online at http://www.alphacarhire.com.au/ and book your truck hire today.

Melbourne is a wonderfully cosmopolitan city with a vibrant arts culture, exciting shopping and markets, historically significant museums and buildings, and a passion for sport. It is no wonder that regular visitors to the city want to see as much as possible during their short visits but sometimes, public transport is simply not flexible enough for their purpose. This is when they turn to hire cars and specifically Alpha Car Hire.

With depots at Tullamarine and in the CBD, customers are treated to the convenience of free airport transfers and sparkling, new vehicles that are both affordable and reliable. From economy cars to family SUVs and 8-seater people movers, there is a vehicle to suit every purpose. This Australian owned car rentalcompany prices the vehicles to be attractive to all but the most basic traveller and in doing so, opens up opportunities for their customers to explore not only Melbourne, but to get out of the city and see other parts of Victoria.

Hire Car vs. Tour Bus – No Contest

One of the great benefits of driving a rental car is the freedom it provides tourists to explore an iconic feature such as the Great Ocean Road. There are a number of coach companies that provide guided tours of the road, and many people are happy to explore the area in that fashion. However, you cannot choose your company on a tour bus, and it only takes one or two difficult people to spoil the experience for everyone. With a hired car, the power to choose the passengers rests with the driver, so not only is there freedom and flexibility, but also pleasant company to enjoy.

The Great Ocean Road hugs the southern coast of Victoria and affords the traveller unparalleled views of the ocean, beaches, majestic cliffs, rock stacks like the Twelve Apostles, lookouts and other photographic opportunities along the way. While the tour buses follow designated routes, the people in a hired car are free to navigate off the main highway and explore the little townships and hamlets that branch off the road.

Freedom to Hit the Side Roads with a Hired Car

Visits to some of the many vineyards in the area, fine dining in elegant surroundings on gourmet food grown in the region, sampling the delicious seafood caught off the coast and the beautifully crafted beer available from some of the many microbreweries are just some of the attractions. Difficult to achieve in a tour bus, the vehicle supplied by Alpha Car Hire can slip in and out of any destination, and find the delights hidden at the end of many a quiet, hidden side road.

Returning the vehicle is easy. It can be dropped off in the CBD or at the airport and the travellers can be on their way to their next destination in super quick time. For more information about the discount deals on car rentals, go to www.alphacarhire.com.au.

Anyone who has owned a car knows and appreciates the importance of having car insurance. Drivers can have a perfect driving record and still be involved in an accident through no fault of their own, resulting in damage to their vehicle and others. It is a great relief for motorists to know that they can make an insurance claim under a comprehensive policy, and leave the details up to the insurance company to manage.

Hiring a rental car involves just the same amount of risk as driving your own vehicle, so making sure you have the correct hire car insurance is essential. There are some complexities in this type of car insurance, so reading the product disclosure statement to see what is included and what is excluded is absolutely vital. Unwary or uninformed travellers have been left with damage costs in the thousands after an accident in a hire car for which they were not covered.

What is Standard Liability or Collision Damage Waiver?

The first thing to know is that all car hire insurance in Australia has a basic level of cover known as Standard Liability or Collision Damage Waiver (CDW). This is the standard limit of how much the driver is liable to pay in the event of damages to the hire car, but can still leave the traveller with up to $3,000 to pay depending on the amount of damage. It is possible to have this amount reduced by including Excess Reduction (ER)/Liability Reduction Waiver (LRW)/Loss Damage Waiver Reduction (LDWR). This cover is optional but allows you to reduce your liability to a figure close to the basic insurance excess on most vehicles provided you are over 25 years of age.

Single Vehicle Accidents (SVA) and Windscreen, Headlights and Tyres (WHT) are often excluded and the standard insurance also does not cover damage to the overhead, underbody, interior or roof of the vehicle. It begs the question of just what is covered, especially when all these exclusions when requested, come at an additional cost. In the end, it all comes down to the level of insurance cover with which drivers feel comfortable and how much they are prepared to pay.

Travel Insurance might not be the way to go for car hire

For Australians, the alternative is to take out inclusive travel insurance when driving domestically. Some travel insurance providers include rental car excess coverage as one of the benefits. However, if an accident occurs the rental car company will change the customer for the damage and then it is up to the customer to recover the money from the travel insurance company. This occurs because the travel insurance contract is between the insurance company and the customer, not the car rental company. This can sometimes take 3 – 6 months to process, all the while your credit card is accumulating interest. On more occasions it is better to take the excess waiver offered from the car hire company, yes you pay a bit more but you have less things to worry about.

Some credit card companies offer car rental insurance as one of their benefits. If this is the case with your credit card make sure to check the fine print as some of the policies have a term that you must take out the lowest possible excess offered to you before they will cover any costs. For example, if the standard excess is $3,000 and the car rental company offers a package to reduce this to $550, you must take this package otherwise your credit card travel insurance will not be valid. Again it might be worthwhile just paying for the excess waiver with the car hire company.

Car hire insurance is an area unfamiliar to many travellers hiring a car for the first time. Before embarking on the trip, the driver should check all available options and levels of cover to make sure that, should the worst happen and they are involved in a major accident, their liability is covered by insurance.

The Easter long weekend is fast approaching us and everyone celebrates it in different ways.  In the Victorian town of Bendigo, the weekend serves as a reminder and a celebrations of Chinese culture, on the once small mining town.

 The Bendigo Easter Festival has been running since 1871 from Good Friday till Easter Monday. The awakening of the dragon is one of these events. It occurs on Easter Saturday each year in the towns Chinese gardens where dancing lions, music and firecrackers are used to awaken the famous Sun Lung, the longest imperial dragon in the southern hemisphere.  Sun Lung appears again as the finale of Monday’s Easter procession and is a must see.  Easter Saturday evening, a torch light procession through town gives thanks to the local community. Glow sticks, bright floats and fire engines weave through the streets and the parade ends with a display of fire works. The atmosphere at the torch light procession is amazing and the kids will love it!

During the day, local café and restaurant area, Bull St is dedicated to eating great food, drinking wine and listening to some amazing live music. With bands starting at two, and running till nine, the area offers a great space for relaxing with friends!  Photography exhibitions, craft stores, golf competitions, the carnival and kids entertainment are only the tip of the ice burg at this years Easter festival, so make sure you check out what other events are running!

How to get there

Bendigo is an hour and half drive from our Melbournes CBD office. The easiest rout is via the Calder highway, which runs straight to the towns centre!

When standing in the middle of the concrete jungle that is Melbourne, it is hard to picture the apparent bush lands, fresh streams and unique wildlife that Australia is known for across the globe. Lucky for us, Victoria exists outside the boundaries of the city, and boy does it have a lot to offer.

The Grampians national park is about a three our drive from Melbourne, yet it feels like a lifetime away. The rocky cliff faces peer over endless amounts of bush land providing the perfect scenery for everything from a romantic lodge getaway to an outdoor rec camping trip.

With wineries, rock climbing, bush tracks and bird watching at your finger tips, you won’t ever be left wondering what to do. If you enjoy being involved you can volunteer with parks Victoria. The team is always looking for extra hands and you’ll get to learn a lot about the area and it’s importance.

If you haven’t got enough of the local animals, then the Halls Gap Zoo might just satisfy you! Home to an amazing range of native and non-native animals, the Zoo offers a great chance for up close encounters!

When you’re all ‘natured out’, take time to visit the Brambuk National Park and Culture Centre. Besides its amazing architecture, Bramuk offers insight into Aboriginal art and culture and how this relates to the national park and its conservation.

Quick guide:

How long should we go for?
To make the most of your trip we’d allow at least three days. This ensures you’ll get to see everything you want to, whilst still finding time to relax.

How do we get there?
Follow the Western Freeway through Ballarat. From here, the Grampians are well signed and you should have no problems finding your way.If you rent a car with Alpha, map books and GPS are available to ensure you reach your destination with ease.

Where should we stay?
If you are looking for somewhere to stay, then Tim’s Place is perfect. It is located in the Grampians village and best of all it is eco friendly!

Port Fairy Folk Festival has become a tradition for many over the Victoria Labour Day long weekend. Normally a quiet coastal town, the Port Fairy bursts to life with caravans, flags, craft stalls and music as Victoria farewells warm weather.

The festival is predominately a music festival, hosting hundreds of national and international acts. Whist it is the headline acts that attract the crowed, it is the previously unknown artists that often leave a lasting impression. Off-stage  buskers and street performers entertain and craft markets line the streets creating an exciting, yet somehow still relaxing, atmosphere.

In 2013 the festival turns 37 and will be held over on the 9^th, 10^th 11^th  of March.  The ongoing success of the festival is a tribute to the organisers, who year after year ensure the festival caters for everyone from toddlers to grandparents and everyone in between.

If you think the Festival is for you, than March is the perfect time to rent a car and explore the Great Ocean Road! Visit all the must sees, such as the Otway Rangers and the 12 Apostles on your way to the festival and before the colder winter months take hold.