Avis and Budget Rental Cars Offer Portable Navigation and Mobile Wi-Fi

location based services

Traveling is awesome. Unless you’re my sister-in-law, Laura, and then it is a “torture that surpasses all tortures” and requires massive amounts of sedatives before any vacation. Although maybe the sedatives are taken in order to deal with my brother… it’s entirely possible. I should know. I’ve dealt with him for 23 years. Good luck Laura.

At any rate, traveling is always fun but if you hit traffic in a place you don’t know, it can put a damper on it. Avis and Budget rental cars to the rescue! To help ensure travelers reach their destinations on time, Avis Budget Group, Inc., announced that Where2, the only GPS navigation system with real-time traffic alerts, is now available at Avis and Budget locations nationwide. Whoohoo!

Where2 GPS navigation notifies drivers of upcoming traffic snarls, construction tie-ups, and automatically suggests alternative routes – kinda like my AWESOME Pioneer AVIC (I only get my commission if I mention them in all caps – I kid!). In addition, where available, information on weather delays is also provided. Traffic information is provided by Clear Channel’s Total Traffic Network for nearly 50 cities.

The unit is based on Garmin’s new StreetPilot c550 and also offers features such as Bluetooth hands-free calling, MP3 playback capability, multiple languages with spoken directions, three-dimensional maps, and more. It is fully portable and can be rented at Avis or Budget with any vehicle starting at $9.95 per day or $49.75 per week. For additional information on Where2 navigator or to make a reservation, travelers should visit www.avis.com/where2 or www.budget.com.

And in case you thought I was done, let me show you what’s behind Door Number Two! In case you are stranded at a boring old hotel room and need to check the Ask Patty blog, you can do it with the new Wi-Fi service Avis is offering! They will begin offering Avis Connect, a new service that effectively transforms the rental car into a Wi-Fi hotspot and can be carried from the car to meetings and hotels.

The new service, developed by Autonet Mobile, provides Avis renters with portable wireless Internet access so they can stay connected wherever they go. Beginning early next month, the first units will be available for rent from San Francisco airport. Avis will continue the roll-out to airport locations in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Newark, San Diego, San Jose, and Seattle. The cost of the new service is $10.95 per day.

And that’s not all folks! Avis customers that utilize the Autonet Mobile Service do not need cellular data cards or special software loads to connect to wireless Internet devices: Simply turn on, log on and surf. Autonet Mobile Service is compatible with all Wi-Fi enabled devices, including laptops, MacBooks, Ultra-Mobile PC handhelds, and PDAs.

Yowzer! Remind me to book with Avis or Budget the next time I drag along my sister-in-law on a vacation! She can just plug in her MP3 player and chill out for the whole drive.