All you have to do is use Avis Worldwide Discount #D302003 when you rent a car from www.sears.avis.com.

If you’re thinking of visiting San Francisco, you’ll especially want to rent a car from Avis.

That’s because in San Franciso Avis rents the two-seater Smart Car, which, because of its small size is ever so easy to park in a city where finding a parking spot can be difficult.

How difficult? I once made the mistake of driving to San Francisco on Thanksgiving weekend and never found a place to park anywhere near where I wanted to go, so I ended up driving home.

With a rating of 41 miles per gallon on the highway and 33 in the city, the Smart Car is easy on wallet and environment.

Smart cars are no slouches in the safety department. They feature an electronic stability program, anti-lock braking, cornering brake control, acceleration skid control, a steel safety cage body, front and side airbags and a sophisticated safety belt system.

Take advantage of the Smart Car’s GPS. It will have you zipping down the Embarcadero in no time, checking out the sea lions at Pier 39 and sampling Ghirardelli chocolate at the wharf.

Then cross the Golden Gate and take the Sausalito exit, where you’ll have to decide among Italian, Asian, French, Cajun, Chinese, Spanish and Pakistani cuisine for lunch or dinner.

Or take the Great Highway down to the zoo and visit the meerkats, mandrills and Guenther’s dik diks.

Geographically, San Francisco may be compact, but it takes a car to see it.

We asked the concierge in the hotel about segway tours in the area and she told us about a company called San Francisco Guided Segway Tour Company. With a phone call and a reservation, we were set to go on a segway tour of the city the following Saturday. For about $70, we were taken around the city by some very knowledgable people. We got to see things like the famous Fisherman’s Wharf and the Maritime Park. But, unlike walking through the hot California sun that will leave you tired and hungry in less than a few minutes, we were able to breeze through all of the attractions and past all of the people. So, update your knowledge bank on what segway riding is and get yourself to San Francisco to take what is one of Trip Advisor’s top rated attractions in the San Fran area.

The usual rules to follow are simple if you wish to tip and these are some of the signs that a tip is appreciated:

The driver is on time - When you ask for a service such as a driver picking you up, you expect them to be on time and prompt to your request.

The driver offers to help you with your bags - Drivers do not have to help you with your bags, but if they are heavy, they can help to reduce strain on your back by loading your luggage onto their vehicle.

The driver is very nice and helpful - Delightful drivers are very easy to get along with and they like to spark up interesting conversation to help pass time while you travel to the rental service.

The driver provides excellent driving skills - They are not falling asleep or driving erratically while on the road, do not speed and follow the rules of the road.

The driver does not ask for a tip - This is a major red flag if they do request a tip. Tips are a gratuity that is only offered if service was satisfactory. They would receive one without asking if they performed well.

It is not difficult to decide whether or not a driver deserves a tip. If you were unsatisfied with the service, save your money for someone else who deserves it!

Simplify all of this with three letters you can always count on C-A-R! Renting a car in San Francisco is not only easy and affordable, but practical too! Want to get from Golden Gate Park all the way back to AT&T Park in time to catch the Giants’ game? That could take awhile on the MUNI, but in a rental car, no more than minutes. Worried about getting back from the Embarcadero in time for dinner in Castro? A rental car will ease your mind, and make sure that the time you spend in San Francisco is spent on your schedule, not that of the public transportation system! Let’s be honest too, how would you go down the famously curvy Lombard Street without a car? It’s one of the places in San Francisco that can only be experienced in a car! Rent a car on your trip to San Francisco, and spend your time as the master of your time, not a slave to your transit map! You definitely won’t be sorry!

Okay, here are interesting facts about San Francisco that might just change your mind.

- Two lovely inventions in the world, denim jeans and Irish coffee, were invented in San Francisco.

- Francis Ford Coppola spent so much time in the first San Francisco’s coffee shop Caffe Trieste writing his famous The Godfather trilogy.

- Al Capone was held for five years in Alcatraz, and the prison is in… San Francisco!

- San Francisco practically lies on 43 hills.

- The first plans of the city were drawn by Jean-Jacques Vioget from Swiss and Jasper O’Farell from Ireland.

- The first constructed street was Grant Street, originally named Calle De la Fundacion.

- There are more than 250 wineries in Napa Valley.

- Yosemite National Park is a couple of hours drive from the town.

- In Star Trek, Star Fleet Headquarter is located north of San Francisco.

- You can find the crookedest street in San Francisco, Vermont Avenue between 22nd and 23rd. While Filbert between Hyde and Leavenworth is the steepest street at 31.5 degrees.

- San Francisco is 4th in the world, after New York, Moscow and London, in terms of numbers of billionaires living in it.

- On Mar 14, 1986, 7000 people gathered at San Francisco’s Ocean Beach to attend the official opening of the Sutro Baths, a public bathhouse developed by the eccentric mayor of San Francisco, Adolph Sutro, who also built the Cliff House.

The mission burrito is known for it’s sheer size, and commands special tortillas that are designed to stretch in order to contain the wonderful insides. You can customize the mission burrito to your liking, but standard fare is spanish rice, beans, meat, and salsa. You can usually also add guacamole, sour cream, or cheese to your burrito as well. Typically when you order a mission burrito, it will be done in “assembly line” fashion. The employee starts with your burrito at one end, then slowly moves down the counter and scoops each ingredient in one by one. What makes the mission burrito truly special is the tortilla.

Mission burrito’s feature extra large tortillas, but that’s not enough. Also needed is the tortilla steamer. These steamers allow the tortilla to stretch more, making these behemoth burritos possible. This is the part most often missed by imitators.

How could you be in San Francisco and not try one? The mission burrito is truly a San Francisco creation. It will be often duplicated, but never replicated.

One of the best ways to make your way to the enchanting Musee Mecanique is to take advantage of a car rental during your trip. This is especially recommended if you are traveling from far away as you will surely wish to see some of the sights and sounds in San Francisco. You can have a chance to see many attractions when you take advantage of a car rental option online. There is a large selection of vehicles to look through and choose a great option that will fit your travel budget. You may even find a great deal with coupon codes or other discount options that are only available at certain times of the year. Make sure to book in advance to get the best pricing options.

In addition, many services like Traveloicty and Orbitz offer discounts when you book your hotel and car rental through them, so it’s worth considering if you’re wanting to save money on your vacation. While you won’t be able to pick your specific type of car you get with these services, you will be able to specify if you would prefer a sedan, coupe, or sports car. As with any travel service, booking ahead of time is likely to save you money in the long run, so if you’re sure of the dates you’ll want to be in the city, booking sooner rather than later is always the best option. In fact, many of these services offer rebates if the price of your trip does down once you’ve already booked with them, so you have nothing to lose by using this option.

You’ll find many discounts available when renting a car in the San Francisco Bay area. Coupon codes and online discounts abound as do your choices in available vehicles. San Francisco has nearly every major car rental company available near the airport as well as a few luxury and exotic rental agencies. No matter your budget, you’ll be able to find a rental that appeals to you. Do your homework first and know if you’ll need to purchase insurance coverage. For some, their existing auto insurance policies include coverage for rental cars. If yours does not, it’s a good idea to purchase the coverage - especially in cities with aggressive and crowded driving like San Francisco.

San Francisco is a beautiful and timeless treasure on the California coast. The people are friendly and the weather is gorgeous! This is a city that has a rich history that inspires many visitors, with a very impressive amount of attractions. So, if you are wanting to take an affordable trip to San Francisco it can be done!

Tips for planning that budget vacation are:

Budget your flight to San Francisco. Flying into one of the three main airports; Oakland International, San Francisco International, or San Jose International. The tricks is to get the cheapest flight is to find the airport with the latter flights.

Budget your hotel accommodations at San Francisco. This city is known to have some elegant hotels; however, there are a numerous amount of hotels that are accessible to those of you on a budge. Check out the Surf Motel, Cathedral Hill, or even the Fisherman’s Wharf.

Eating on that budget at San Francisco is also possible. There are several delicious restaurants and cafes that are scattered throughout the city. So be sure and check them out!

Sight-seeing in San Francisco, you would come out a lot cheaper by renting a car to drive and round so that you can see it all. Check out all the cheap rates that are offered to fit your budget!

So, as you can tell, there are several ways to be able to enjoy a vacation to San Francisco, California on that budget!