Renting a car
One of the advantages of getting a credit card (it comes with your HUEC account, but you can also easily apply for one at other banks), is that it often includes some insurance in case of renting a car. Read the fine print or ask, since it may vary, but you should be able to save some 20$ per day on each rental in insurance. If you rent, check Enterprise (they pick you up, so the location is not an issue; they also have discounts for Harvard community sometimes; also look for their weekend specials as low as 10$ per day during the academic year – the branch itself is near the Fresh Pond) and Thrifty (located in Harvard Square). For local driving, ZipCar offers an interesting alternative. It will help if you bring your clean driving record confirmation from back home. A really good and much cheaper alternative is RelayRides, which is a form of private car sharing. Just like with Zipcar, you need to register and you will need your national driver’s license during the registration process.