Sixty-five is the new twenty

There is a small deli just down the street from my office. There are several outdoor tables for customers to eat their lunch in the midst of a beautiful and aromatic garden patio.

Today as I crossed the patio to the entrance, the conversations at several of the tables hung in the air. Most of the conversations were merely a hum-I could hear the voices, but couldn’t understand the words.

However, as I passed one table where two couples sat and chatted over their panini sandwiches , one gentleman’s voice rose like a plume of smoke over the crowd and his words went straight into my ears.  “Because you know they won’t rent you a car if you are over 70 years old,” he commented to his friends at the table.

No, I did not know that.

Car Rental (Photo credit: yum9me)

In fact, I couldn’t believe that it could be true. I knew that the car rental
companies won’t rent to anyone under 21, and that it is difficult for anyone under 25 to rent a car. We had to deal with that with our kids. Our son was married, employed and a father, but could not rent a car a few years ago.

But I had never heard that you could not rent a car at an older age.

When I got back to the office, I decided to do some checking on this man’s statement.

Sure enough, he was right. At least in some foreign countries, the rental car companies will not rent a vehicle to someone who is over age 65 or 70. I did not see any reference to companies who have this restriction for cars rented in the United States, however. Perhaps our age discrimination laws have prevented that.

I found a very interesting article explaining the problems that seniors face renting vehicles in some European, African and South Pacific countries. Click here to read that article. Apparently, even the more well-known rental companies have this policy in some areas, and there are many unsuspecting travelers who find themselves unable to rent a car while traveling overseas.

English: Global Aero Car Rental Parking for rental car (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Now I am several years away from turning 65. However, I am getting closer every day. I used to think of 65 as being decrepit, unbearably old. It is amazing how your perspective changes as you inch closer to that age each year.

Merle and I plan to work at least five more years. Then we hope to be able to retire and travel. This is one thing we truly enjoy. We have dreams of traveling again to Europe. We also love to rent a car and drive on our own. We usually see so much and meet so many interesting people that way.

Apparently, we may not be able to do that. No matter how good a driver we may be, no matter our health or status of our license. This is something we had never even considered as an issue. If you are planning a trip where you will be renting a car, be sure to check out the company’s rental policy for “seniors”.

Because a 65-year-old driver is apparently just as risky a car rental customer as a 20-year-old.

Unbelievable.