Picked up the car at Barcelona Airport T1 and it was super easy to find the rental desk. The staff were locals and incredibly friendly. They suggested an upgrade and local insurance, but when we declined there was no hard sell at all, which I really appreciated. There was a small hiccup when we went to actually get the car though—the team hadn’t brought out the model we’d booked, so we ended up waiting in the parking lot for about an hour. In the end they admitted it was their mistake and upgraded us to a nearly brand-new Volvo XC40 with just over 3,000 km on it, which felt like fair compensation. Returning the car was smooth too: the staff did a quick walk-around, found no issues, and we were done. The only downside of the trip was getting a parking ticket in Barcelona, which they said can only be processed after 15 days. Hope everyone else has a smooth trip too!

Pickup and return were both really easy, and the staff were super efficient.

Renting a car in Europe is actually quite convenient, as long as you have all the necessary documents, the process is very quick. However, the rental office may upsell insurance and vehicle upgrades. Personally, I think buying full insurance at the rental office is necessary when traveling abroad—it’s more convenient than dealing with claims back home after an accident abroad. So I purchased it. As for the vehicle upgrade, since the available upgraded model was the new Mercedes C200D, and as a car enthusiast, I couldn't resist choosing it. Overall, spending money always feels worth it.