Last year before we rented a car to drive from Bilbao to Lisbon, we found that some of the bigger rental agencies started to charge a rather large drop off charge. Some did not and we found a well known car rental agency that did not have a drop off fee and from whom we rented a Renault Scenic. Well, not to be outdone, it seems that all European agencies are now following the leaders and charging drop charges. Those charges can be dramatic, as much as $800 to $1,600 for a vehicle rented in Vienna and dropped in Barcelona. Our research has discovered leasing companies that will write a short term lease (two weeks) without a drop off charge. In our case, it looks as though we will have to pick up the vehicle in Munich, but we can drop it in Barcelona. We will save $900, the cost of a good dinner in Salzburg. Does anyone have any experience with leasing companies in Europe? Thanks.

Tom in a very cold Carlisle, MA, USA.