Travelers can get a great rate on one-way car rentals from Florida for travel this spring or summer.

Each year, car rental companies offer deals to travelers to reposition their fleets from winter hot-spot Florida to cities in other U.S. states. Hertz kicked off the sale this year, but travelers should watch for deals from other companies, including Avis, Budget and National, which have offered these deals in years past.

Daily rates start at $2 if you book in February, $3 if you book in March and $9.99 per week for booking in either month. Prices do not include taxes and fees. Reservations must be made by March 31, for pick-up March 24 through June 30. The maximum rental period is 14 days. Pick-up is at airport locations in Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando, Tampa and West Palm Beach. Drop-off is available at airport or suburban locations in 62 cities.

One-way car rentals are usually notoriously high. For a comparison we looked at a one-way rental from Orlando to Dallas that was not part of this offer. The rate was $569 for one week, tax included.

If you live in the Dallas area, for example, you can fly one-way to Florida and then drive back with a cheap one-way rental.

The good thing about this offer is that Southwest flies to six of the seven Florida cities where pick-up is available, and AirTran flies to all seven.

Recent one-way fares from Dallas were $79 to Jacksonville or Orlando and $89 to Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Miami, Tampa or West Palm Beach. Taxes and fees were additional.

Fares are usually cheapest for travel on Tuesday, Wednesday or Saturday, so if you can be flexible, these are the days to look at first.

If you've always wanted to take a road trip, this is the deal to book.

Drop-off points are available up the Eastern Seaboard as far north as Burlington, Vt., to the Midwest and as far west as Salt Lake City and Phoenix.

If you want a really cheap return flight, take a driving trip to Nashville, Louisville and on to St. Louis, where one-way flights to Dallas are averaging $49, plus taxes and fees. Texas drop-off locations include Dallas, Austin, Houston and San Antonio.

If you have a big family or a lot of luggage, you may want to book a larger car such as a seven-passenger SUV. Rates for this vehicle are $39.99 per day and $199.99 per week.

For further details on this offer, including drop-off sites, sample airfares from around the U.S. and the full list of rates, go to www.bestfares.com and search for dmncar.

To book Hertz rentals, call 1-800-654-3131 or go to www.hertz.com. Use Rate Code (RQ) "1Way" when booking.

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Tom Parsons is editor of BestFares.com