It is proving impossible to hire a car for our holiday travelling from Montreal to Boston in September. All the regular car hire firms are refusing the booking. Can you recommend a company that will allow a one-way rental, Canada to USA or propose an alternative solution? Keith Downward, by email

Sunday Times travel expert, Richard Green, responds: According to the car hire companies, whether a one-way car hire is possible or not depends on the general flow of rentals. So that if about half the people hiring cars in Seattle say, want to drop it off in Vancouver, and vica versa (as in fact they do) then car hire firms will offer cars for the one-way drive. Rather murkily, this apparently means that while it is fine to drive a hire car between Toronto and Buffalo, it isn’t so between Montreal and Boston.

However, Hertz (08708 44 88 44) can help out, and for individual rentals, has no problem you driving the 300 miles between Montreal and Boston, making a drop-off charge of about £150, in addition to the cost of the hire, payable locally.

If you prefer a package deal, most of the big tour operators, like Virgin Holidays, BA Holidays, and the North America Travel Service, can’t help either. However, you might have more luck with a smaller company, like Complete North America (0115 950 4555). It offers fly-drive packages, for example a week from Boston to Montreal is from £699pp, with British Airways flights from Heathrow, a car and the drop fee included, or even a 15-day tailored trip from Boston to Toronto from £1,929pp, with flights, hotel accommodation, and hire car. But unfathomably your trip has to be from the US to Canada, because they say the contract – wait for it – with Hertz, doesn’t allow them to do it the other way round.

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