Thinking of driving overseas?
DON’T baulk at the hire car counter – just get out there and drive. Overseas motoring is not rocket science, just needs a positive approach.
Okay, so you will often be on the other side of the road. Okay, signage may not be in your preferred language. But in these days of satellite navigation and all types of car safety systems and warning devices, driving on foreign roads has never been easier.
And today, with the aid of internet, a traveller can plan well ahead on which car to hire, how much insurance is needed, which roads to take and where to stay each evening.
Small cars are best-suited to European drives. Fuel can be expensive, roads can be narrow. Be careful, small cars can be a real drag when loaded with family and luggage.
United States’ travel is best done in a medium to large car. Fuel prices are okay and distances can be huge. Remember there’s a fair difference between 500 kilometres and 500 miles.
Take time to understand the hire car’s controls. Which side’s the indicator stalk, where are the hazard lights?
If swapping from right-hand drive (Australia) to left-hand drive (Italy) an old trick was swapping your watch to the opposite wrist; for right-handed drivers this helped keep overseas kerbs on your right.
Take care in big carparks, there isn’t the street furniture to help guide you.
Be flexible and don’t over-use GPS. It’s not fail-safe and you can lose any sense of where you are on the planet.