The Ultimate Guide to Driving Overseas

[harvyk]

US

Once you get used to driving on the other side of the road, easy. As others have mentioned, drivers much more courteous and speed limits are a guide only (though I did get busted doing 85 mph on the freeway outside LA, where the speed limit was 65). Annoying having to prepay fuel, with Australian credit cards only working on the pump about half the time. Also need to pay attention to fuel grade at service stations, as unlike Australia, there is no consistency - many have a grade of fuel lower than most cars require (85, with most cars requiring a min 87). Also on this subject, different fuel grading system - we use RON, they use an average of MON and RON, which is a lower figure.

Yeah, just outside LA the speed limits start mattering again. I personally use the speed I'm doing as a sign as to how close I am to LA
+1 on needing to pre-pay the fuel, very annoying. Also be very careful that they put the money against your pump, since otherwise you might find you've just prepaid for someone else's fuel (very nearly happened to me on the last trip)

 

[drron]

There are some places where you don't prepay such as New Jersey which has a ban on self service gasoline.
Also some places out in the country.One Christmas we rented a lodge in the Adirondacks.I went to fill up in the nearest village,Croghan,NY.Went inside to prepay and the woman behind the counter said you must be from the big city.We trust folks around here.So just go out and fill up.

 

[plspoon]

South Africa - very few problems driving here although we didn't drive through jnb. Keep doors locked and windows up when travelling at slow speed thru towns. Keep your wits about you if stopped at traffic lights. Keep valuables in the boot rather than in the cabin with you. If I remember correctly people toot you from behind to say "I am overtaking" you move onto the gravel at the side of the road and then they flash their hazard warning lights after passing to say thank you and you flash your headlights to say no worries mate. we did see a lot of drinking and driving but this was in 2008 so I don't know they have cracked down on that. we found generally people were quite courteous drivers and not particularly aggressive especially compared to perth.

UK generally courteous.. They drive very fast on the motorways, we were often doing 90mph+ in the slow lane and only just keeping up with the traffic and the speed limit is 70mph!! Cars were hurtling past in the overtaking lanes probably doing 140mph+. Some residential streets are very narrow and parked cars on both sides so only room for one lane of traffic. You have to keep stopping to let other cars thru if there is a gap on your side. Some house Driveways are very narrow and scarey to reverse into with about 1cm spare on each side and you have to pop the wing mirrors in to fit thru.

France. Park wherever and however you like! I remember my friend parking diagonally across two taxi bays at Pau airport taking the keys out of the ignition and leaping out before the car had even come to a stop.

 

[artemis]

US - kerbing your wheels in San Francisco - mandatory. I believe it is the law, not to mention ridiculously sensible. But tremendously courteous drivers I thought in general.

The key I found to driving on the wrong side, was not so much about where to turn to on the road, but drifting across the lane when not really concentrating. Obviously my subconscious driving brain likes me to be on the right side of the lane, and once I worked that out I was able to do all the things I usually do while driving (talk on phones/sing along to radio/apply makeup) and still stay in the correct place...

 

[Sprucegoose]

Absolute piece of cake - done it heaps of times - because everyone knows what they're doing (unlike Australia, especially PER which, hands down, has the world's worst drivers :evil.

But use a GPS to ease the stress of uncertainty. I have my own loaded with every country I go to. I think it makes it easier because I know exactly how to use it and understand the voice so it means I'm away from the rental car desk immediately.

Best motto: drive decisively.

Be careful with a GPS in say South Africa the quickest route maybe the most dangerous!

 

[JohnM]

Be careful with a GPS in say South Africa the quickest route maybe the most dangerous!

Certainly - and that applies anywhere. A GPS is merely a useful tool; some feel for geography/location/dead reckoning is always needed - and common sense is always the obligatory override in all situations.

 

[burrco]

US 4 way stop signs are easy-whoever gets there first has right of way and usually they will wave you through.If a line of traffic at each stop sign then each line has a turn in order.I have found the Americans the politest of drivers except in Boston.

I'm glad you posted this as I'm often flummoxed by these. My rule of thumb has been if nobody has moved for a minute or so, it must be my turn to go.

 

[kelvedon]

Be careful with a GPS in say South Africa the quickest route maybe the most dangerous!

I can never use my GPS. My two boys think it's hilarious to program the voice to speak in Polish or Hungarian and then watch as I spend the next 5 minutes trying to re program it so the distances are not quoted in furlongs or chains.

 

[flyrod]

Here are a couple of my experiences -
I recall a line from The World's Fastest Indian that has worked for me, although not word for word but roughly, wherever you are if you are behind the steering wheel you stay towards the centre of the road.

France - Be very careful if one has lost one's licence in the home country and agrees to continue with the hire car and Mrs flyrod decides to take on the driving duties. She will acknowledge that her driving on the right wasn't quite up to scratch, but I too will acknowledge that my role as a passenger was much worse. If we had stopped near an international airport on the first night Mrs flyrod may very well have flown straight home. Be careful with the GPS, especially if a wrong turn is taken at a roundabout. Do not follow the recalcualted route, in our case we headed down a very steep, narrow street with a truck coming up the hill.

US As has been said previously, go with the flow. On most highways and freeways the speed seems to settle about 15mph above the posted limit, except at roadwaorks, where everyone slows down to ...60mph.

 

[JohnM]

Here are a couple of my experiences -

US As has been said previously, go with the flow. On most highways and freeways the speed seems to settle about 15mph above the posted limit, except at roadwaorks, where everyone slows down to ...60mph.

Fines double in work zones.

 

[JohnM]

On GPSs, I had an interesting experience in Switzerland about three years ago. We plugged in the destination, which was not some obscure place - but it was in an adjacent valley - and set off.

Soon we were climbing into the mountains (as expected) but then the TomTom was indicating 'Take the ferry' . Anyway, eventually we arrived at a dead end with only a railway station. The 'ferry' was a train with table-top wagons that you drove your car onto to go through the tunnel into the next valley.

I guess it was a 'ferry' of sorts but TomTom had only a boat icon for a ferry on the display. It caused some consternation until the penny dropped and then some mirth as we trundled through an unlit one-way tunnel while sitting in the car eating our baguettes for lunch.

 

[drron]

I have only had 2 experiences with GPS.
One here in QLD where from Kilcoy to Caloundra it recommended a route fit for 4WD only when only driving a conventional car with quite low clearance.
Second was in Iceland.We went into a tunnel under an inlet and the GPS showed a car doing breaststroke.The second when we went on a new road which was on google maps but didn't exist according to the GPS.
I used to use paper maps but now just look at google maps the night before.Works for me.Mostly.

 

[flyrod]

I used to use paper maps but now just look at google maps the night before.Works for me.Mostly.

I think it always pays to have a paper map to get a feel for "the big picture". First time in the US and driving north to San Francisco, at San Jose the GPS suggested turn right whereas the road sign said San Francisco left. The route to the right was east of the bay and through Oakland which seemed to be the better option but it was a little disconcerting at first.

 

[JohnM]

IME, Google Maps can sometimes (maybe often) be quite inaccurate on estimating travel times in some places - South America in particular. It seemed way off the mark when I was using it for scoping out some upcoming travel in the Atacama Desert.

 

[flyrod]

IME, Google Maps can sometimes (maybe often) be quite inaccurate on estimating travel times in some places - South America in particular. It seemed way off the mark when I was using it for scoping out some upcoming travel in the Atacama Desert.

I'm sure Mr Goolge would throw up all sorts of interesting suggestions for that area.

 

[JohnM]

I'm sure Mr Goolge would throw up all sorts of interesting suggestions for that area.

But it was way off even for travel between major towns in the region (that's how I knew it was off - any remote-area travel would not have been so easy to validate). I looked at the bus timetables when I sensed that Google was way to slow - and they were projecting considerably faster times!

 

[drron]

IME, Google Maps can sometimes (maybe often) be quite inaccurate on estimating travel times in some places - South America in particular. It seemed way off the mark when I was using it for scoping out some upcoming travel in the Atacama Desert.

We usually are not worried by time.When travelling we like to dawdle and explore.

 

[JohnM]

We usually are not worried by time.When travelling we like to dawdle and explore.

Indeed - but I was wanting to estimate travel times for organising accommodation and getting back ANF from some considerable distance further north fro my flight.

 

[flyrod]

I recall travelling by coach into the Italian Alps quite a few years ago and the three plus hours estimate of my trusty Tomtom was within about five minutes of the ATA

 

[JohnM]

I recall travelling by coach into the Italian Alps quite a few years ago and the three plus hours estimate of my trusty Tomtom was within about five minutes of the ATA

I've also found my TomTom to be remarkably precise when driving using it.