Foreign Car Rental

Natives who beat drums to drive off evil spirits are objects of scorn to smart Americans who blow horns to break up traffic jams. 
Mary Ellen Kelly

Renting a car in a foreign country is pretty much the same as here, although it can be a bit daunting driving in a foreign country where the signs are not always in English, and the rules may be different.  The car company will give you some information.  And you can prepare before you go.  Tour books of the region you are going to will help, as will online information from the internet.

Driving near Meteora, Greece

Some countries require US citizens to have an International Drivers License in order to rent a car from them.  This is simple to get.  Go to your local AAA office before your trip and fill out the form.  It requires 2 passport size pictures, which they will take - for a fee, or you can bring your own.  It only takes a few minutes to get, and there is no test to pass.  You can find out which countries require the IDP and which do not, by calling your AAA office.  You do not have to be a member of AAA to get the IDP.

Most car rental companies will try to sell you car insurance when you pick up the rental car.  This is how they make money.  If you are in the United States, then most likely, your own car insurance will cover you even in  a rental car.  This is not true outside the USA.  You will not be covered by your car insurance company.  However, if you have a credit card, there is a good chance that the credit card company provides car insurance for your rental car.  You should check with your credit card company and find out before you travel if they will cover you.  Some companies have restrictions for what countries they cover, so always check before you travel.  If you decide to go with their coverage, then you must use that card when picking up the car, and you must decline their insurance.  Remember, that it may not cover you 100% if you have an accident and the car is totaled.

Cadiz, Spain

And when driving in foreign countries, remember that getting around in cities is going to be more difficult, just because of the way their cities are laid out. In many European cities you cannot just make a turn wherever you want.  There are lots of one-way streets, no turn streets and you have to wait for a roundabout before you can get off the street you are on.  By the time you find the roundabout, you may be a mile or so past where you wanted to turn, so you have to go back.  It can be a challenge.  While driving in Madrid, I heard words coming out of my husband's mouth that I had never heard him use.  It's better in a big city to just park the car and use public transportation.  And in Cadiz, Spain, the oldest city in Europe, the streets were so narrow we had to pull the side mirrors in so that they would not scrape other cars. 

Also, finding parking can be a challenge, and you will find that the Europeans tend to do a lot of double-parking, while they run in somewhere.  This also makes driving a challenge as this blocks roadways.  But driving in the country and on their freeways is not so different than driving here, and you do have the opportunity to see more of a country if you have a car.  You can get off the beaten path and explore.  Just drive safely.