I wouldn’t call myself the best driver, at least not in a stick-shift. I think it’s because I haven’t fully grasped the concept of when to shift gears; I’ve heard you innately know the timing just by “hearing” the vehicle, or, for the more logic-minded person, watching the rpms on the car tachometer. But the latter requires looking up and down at the dashboard and the road in front of you. A recipe for disaster.
I can manage to get the car moving forward (even backwards!), changing gears, driving on empty flat backroads. But idling on an incline, down-shifting, merging onto a fast-moving interstate is a completely different story. Now was not the time to be practicing! Thankfully, Bob is far more adept at manual transmissions and so he would be our designated driver during our stay in southern France.
He did not inspire much confidence though, when soon after leaving the car rental lot he crossed the line and went driving on the opposite side of the street. Luckily for us, the street was empty and we could whip around to head in the right direction.
TRAVEL TIP: US drivers must obtain an International Drivers Permit (don’t be fooled, there is no such thing as an International Drivers License) in order to drive in a foreign land. Not all countries recognize the International Drivers Permit (“IDP”). Check the US State Department’s website for rules and requirements about driving in a specific country. In the United States, only two organizations issue the IDP, which is valid for ONLY 12 months after the date of issuance–the American Automobile Association (AAA) and the American Automobile Touring Alliance (AATA). The choice of driving in a foreign country is a personal one. It depends largely on the confidence (or, in our case, lunacy) of the driver (and co-pilot), the additional travel planning work involved (getting an IDP, arranging car pick-up and drop-off, car insurance, etc.), and risk averseness. The reward is unparalleled though; rather than being limited to where public transport operates, the traveler is free to visit out-of-the-way places or move about whenever they choose.
TRAVEL TIP: It is recommend that GPS be rented from the foreign rental car company rather than bringing one from home.
TRAVEL TIP: Most rental cars in Europe have manual transmissions. Automatic ones are available but come with a heftier rental price.
FUN FACT. Traffic lights differ all around the western world, some more clever than others, but three things remain the same: red is stop, yellow is yield, green is go.
