I ain't got no dog in this fight now. Because we are older - and my husband likes trains more than driving - and I am too lazy to navigate in foreign languages (so I like trains too). However - we have driven in Europe - perhaps 15 trips or so - to various countries (all in the west).

I think there are several generalizations you can make about driving in Europe. First is that in many countries - it's as if there are two road systems superimposed on one another. There's the motorway/autobahn/autostrade road system. Like US interstates - with some - sometimes major - differences (much higher speeds in Germany for example). Then - at the opposite end of the spectrum - there's the Michelin "brown" road system (the little tiny roads that frequently link one quaint town with another). You can find roads similar to this in the US - but I doubt you'll ever find "brown roads" in the US that are like some in Europe (those 1 1/2 lane 2 way roads with stone walls on both sides - like some in Devonshire in the UK for example).

You can drive a lot of intimidating mountain roads in Europe - like along the coast of Norway. You can find similar roads in the US - for example - smaller roads in the Rocky Mountains - but a lot of US drivers have no experience with roads like that.

So I guess when it comes to driving - it depends where you'll be driving - and how comfortable you are with that type of driving. My husband happens to hate heights - and I don't think he'll ever be driving the coast of Norway or small mountain roads in Colorado again. So pick roads you're comfortable with.

You also have to keep in mind that on high speed roads in Europe - the left lane is definitely a passing lane - not for "slow and lows" who like to go the speed limit in the left lane (like they do on I-95 in Florida). If you do that in Europe - you will wind up with a Mercedes 5 inches away from your rear bumper. Which is appropriate. Florida will eventually pass the twice or thrice proposed "road rage law" - which officially makes the left lane a passing lane.

Navigating is a whole 'nother story (I'm the family navigator). I have never driven in Europe with a GPS. I understand they are now widely available in rental cars - and - having used rental cars in the US with them for quite a few years - I recommend them highly. It really isn't a lot of fun trying to figure out road signs in a language you don't command. And it is almost impossible to do after dark in the countryside (which I wouldn't recommend in a strange area anywhere with or without a GPS).

A GPS might have prevented some of our traffic disasters. Like arriving in a city in Switzerland (can't remember whether it was Geneva or Zurich). Our hotel was near the top of a hill. And every time we tried to go up the hill - we wound up on a one way street down the hill. So we went up a particular street we hadn't tried before - and found ourselves on a "trolley only" street - with trolleys going both ways at high speeds. I thought we were going to die (if we weren't hit by a trolley - the crowds of Swiss shouting " stupid morons" in French - or maybe it was German - would have killed us). Which is why we take trains these days .

FWIW - if you are driving in any country with a lot of military checkpoints (this doesn't apply to western Europe - don't know about the east - we've encountered this in the middle east in places like Egypt) - it is best to hire a local driver who speaks the language. Anyway - these are just some random thoughts about driving outside the US. Robyn