Countries where you've driven a rental car
Nov 13, 2017, 2:30 am
#19
Moderator: UK and Ireland & Europe
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Biggleswade
Programs: SK*G, Lots of Blue Elsewhere
Posts: 13,611
UK (home, also rented various 16-seater minibuses, tail-lift trucks, etc)
France (also minibuses and the auto'lib electric shared use system)
Belgium (well, borrowed more than rented)
Netherlands (although I'd rather be on a bike)
- also Aruba
Spain (also driven a French car into Spain)
Portugal (scratched it up pretty badly but got away with it)
Ireland
Italy (driven there from France)
Monaco (driven there from France and very glad I planned parking in advance)
Morocco (that was 'interesting', especially the desert run and central Marrakech)
Czech Republic
Germany (drove there from Czech Republic, driver behaviour was interesting)
USA (I'd say it's been more of a challenge the times I haven't, NYC excluded)
Australia (all sorts of weird vehicles)
New Zealand (good old "rent a wreck")
Japan (filling up with petrol was an experience)
France (also minibuses and the auto'lib electric shared use system)
Belgium (well, borrowed more than rented)
Netherlands (although I'd rather be on a bike)
- also Aruba
Spain (also driven a French car into Spain)
Portugal (scratched it up pretty badly but got away with it)
Ireland
Italy (driven there from France)
Monaco (driven there from France and very glad I planned parking in advance)
Morocco (that was 'interesting', especially the desert run and central Marrakech)
Czech Republic
Germany (drove there from Czech Republic, driver behaviour was interesting)
USA (I'd say it's been more of a challenge the times I haven't, NYC excluded)
Australia (all sorts of weird vehicles)
New Zealand (good old "rent a wreck")
Japan (filling up with petrol was an experience)
Nov 13, 2017, 2:48 am
#20
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: ICN / 평택
Programs: AA, DL Gold, UA Gold, HHonors Gold
Posts: 8,714
Some rental car companies will tell you not to, due to the rates of theft. In theory, I guess if you did, you might end up being liable if the car were stolen. But it varies by rental agency, or it did.
Nov 13, 2017, 6:14 am
#23
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Land of the parrots and parrotheads
Programs: Several dozen
Posts: 4,820
Austria
Belgium
Canada
Czech Republic
Estonia
France
Germany
Gibraltar
Italy
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Netherlands
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Switzerland
USA
Belgium
Canada
Czech Republic
Estonia
France
Germany
Gibraltar
Italy
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Netherlands
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Switzerland
USA
Nov 13, 2017, 6:28 am
#24
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Vietnam & USA
Programs: Delta PM
Posts: 456
What was really annoying was in any city they would flash their lights at you so you would turn off your headlights. In those days, cities were not as bright as today but instead every block had a 60 watt bulb lighting the way.
Standardization within the EU has gotten rid of much of this.
Nov 13, 2017, 1:10 pm
#26
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Earth
Programs: whatever it takes
Posts: 683
Apart from my home in the USA, just Canada, Mexico, Ireland, Iceland, and South Africa for me.
When I entered Iceland, I hadn't driven a manual in a few years, and I wanted to spend some time in the parking lot getting used to it again. But the company brought me the car along with an exit ticket and said I had to leave within ten minutes. Oh, well!
Seth
When I entered Iceland, I hadn't driven a manual in a few years, and I wanted to spend some time in the parking lot getting used to it again. But the company brought me the car along with an exit ticket and said I had to leave within ten minutes. Oh, well!
Seth
My first 5-speed in awhile (10 years I think) was out of Porto airport. For a minute or two it was a little embarassing as I was trying to get the car properly in gear without running over one of the many people around who were waiting for their cars or hitting another car.
The roads in Northern Portugal are lightly traveled (I checked the terrain on Streetview before deciding to go with a 5-speed) ...so I got comfy with the 5-speed again (A cheap SEAT car). By the time I rented a 5-speed in Faro, I was alot better. Though I did stall for a minute at a traffic light after I left the airport. The Renault Megane had a very complicated all electronic dashboard and misinterpreted one of the messages.
Nov 13, 2017, 4:08 pm
#27
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Parts Unknown
Posts: 10,054
Everyday here and there's always at least one moving shadow at night!
This still happens to me sometimes here in Korea. I'm driving with lights on for safety people...
Didn't see that so much in Korea, but did so in Italy in the 70's & 80's, as Italians believed the same.
What was really annoying was in any city they would flash their lights at you so you would turn off your headlights. In those days, cities were not as bright as today but instead every block had a 60 watt bulb lighting the way.
Standardization within the EU has gotten rid of much of this.
What was really annoying was in any city they would flash their lights at you so you would turn off your headlights. In those days, cities were not as bright as today but instead every block had a 60 watt bulb lighting the way.
Standardization within the EU has gotten rid of much of this.
Nov 14, 2017, 5:18 am
#28
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 6
European Driving
Drove in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Iceland back in 2014. In 2015 we drove from the US to Canada. Our most recent rental was in Ireland (2017) where they drive on the opposite side of the road. It took me a couple of hours to get used to driving on the opposite side. It was fun driving in Ireland but you need to be careful when you drive on the smaller roads because of the many rock walls.
Nov 14, 2017, 6:22 am
#30
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Upstate N.Y.
Posts: 87
Left side:
Australia
New Zealand
Got used to driving on the left quickly, but backing out of a parking space seemed to be a challenge.
Right side:
U.S. (home)
Canada
Mexico
Austria
Slovakia
Poland
Croatia
Romania
Hungary
My own cars in the U.S. have always been standard shift, so borrowed/rental cars in other countries were not of a problem.
I have been to several countries where I did not drive, but based on what I saw when observing the traffic, especially how people drive, I would not attempt to.
Australia
New Zealand
Got used to driving on the left quickly, but backing out of a parking space seemed to be a challenge.
Right side:
U.S. (home)
Canada
Mexico
Austria
Slovakia
Poland
Croatia
Romania
Hungary
My own cars in the U.S. have always been standard shift, so borrowed/rental cars in other countries were not of a problem.
I have been to several countries where I did not drive, but based on what I saw when observing the traffic, especially how people drive, I would not attempt to.