any - driving for the first time overseas | Motoring discussion | Back Room Forum

What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks

Mon 2 Oct 2023 01:12

any - driving for the first time overseas - johnmazda

I've had plenty of experience now as a new driver on the roads around London and south east England and am enjoying my drives on the whole.

One aspect of driving that I was always desperate to do even before I learned to drive was to drive abroad. Now I can finally do it, or well so I thought. I understand that minimum requirement for most countries to rent a car is the requirement of holding your license for at least a year. Are there any countries that skip this requirement? 6 months isn't that long to wait I suppose but was thinking of perhaps going to Germany later this month to the Black Forest.

Any other driving routes you would recommend overseas for a new driver?

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Mon 2 Oct 2023 07:31

any - driving for the first time overseas - badbusdriver

Malta.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Mon 2 Oct 2023 09:09

any - driving for the first time overseas - bathtub tom

Malta.

I presume you're trying to wind up the lad. Which side of the road do they drive on? The shady side.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Mon 2 Oct 2023 09:39

any - driving for the first time overseas - Bromptonaut

Countries will have their own min age limit for holding a licence though I doubt there are many in Europe where it's more than 18.

A year's worth of experience post test sound more like a requirement of the hire company. There used to be a widespread min age of 21 too, but I think that's less common now.

I guess trying one of the consolidators that find you a best deal for time/place would be a way to flush out any hire companies with less stringent requirements or that will ease them for a fee.

Alternatively the Black Forest is only a day or two's drive from Dover. Nearly all autoroute though it'll be more interesting on the N/D roads thru' France.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Mon 2 Oct 2023 10:17

any - driving for the first time overseas - badbusdriver

Malta.

I presume you're trying to wind up the lad. Which side of the road do they drive on? The shady side.

Not really. The OP just says he wants to drive overseas, not specifically on the other side of the road. On Malta he can drive overseas without the issue of adapting to LHD.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Mon 2 Oct 2023 10:32

any - driving for the first time overseas - Gerry Sanderson

Singapore same as uk

dvd

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Mon 2 Oct 2023 13:45

any - driving for the first time overseas - Andrew-T

Singapore same as uk

dvd

Long drive to get there though .....

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Mon 2 Oct 2023 14:40

any - driving for the first time overseas - Ian_SW

If the OP has mostly driven around the south-east of England so far, there's plenty of Britain left which is good to drive around/to as well.

The first time driving a left hand drive car can be a bit odd, and I suspect particularly so for a new driver - I'd had my licence about 10 years before I drove a left hand drive car and still managed to smash my left hand a few times on the door when trying to change gear and also kept turning on the wipers when I wanted the indicators...

For a first trip abroad, particularly if the OP is in the south-east, I'd recommend taking your own (familiar) car on the Ferry and doing a trip heading along the north coast of France. There are plenty of nice places to see once you're a couple of hours from Calais.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Mon 2 Oct 2023 21:08

any - driving for the first time overseas - barney100

Only place I gave the hire car back early…

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Mon 2 Oct 2023 19:04

any - driving for the first time overseas - Warning

Why dont you drive to Wales and Scotland and build up experience and driving on windy roads? London and South East is reletiely flat. I think you probably don't have enough experience, if only have been driving for six months.

When I went overseas and renting a car it was easy on single lane roads. However, it was a scary in some cities. You really need a good co-pilot (passenger) and sat-nav to hand.

Despite being a careful driver. Autopilot kicked in and I was on the wrong side of the road in Greece.

In Greece, one home-made road was so steep, the car was rolling back and and another it was narrow, there was no crash barrier and could have fallen over the side.

My only advice in renting a car overseas is to get a small one, as their roads tend to be narrower. .....

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Mon 2 Oct 2023 19:17

any - driving for the first time overseas - movilogo

I find switching to side other side of the road least of a problem. I always hire cars locally, so steering is on the correct side. I also hire automatics only so that one less thing to worry about.

If you want to practice and build confidence driving elsewhere, then less crowded countries e.g. Iceland, Canaries, Greek islands are good bets.

As someone already said, go with a small car as mountain roads in Europe can be scary. Avoid driving at those roads at night.

Driving in large cities can be daunting and I have never actually driven inside any large European cities.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Mon 2 Oct 2023 23:26

any - driving for the first time overseas - Big John

It's worth checking on individual countries age requirements on a full licence - some are 18. Hire car companies may have different requirements.

It's worth doing though - I did years (er decades) ago and I've always liked driving abroad since. Infact generally I find it more relaxing. I usually try to avoid some major cities though - eg Paris, Lyon, Rouen, Trier etc.

Try a small trip taking your own car over on a ferry or Eurotunnel but make sure you check on local legal requirements eg spare bulbs, UK sticker, warning triangle, headlight modifications(tourist mode or stickers) , insurance, breakdown cover. Many countries have Low Emission Zone schemes - eg France Critair. You can't have speed camera notifications turned on re satnav/phone in many countries as well. In France you need the same type/make/tread pattern of tyre on each axle.

www.theaa.com/european-breakdown-cover/driving-in-...e

Edited by Big John on 02/10/2023 at 23:35

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Tue 3 Oct 2023 05:16

any - driving for the first time overseas - edlithgow

My first overseas driving experience was offroad in a hired Daihatsu Fourtrack in Cyprus.

I'd forgotten my DL, and the deal I cut with my GF (who taught me to drive and had a healthy disrespect for my driving), was that I would drive any off road stuff, and she would drive any on-road.

She was very sure there would be no off road stuff.

Sudden storm washed out the coast road and meant we had to drive out across the mountains, including some pretty hairy steep stuff where there was some risk of rolling quite a long way. Made her get out for that bit but she was sulking and didn't take any pictures.

Later on, driving in fairly deep snow on-road, she spun and got stuck in a snow drift (a passing priest offered to tow us out in his Austin Mini! van. Hee hee!) so I got to drive us up the rest of the mountain and down again to below the snow line. Great fun.

Next up Western Australia in a borrowed Subaru Forrester. Driving paradise.

And then, until recently, Taiwan. Which isn't.

But overall driving is just driving, (unless somewhere really dodgy, like, say. India.) The French Priotite a Droite thing is the only specifically concerning inconsistency I can think of and I dunno if they are still doing that

Edited by edlithgow on 03/10/2023 at 05:49

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Tue 3 Oct 2023 06:53

any - driving for the first time overseas - Xileno

"The French Priotite a Droite thing is the only specifically concerning inconsistency I can think of and I dunno if they are still doing that"

From my travels in France I get the impression it's less likely than in the past. Still pops up in towns so be aware.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Tue 3 Oct 2023 11:24

any - driving for the first time overseas - Sofa Spud

The priorite a droite still existed in back streets a few years ago but main roads are "passage protege", marked with signs. So on main roads you shouldn't have to worry about vehicles pulling out from the right - but you should watch out for the occasional cyclist or tractor driver who ignores the rules.

When you're in traffic, driving on the other side is easy to get used to because you just follow what everyone else is doing. It gets more risky if you're pulling out onto a quiet road from a driveway or lay-by, and there are no obvious clues to prevent you starting off on the wrong side. I've only ever driven right-hand drive cars on the 'continent' although I've driven a left-hand-drive one here!

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Tue 3 Oct 2023 12:59

any - driving for the first time overseas - Andrew-T

When you're in traffic, driving on the other side is easy to get used to because you just follow what everyone else is doing. It gets more risky if you're pulling out onto a quiet road from a driveway or lay-by, and there are no obvious clues to prevent you starting off on the wrong side.

We all remember the wife of the US serviceman who did just that a few years ago, then claimed diplomatic immunity and scarpered back home. Has any sort of justice been found since ?

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Tue 3 Oct 2023 14:42

any - driving for the first time overseas - Bromptonaut

We all remember the wife of the US serviceman who did just that a few years ago, then claimed diplomatic immunity and scarpered back home. Has any sort of justice been found since ?

Sort of:

Anne Sacoolas's remote (from US) plea of guilty to Death by Careless Driving, as opposed to a charge of Death by Dangerous Driving, was accepted by the Crown. Cheema Grubb J sentenced her to 8 months in gaol suspended for a year and disqualified her for 12 months.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Tue 3 Oct 2023 15:04

any - driving for the first time overseas - edlithgow

I gave a Belgian girl a lift (in Edinburgh) not long after passing my test, pulled out, she squeeked I was on the wrong side, I momentarily believed her, pulled over to the wrong side, realised my mistake and pulled back in time .

Wasnt very close but still an exiting few seconds.

Probably best not to take advice on your driving while you are actually doing it, at home or abroad.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Tue 3 Oct 2023 15:23

any - driving for the first time overseas - edlithgow

DP somehow. Apologies

Edited by edlithgow on 04/10/2023 at 04:47

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Tue 3 Oct 2023 13:13

any - driving for the first time overseas - Metropolis.

I actually found Taiwan quite pleasant to drive in, including Kaohsiung and Taichung, particularly compared to driving in London, although I gave Taipei a miss for the most part. Some very nice drives between those cities as well. The local driving standards were fairly good too I thought.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Tue 3 Oct 2023 14:52

any - driving for the first time overseas - edlithgow

I actually found Taiwan quite pleasant to drive in, including Kaohsiung and Taichung, particularly compared to driving in London, although I gave Taipei a miss for the most part. Some very nice drives between those cities as well. The local driving standards were fairly good too I thought.

Its actually a lot better than it was, (I've been here a long time, despite my lack of Chinese) though traffic volumes, especially scooters,in Taipei can be something else.

There are some very nice drives in the mountains. However, quite a lot of them STILL (or at least recently) habitually take a "racing line" up there, IOW they drive quite fast around blind corners on the wrong side of the road.

They don't seem to crash nearly as often as you'd think, but I never really got used to that.

Doubt I'll be driving a car again here (or anywhere) except maybe a hire, but I still sometimes drive a motorcycle or scooter, which is obviously more risky

Edited by edlithgow on 03/10/2023 at 14:54

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Ask Honest John

Sell Your Car

Real MPG

Fuel Calculator