Driving in Europe

Back in the spring and early summer when we would tell people that we were renting a car in Europe the general response from about 90% of people was something like, "really... oh... good luck with that." Or "wow, that could be risky." Basically it seemed like people thought we were crazy.

I will admit that it was a little daunting; especially when I started looking at maps of Paris, Rome, Florence, etc. They looked like piles of spaghetti. It appeared that most of Europe thought city planning was a frivolous venture. However, after we concluded the trip we were so pumped that we had taken the risk, thankful for the experiences it provided us, and grateful for the cash it saved us. For two weeks the six of us spent a little over 1500 Euros. Train tickets would have cost us over 3000 Euros.

Now that we are a month or so removed from the trip and I have had some time to reflect on it and drive in America and Seoul again, I want to offer some suggestions and tips to anyone else who would dare rent a car in Europe (in order of importance).

1. Make sure you know EXACTLY what size car you are getting.
2. Get a GPS. This is HUGE! They are smart and full of all kinds of useful info.
3. When you go to a big city stay at a place that has parking even if there is a charge. Then when you are in the city leave your car at the hotel and take public transit anywhere you need to go.
4. When you stay at that place ask them if there is free parking anywhere nearby. You'll save 8 or more Euros a day if there is any and the bellhop may freely point it out.
5. Drive the speed limit. There are speed trap cameras everywhere and you'll get a random credit card charge from your rental car company when they get the ticket.
6. Know each country's regulations. Several places require stickers to us the Autobahns (Austria,Switzerland) or have restricted traffic zones (Italy).
7. Visit Germany. No speed limits = fun, though it can lead to poor fuel economy.
8. Don't be afraid to make mistakes. Just pause and wait for the GPS to fix it.
9. Visit small towns off train routes. Less tourists and so cool.
10. Don't leave anything in your car to tempt a thief. Take everything out of your car when you get to your hotel. We didn't have anything stolen but we also cleaned the car out all the time.

That's all I've got for now. If you have any questions feel free to let me know. I highly recommend driving in Europe. It is well worth it.