It's a good idea to get one if you'll be driving in Austria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, or Spain — countries where you're technically required to carry a permit.
If all goes well, you'll likely never be asked to show it — but the permit is a must if you end up dealing with the police. That said, I've never been asked to show one. Minimum and maximum age limits for renting a car vary by country, type of car, and rental company. Many companies will not rent a car to someone under age 21 with some exceptions, depending on the country and type of car , but those who are at least 25 years old should have no problem. If you're over 69, you may be required to pay extra to rent a car in the Republic of Ireland, where the official age limit is 75 although some rental companies will rent to those ages 76—79 if they provide extensive proof of good health and safe driving.
Knowing these differences in advance can save you some money and maybe even a big travel headache. We always book our rental car in advance. During the planning phase of the trip, Tim checks the rates for the major companies and chooses the one with the best price.
It takes extra time to price out five companies, but prices can vary widely depending on promotions and supply and demand, and it has been worth it to do this extra work in order to save money. There are the obvious factors that determine price, such as duration of the rental period and the size of the vehicle.
But there may also be some factors that you are not aware of. Manual vehicles are much more common in Europe than automatic vehicles.
Sometimes it makes sense to pick up a car at one location and drop it off at a different location. For example, if you are driving through southern France, you may pick up a car in Nice, road trip through the French Riviera and Provence, and drop the car in Avignon. Dropping the car off at a different location saves you a lot of time and unnecessary backtracking. When getting an estimate for different pick-up and drop-off locations, you have to decide if the extra money you will spend is worth saving the time and extra driving.
The smaller shop in town did not have the compact car that we reserved, so Tim drove this beast on the Autobahn. To save money, consider renting from a shop in town. With that being said, renting at an airport or train station does have several advantages. Secondly, the car rental facilities are much larger at airports and train stations.
And finally, those smaller shops also have reduced hours. Some rental car companies will charge you extra for driving their cars into certain countries. When driving through western Europe this is generally not an issue. However, you can be charged extra when driving into or between non-EU countries.
Some companies may forbid you from driving into specific countries. However, these rules are always changing and can be very particular to certain rental companies. When you go to pick up your car they will ask to see your confirmation number, drivers license, passport, and credit card.
It contains your name, photograph, and driver information. A vignette is simply a sticker that you attach to your windshield that shows that you have paid the highway taxes.
If you rent a car in a country that requires a vignette, you will already be covered. However, if you drive a rental car into a country that requires a vignette, you will have to purchase it.
Vignettes are sold at border crossings and nearby gas stations. A green card is a cross-border insurance card that proves that your car has at least minimum level of insurance required.
Most countries in the EU do not require you to have a green card. Some credit cards offer car rental insurance. If you are accustomed to driving on the right side of the road, making that switch to the left can be intimidating. At first, it takes a lot of concentration. Roundabouts, busy city streets, and entrance ramps onto highways can be nerve wracking. All of a sudden you feel like a newbie driver again. Give it some time and it does get easier, and rather quickly. Just remind yourself which side of the road to stay on as you make a turn and as you enter a roundabout.
It can be helpful for the passenger to remind the driver as well. If shifting gears with your opposite hand concerns you then make sure you select an automatic car when you make your reservation. In Europe, some cars require an extra step. You may have to apply downward pressure on the gear shifter, pull up on the collar of the gear shifter, or even press a button on the collar of the gear shifter, in order to get it to engage into reverse.
Confirm if your hotel, hostel, apartment, etc. Fox Rent a Car. Shouqi - China. Routes - Canada. New customer. For you. About us.
Advanced Search. International Driving Permits Your driving licence will be honoured in most countries, however there are countries where non-local Driving Licences in different languages or particularly in languages using different alphabet structures are not accepted. Europcar recommends you carry an International Driving Permit. An IDP is written in 10 languages and serves as an officially recognised translation of your local driving licence in over participating members of the United Nations.
Your IDP should always be accompanied by your valid local driving licence. E-mail message Print. Same smart app. More mobility. Download the Europcar mobile app for iPhone, iPad and Android now! However, the following countries do require International Driver Permits in conjunction with valid United States' driver's licenses: Austria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece , Hungary, Italy, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia and Spain; again, you might not even be asked for the IDP in these countries, but technically you're required to have one or risk being fined.
You should also be aware of other countries' rules of the road, and the U. Department of State has good resources for overseas travelers, including country-specific road and traffic information—their Road Safety Overseas page provides specific recommendations for safe driving. To be sure you have everything set before you travel to a European country, it's best to contact the embassy or consulate of the country you're planning on visiting to inquire about their requirements in regard to IDPs or use of your existing license.
Business travelers may also want to check the U. Department of State's Bureau of Consular Affairs for additional information about different counties, contact information, and each country's requirements. Travelers interested in International Driver Permits should be aware of potential scams and outlets selling them for inflated prices. For more information, read our article " International Driver Permit Scams ," which covers the basics of the underground world of illegal IDP sales.
Basically, though, don't fall for any websites that offer to provide an International Driver License, or provide licenses or permits to people that don't have licenses or have suspended state licenses—these are definitely scams. Not only will you waste your money on these invalid documents, you could possibly put yourself in a position to have legal problems overseas if you're caught with an illegal IDP, so always be sure to check you're going through the only two licensed issuers of IDPs: AAA and AATA.
Actively scan device characteristics for identification.
0コメント