NOTE: The following Travel Guide is for US residents
A question I have been asked frequently is how one can drive in another country?
May it be the convenience to drive to a country side much quicker than riding on a train? To even riding the karts that people do when they travel to Tokyo?
And the answer is that it’s quite easy to get an international drivers permit (IDP) which will work with many major car rental companies in over 175 countries.
But there are only two locations in the United States that one can’t get an IDP and that is through the American Automobile Association (AAA) and the American Automobile Touring Alliance (AATA). If you see it from any other source, they are not allowed to. Only these two are able to sell them.
I’m only familiar with the AAA, as I am a member but what you need to do is sign the following document and pay for a permit which is $20.00. But here are three things you need to know:
- FOR AAA: YOU MUST BE A MEMBER!
- For the Passport Photos, AAA will charge around $10 per photo but you need two, so you will pay $20 just for the photos alone (so the total if you want AAA to take the two photos and for the IDP permit will be $40). You can bring your own two passport photos to AAA.
- One permit per country!!! So, if you plan to drive in multiple countries, plan to budget even more for multiple permits.
- Processing will take up to 15 business days! So, plan on applying at least two months or more in advance before your trip.
As for the permit application, it looks like this:
Also, meet with your car insurance company (or call them) to make sure you are covered driving in another country as certain car rental places may not cover you if you get injured. Also, if you know who you are renting a car from, see if they can e-mail information on insurance coverage.
Another thing to remember is that most countries, vehicles with automatic transmission is not what certain countries have for rentals. The last thing you need to deal with is going to another country and find out that the car available for you is manual transmission (stick shift) which a some of you may not be able to drive.
So, make sure to contact your rental car company in another country that you want to drive an automatic transmission, if that’s your preference. Some car rental companies in countries where vehicles with automatic transmission are not as readily available may charge a lot more for it.
Now the question I am asked a lot is from travelers who go back-and-forth on whether or not they should drive internationally. For a lot of people, they tell me they enjoy driving. But for some people, driving with the steering wheel on the right side and driving on the opposite lane and learning a new way to drive is not easy.
And unfortunately there have been accidents or citations given as some people are just not ready to drive in another country especially in congested streets or just not used to driving in an opposite way of how people drive in America (click here for an example, here, here or here).
Also, if you receive a citation, because they know you are traveling, be prepared as you may be told to pay on the spot or your rental car company will charge you extra (especially if caught by a camera).
Also, know that car accidents caused by foreign drivers have significantly grown, especially in countries such as the UK, New Zealand and Japan.
So, please consider if driving in another country is worth it. Think hard if you really want to drive as it’s not for everyone.
For many people, it’s a no-brainer and it’s the way to go (especially in countryside areas), but for those driving in another country’s busy city or not used to driving in opposite lanes of traffic, it may be best to find an alternative source of transportation such as riding on a train, subway or bus.
