Is It All Greek To You? Driving In A Foreign Country
Posted by admin at 27 October 2017, at 09 : 32 AM
For some of us, driving is stressful enough as it is! Especially when you add into the mix driving with children in the back! And so, for many of us, going on vacation is a very stressful thing indeed. So combining that stress with driving with your family in town in a foreign country, and you’ve got yourself quite a predicament! When it comes to driving in a foreign country, we can all get very overwhelmed by the roads, so what things do you need to prepare, and what do you need to know?
Is Your Car Up To The Challenge?
If you are planning on driving many hundreds of miles, maybe your old banger is not going to cut the mustard. Depending on what country you’re going to, the roads may be quite winding, or difficult to navigate. So instead you may want to think about going to rent a car, one that is better equipped for your long journeys. You may want to think about getting an automatic, as this will take a bit more of the stress out of the travelling.
Underestimating The Driver Culture
While you may follow the rules of the road, and give way to pedestrians, signal before you turn, and everything you think is common courtesy everywhere, in fact, the driver cultures in different parts of the world are completely different to what you are used to. So, for example, driving in somewhere like Italy, it’s every driver for themselves, and so if you are too nice on the road, you are not going to get very far! Also, it’s worth noting that in some countries, women are not allowed to drive. So, be prepared for a lot of horn honking, and people trying to cut you up, which can be a very anxious situation!
The Sides Of The Road
Of course, this is one of the things that will loom large in your mind if you are driving in a foreign country. And, surprisingly, no matter how prepared you are, the notion of driving on the other side of the road feels very strange! It’s also important to remember that if you are making long-haul journeys, you may cross borders where the road changes from right-hand to left-hand driving or vice versa. A good example is when going across the border from Hong Kong to China. If possible, try and navigate these border changes when you are feeling at your most refreshed. Something like muscle memory is quite dangerous in this respect, and if you regress to your old habits, you may end up with a few raised eyebrows, and a whole heap of horns beeping at you.
Driving in a foreign land is something that is fun, and you can explore the sites of the world fantastically while you are on the road, but the act of driving in a foreign country can be very anxiety-inducing. So do what you can to make it a bit easier for you, so you can enjoy your vacation, and explore foreign land as it was meant to be done.