December 8, 2017

How to conquer driving in Europe

I was reluctant to post about driving in Europe until I had safely delivered the car back to the depot – didn’t want to jinx myself! But I can now safely say I have driven around 6 countries in Europe, covered over 7,300 kilometers and conquered car ferries, toll gates, border crossings and driven on the GRA (the notoriously crazy ring road around Rome) four times without incident! A number of people have remarked on how brave they think driving in Europe is, especially on my own. I generally have replied with the truth – necessity might the mother of all invention, but it’s also the mother of bravery sometimes! One of the perks of approaching middle age as a single woman is that my “just get on with it” muscle is super strong!

In an attempt to take some of the fear of the unknown away, I’ve put together some practical info. I will acknowledge upfront that I have the advantage of being a capable, confident driver. I grew up on a farm and have been driving (cars, tractors, motorbikes, trucks, front end-loaders) since I could reach the peddles and sitting on Dad’s knee steering before that. There is no doubt having a level of comfort with driving helps when you are in unfamiliar circumstances and I understand not everybody has that advantage. That said, I really do think a driving holiday in Europe is totally achievable for any competent driver. The ability to be able to set my own agenda and timetable and get myself easily to tiny towns and remote areas has been invaluable for me. I will say, I’ve only driven in Greece, Italy, Croatia, Montenegro, Slovenia and France this trip, so my advice is limited to that experience!

DO:

Prioritise your common sense above everything else! If your GPS tries to take you down a road that looks sketchy or just too much for you, stop and do a sanity check on Google Maps or GPS route overview. Judy (my GPS) was often trying to take me down tiny little roads that cut off 2km in distance but eventually brought me back to the same main road – no Judy, no.
Look into leases if you are travelling for more than three weeks. I used a company called DriveAway Holidays, who act as the agents for Peugeout and Renault Leasing as well as doing normal rental cars via all the usual rental companies. You essentially have a short term lease (21-175 days) which gives you a brand new car (mine had 5kms on the clock), full comprehensive insurance, roadside assistance, unlimited kms and an installed GPS. This is mainly a French initiative, but you can pick up and drop off in various places around Europe (for a fee). I collected in Rome and dropped off in Paris, nearly 3 months later. The costs worked out a bit cheaper than a normal rental, but the real benefit was having a new, reliable vehicle. Plus the support provided in the booking process was great. I loved my little Peugeot 208 – it was great to drive! If you use my link, I will receive a small commission so I would be most appreciative! Again, I never recommend anything I haven’t tried and tested and loved myself.
Download offline maps of the places you are headed as a backup. Google maps is generally more up to date and detailed than any GPS in the car and allows you to download big areas. Plus it will be invaluable if a road is unexpectedly closed.
Consider getting a local SIM for data so you can use live maps or make phone calls to your accommodation for help if you are going to remote spots. I didn’t bother, but it would reduce the stress levels if you’re a bit anxious about getting lost and don’t want to spend a fortune on data with an international SIM.
Try and learn a few of the basics of road signs and rules before you go. I had a huge advantage of sitting in the jumpseat of a Busabout coach for two summers and I think I picked up a lot by osmosis! Honestly, everything is pretty similar. You will get by with very minimal prior knowledge, but some level of familiarity helps to reduce the fear of the unknown.
Enjoy the fact most big service stations are just that! Especially in Italy, they still have attendants that pump the petrol and often take your payment at the pump without you having to go inside. You mainly do the petrol and the shop separately if you need to get some snacks or go to the bathroom.
Make the most of driving at 130km on the motorways! Because the backroads are usually 90km or 70km an hour. In my experience, speed limits are largely respected everywhere other than Italy where they seemed more like a suggestion…
Make sure you ask the rental company to change the GPS settings to English language before you drive off the lot! Because mine was a lease, they had done all of that in advance for me which was great!

Waiting to cross into Croatia from Montenegro

One of many car ferries

Basement level of car ferry

DON’T

Worry too much about driving on the other side of the road (for those of us that normally drive on the left). For the first two days, you will be hyper-cautious. Then you’ll have a few days where you get comfortable and will inevitably do something stupid, but hopefully not drastically so! That will shake you back into awareness and then you’ll be amazed how quickly it becomes quite natural. Although I sometimes went to get into the wrong side of the car till the end!
Pay too much attention to hand gestures, beeps etc. You know how expressive Italians are when they talk, same goes for driving! A beep can mean anything from “I’m here” to “you are slowing me down” to “get f*cked, mother*cker”. It’s just rarely the latter and usually the first!
Be too timid. Europeans (Italians in particular) are aggressive drivers. They merge at high speed and they drive fast. They expect decisive action. If you hesitate, they will not wait for you. So either be prepared to spend a lot of time waiting patiently to merge whilst other cars go around you into implausibly small gaps or just go with it!
Don’t freak out about how the tolls work! Mostly they are very easy. When you enter a motor-way there will be barriers. Look for the ones with a ticket picture, instead of the symbol for the device locals might have in the car (eg a Telepass in Italy is a big T). Take a ticket and put it somewhere safe! When you exit the motorway, whether that’s in 10km or 250km, there will be another set of barriers. Opt for the one with a human if you can, otherwise there will be ones with machines for payment. Hand them the ticket or put it in the machine. The amount due will come up on a screen, you pay (cash or card), the barrier goes up, you drive on! Weird toll stuff: Sometimes there will be a random set payment that doesn’t require a ticket. You just pay a set amount – so don’t panic when you drive up to a barrier and you haven’t collected a ticket somewhere before. In Slovenia you need to get a vignette sticker to put on the windscreen at a service station, it’s like a tax to be on their roads at all, not just for motorways. You can get daily, weekly or monthly ones. My rule of thumb for tolls? Don’t panic! If in doubt, do nothing and things will eventually become clear!
Try and drive into the centre of really old towns! They are not designed to have lots of cars in them and many don’t let cars in at all. Even if you could get in, you don’t want to be trying to navigate streets that were built for people and horses! You will be able to park on the edge of town and walk in.
Drive in places like Rome and Paris if you can avoid it! Italians don’t drive in Rome unless they are from there – same goes for Paris and the French! Park in the suburbs, at a train station or a town outside and leave the car. Even better, try and plan those big cities to bookend the trip so you don’t need the car at all for those days. You can drop off at the airport and then catch a train or taxi into the city.
Bother with driving if you are only really planning larger towns and cities. Europe has an amazing rail system. But for regional areas, small towns, off the beaten track areas, you can’t beat the freedom of having your own wheels.
Leave anything valuable in sight in the car. There will be times leaving your luggage in the boot is unavoidable, but try and take your irreplaceable stuff with you at all times.
Forget to sometimes just slow down, stop and see the amazing things along the way! I was sometimes a bit guilty of the old ‘making good time’ thing that takes over when you’re on the road. But my best driving days were when I took my time and the back roads. Check out where I was in Slovenia one day in the video below.