Why are so many people scared of driving while abroad?

[Anonymous]

I’m not scared, I just don’t want to do it! Driving while on vacation is not enjoyable for me. I like to visit places with great public transit and take a lot of trains. And I’ll do private tours with a driver to get to the more rural sights.

Driving is stressful for some people—can you really not understand that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We've driven on multiple continents and numerous countries over the years with car rentals. Yes, we've even had breakdowns before which requires having to navigate a car mechanic with locals, no big deal, we survived. But overall, we've seen soooooooo much more of the countries that we've been too by being able to stop in smaller towns, smaller sites, and random local spots where trains and busses simply never would go to or would take horrendous amounts of time that makes mass transport less viable in harder to get to areas. If you speak to many travelers, they have some kind irrational fear of driving while abroad, why is this? Who gives a crap about language barriers? Modern GPS works basically everywhere. Left side, right side, it doesn't matter, you get used to it in about 5 minutes. We have basically never, ever had a problem and would recommend international driving to everyone in order to see much more of countries you're traveling to besides big cities.

Have you been to Naples?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We've driven on multiple continents and numerous countries over the years with car rentals. Yes, we've even had breakdowns before which requires having to navigate a car mechanic with locals, no big deal, we survived. But overall, we've seen soooooooo much more of the countries that we've been too by being able to stop in smaller towns, smaller sites, and random local spots where trains and busses simply never would go to or would take horrendous amounts of time that makes mass transport less viable in harder to get to areas. If you speak to many travelers, they have some kind irrational fear of driving while abroad, why is this? Who gives a crap about language barriers? Modern GPS works basically everywhere. Left side, right side, it doesn't matter, you get used to it in about 5 minutes. We have basically never, ever had a problem and would recommend international driving to everyone in order to see much more of countries you're traveling to besides big cities.

Have you been to Naples?

Have you been to Bangkok? If you can drive there you can drive anywhere.

[Anonymous]

Yes, let’s add to overcrowding on roads and pollution by all travelers hopping into their own cars…

[Anonymous]

I'm European and lived in multiple EU and Asian countries as a child. I am not a confident driver and wouldn't want to drive in places where driving is fraught (think congested city driving), locals have their own interpretation of the rules and pedestrians and tuk tuks cross 6 lanes of traffic right under my nose, or if I can't get an automatic transmission and working GPS.

But it's nice you guys are so confident.

[Anonymous]

I'm scared someone will hit the rental car and we'll have to deal with the bureaucracy of that.

In France there are weird rules like giving way to someone coming from a minor road to the right. Drivers are also more aggressive with lane changes and roundabouts. Even though it's illegal, motor cyclists zoom up the white lines between cars unexpectedly.

[Anonymous]

Have you driven in the DMV?
All these threads about VA vs. MD. They are all terrible because they all learned to drive somewhere else and there is no predictability and no norms. That's way people aren't keen to ALSO tempt fate by driving abroad.

[Anonymous]

I invite OP to drive in New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai or Bangalore and then report back.

[Anonymous]

I've rented four times and gotten:

1. Two speeding tickets for literally going 3km/hr over the speed limit
2. A $400 charges for two small scratches that I didn't make

Not afraid, but rethinking renting a car the next time I go to Europe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ok great. Sounds like a brag posed as question.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We've driven on multiple continents and numerous countries over the years with car rentals. Yes, we've even had breakdowns before which requires having to navigate a car mechanic with locals, no big deal, we survived. But overall, we've seen soooooooo much more of the countries that we've been too by being able to stop in smaller towns, smaller sites, and random local spots where trains and busses simply never would go to or would take horrendous amounts of time that makes mass transport less viable in harder to get to areas. If you speak to many travelers, they have some kind irrational fear of driving while abroad, why is this? Who gives a crap about language barriers? Modern GPS works basically everywhere. Left side, right side, it doesn't matter, you get used to it in about 5 minutes. We have basically never, ever had a problem and would recommend international driving to everyone in order to see much more of countries you're traveling to besides big cities.

Lol.

I've also driven on multiple continents and it IS sometimes difficult and dangerous. Try a minibike in remote Indonesia for a real adventure.

Most Americans can barely manage driving in the US, so what gives you the idea that they will do better elsewhere?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I invite OP to drive in New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai or Bangalore and then report back.

This.

[Anonymous]

I hate driving at home so definitely don't want to be doing it on my vacation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m not scared, I just don’t want to do it! Driving while on vacation is not enjoyable for me. I like to visit places with great public transit and take a lot of trains. And I’ll do private tours with a driver to get to the more rural sights.

Driving is stressful for some people—can you really not understand that?

You're more of an extrovert than me. I go on vacation so I don't have to talk to people. I don't want to talk to locals giving private tours. And I don't want them accompanying me to the beach or on a mountain hike.

Train travel can be stressful too. Having to be somewhere at a specific time. Worrying about connections, Europeans in the next seat with body odor, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t want to deal with liability if something goes wrong overseas like a car accident. I prefer relying on a private driver who knows where he is going and is familiar with the routes.

+1. Just got back from a trip and DH and I agreed that having a driver (who, btw, was happy to stop at whatever off-the-beaten-track place we wanted) was SO much more enjoyable than the stress of navigating ourselves. It made vacation more relaxing

How much did having a private driver cost you?