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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]We just got back from a trip in LATAM where we rented a car. We always drive and have, like other posters, done so on 6 continents. That said, DH and I were commenting in the car on our trip that it makes sense that many Americans don't drive in any country but US or Canada. Traffic rules and customs are incredibly different and many Americans aren't able to function in traffic that is akin to orderly chaos. Americans like rules and lines, and knowing what their lane is. So I can see how driving in MENA or LATAM may be daunting. Plus, you have to be relaxed enough to not be bothered by the chaos and just roll with it. Most Americans (particularly VA drivers) cannot handle that, and like to tell other drivers what to do. In sum, it's a good thing that most Americans don't drive while abroad. [/quote]

You're acting like it is advanced calculus.  It is not hard to get a feel for the customs while driving.  We drove pretty much the entire country of Portugal, no problem. Including very, veerrry narrow streets in medieval towns like Obidos.  We just got back from England and drove probably 1000 miles all over the country side and other bigger cities like Bath.  It was completely on the opposite side with circles everywhere.  No big deal.  We've driven all over Thailand many, maaaaaany times, which is again on the opposite side and there are far less rules than England. Traffic is chaotic in Bangkok when you need to get out of it or onto the edges of the city, but it is no big deal. You just have to put you Americanism away and realize that people don't get pissed off when they get cut off or merged in front of like they do in the US.  There's chaos but no road rage.  And driving all over Belgium, France (including super small roads on Alsace etc), Germany, the entire country of Croatia (which included needing to cross immigration in Bosnia) was so easy.

It does not take genius level intellect to get a feel on the pulse of how people or nation drives.  Americans are just scared of the world too much. Omg, what if I run into a corrupt cop? Omg, what if I take the wrong turn !!?? Omg, what if I make a mistake?

Who cares?  If you make a mistake while driving. You just stop and brush it off while not panicking.  Honestly, it's much scarier driving in the US where everyone seems to have road rage and there are 300,000,000+ guns in circulation, many of which people bring while driving. Taking a wrong turn in Baltimore is 1000x scarier in Baltimore than doing it.in Hungary or Bosnia, lol. I've done both, too. [/quote]

You missed the point entirely. Unfortunately, it is incredibly hard for most Americans do adapt to other cultures/customs because they are just incredibly bad at it. They don't adapt, refuse to do it, and. have never been asked to conform to another way of life in their lives. They expect other cultures to bend to them. This is unlikely to change so they shouldn't drive. Honestly, they're doing the locals a solid by staying off the roads. [/quote]

Many people in large European cities, Singapore, New York etc don't have a car. By taking public transportation, visitors are adapting to local norms. [/quote]

No one is expecting tourists to have a car in NYC, Singapore, London or similar. That's silly. [/quote]

I do find it hilarious that most of these posters assume Europe when we talk about travel. Sure, you can train it in Europe but not so much in Brazil, Arg, Mexico, Turkey, or other parts of the world. Australia and South Africa are also huge and best visited using a car. [/quote]

New York and Singapore aren't in Europe. I spent a month in Turkey, taking buses the whole way FWIW.

Australia and NZ and South Africa have large amounts of open space and poor ground transportation systems, so a car makes more sense. While Australia is pretty flat, lots of tourists get in trouble in NZ because even state highway one is windy and hilly and one lane in each direction with occasional one way bridges.  My kids who learned to drive in Bethesda never had to practice the overtaking skills you need in NZ - here you can just move to another lane.

I actually got my license in a country driving on the left. Still, transitioning from a trip to Australia or the UK and driving on the right back here still takes a lot of concentration for a few days [/quote]

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