Planning a road trip around Europe is bound to be exciting and exhilarating. There are memories for a lifetime just waiting to be made. Driving around Europe, in a rental car, can be a great experience that offers you much more flexibility than if you were dependent on air, bus, or train travel. You can leave at your own time without being dependent on other’s schedules. You can stop where and when you want. You can choose to linger somewhere more than others. You can bond more with your fellow travel companions when you are on a road trip together.
While it is fun to leave a large part of your trip unplanned, to create more magic and leave more room for spontaneity it is also important to have a few tricks and tips up your sleeve that will make your journey all the more comfortable and memorable.
- Book your rental car in advance so that you have time to look around for the best deals, discounts, and rates.
- Don’t skip on insurance for rental car insurance, which is often offered by the car rental company. No matter how expensive the insurance might be, it is worthwhile to be covered. Make sure to read the fine print of what the insurance covers and doesn’t cover. Ensure that the countries you want to cover in your European road trip are covered in the insurance.
- Keep an old-fashioned paper map handy or satellite navigation device, GPS, in the car. Sometimes the GPS in your phone app may not work under different network conditions.
- Study the road laws in the different countries in Europe that you are driving through. Different countries have varying laws and not adhering to these could incur a heavy fine. Some countries are very strict about having first aid kits, while others insist on having warning triangles or reflective jackets in the car. Some countries insist on having snow chains in the car as a rule. Some countries have a complete ban on mobile usage in the car. Knowing the rules beforehand can save you a lot of money in potential fines!
- Keep lots of loose change in Euro currency to pay for the numerous toll booths that dot the highways in Europe. This will save you considerable time and stress.
- Try to keep the local currency of the country that you are visiting in your pocket at all times. Some places do not accept credit cards or Euros but only the local currency. You will also need this for parking meters and tips for service staff.
- Learn some common phrases and sentences in the local language of the countries that you are travelling through, as not all the countries have English as a common language.
- Make sure you ask and remember whether your car needs gasoline or diesel before you leave the car rental.
Keeping this pointers in mind, it will be easy to have a life-enhancing European road trip!
