Driving Experiences

In Portugal, everyone is super friendly...until they are behind the wheel. Then they become super focused on their driving experience. The primary road rule is to drive as fast as possible at all times. Do not hog the left-hand lane on the freeway unless you are the fastest vehicle on it otherwise you'll have people riding your bumper and flashing. They will NOT go around you because it's up to you to get out of the way. It's pretty normal to drink a bottle of wine on Saturday night and drive at your car's top speed so be very careful at night.

Outside of Paris, people are pretty normal drivers. Inside of Paris, there are two main rules to follow:

• If no police see you, it's not a crime. So you can drive on the sidewalk or the wrong way up a one-way street. It's fine.
• If you're not looking at a potential accident, it's not your fault if it happens. So merge into traffic by looking the wrong way. It'll be fine.

Most cars in Paris have multiple dents because of the second rule.

In Turkey, road rules such as yielding to oncoming traffic, or not triple parking on a major road, are totally optional. In fact, does a Stop sign even have meaning in Turkey? You wouldn't think so. Just be very careful (especially in Konya). Turkey also has random police stops but does not require an IDP. Keep some cash on hand for gas because your credit cards may not work in all gas stations and ATMs are scarce outside of the city center.

People follow the rules in Germany. Expect to have drivers wagging their fingers at you if you drive like an American. Don't hog the left lane on the Autobahn, just don't!

See France, but all of Italy is like Paris.

Perfectly lovely place to drive, except in KL where motorcycles are under your wheels constantly and traffic basically stands still during the morning and evening rush hours. Do not break any road rules in Singapore!

Lima itself is a stress-inducing experience. Outside of Lima, there's not too much traffic. Some rural roads might be more appropriate for off-road vehicles.

Get the CDW and expect to use it. You may be targeted in rural areas by people crashing into you and telling you it's your fault and you should pay them a couple of hundred Euros. Probably best to do it or avoid the situation by pulling over and letting them pass you on the mountain roads. You will not be able to drive in the areas of the various medinas. Take a taxi instead and have a thrill ride you won't forget.

You don't need an IDP. You're also on the wrong side of the road struggling with a sticky stickshift with the wrong hand while hurtling down single lane country roads bounded by stone walls. You might scrape up the car a bit. It happens.

Also, avoid driving in central Cambridge...narrow roads filled with cars parked on both sides and bicyclists everywhere. What could possibly go wrong?

The roads are quiet, especially in the north. There aren't that many roads either, which is good since there's limited cell reception and your navigation may not work.

Just south of the border things can be kind of dodgy. Further south also a bit dodgy. The road from Douglas to Puerto Penasco can have dead horses and parked cars on it so don't drive it at night.

Nothing exciting to report I'm afraid. You'll need an IDP though.