International Driving-What You Need to Know Before You Travel

Travel is something that is extremely enriching and something that can also be liberating, joyful and full of learning experiences. We are all for the positive learning experiences such as learning about other cultures, about the everyday life of the people in a specific country, or region of the world.

What we are not all for is having negative learning experiences while traveling. There is always some degree of risk when you are traveling but many risks and potentially hazardous situations can be avoided if you take the necessary steps to prepare for them before you get on your flight.

Take driving for example, when you’re preparing to get your driving license you undoubtedly put some prep work into it to ensure that you were able to obtain your license the first time you applied.

You should probably be putting the same effort into ensuring that you are legally permitted to drive in whatever country it is that you plan on visiting. If plan to rent a car you will want to do your homework to ensure that you can do so legally. In some countries, you may need to take a test if you’re over a certain age to check you’re fit to drive. In Amsterdam, for example, your driving license must be renewed after you turn 75 to be qualified to continue driving. You can renew your Amsterdam driving license (Amsterdam rijbewijs verlengen) with a simple medical check-up, so it’s quite simple to do. Other countries may have stricter rules, however, so it’s a good idea to check in advance.

Here are a few things to consider when it comes to international driving.

International Driving Privileges

Many countries allow tourists and other seasonal visitors to drive with International driver’s licenses. If you are from the United States for example, you can obtain an international driver’s license with your valid state issued driver’s license online. There are a few organisations that offer international drivers’ licenses that you can utilize.

Conversely if you are traveling from an EU member country to the United States, you may not be able to drive with your home country’s driver’s license. Ensure that you are checking the requirements of the state or states that are part of your trip to ensure that you meet the necessary requirements for legal driving.

If you are from the EU and you are travelling to an EU member country your driver’s license will be valid regardless of which country, you are travelling to.

Remote Travel

If your travel plans will be taking you to places that are far and away such as Antarctica, the Samoa Islands, or the far corners of Siberia you will want to ensure that you are doing your research and doing it as specifically as you possibly can.

The last thing you want to have happen is to get to a remote destination only to find out that you cannot rent a car or that you need some type of special driving permit to drive in these areas.

There may be things like safety hazards to consider, extreme weather, and driving conditions that you are not used to. Ensure that you do your homework and if you finding it difficult to find relevant information online, you may have to enlist the assistance of a travel agent or even an agency that specializes in remote car rentals and driving requirements in these areas.