Travel Tips

Plan your route

Have a good look at the map before departing to decide how far you want to go and in how much time. Leave the detailed planning for later but make sure that you have your first day's route roughly in mind.

Driving regulations

Rules vary across different countries. Here is a small selection of rules you may not have heard of:

• Belgium - On certain stretches of road, it is legal to overtake on both sides.
• Finland - Winter tyres are compulsory between December & February.
• France - Watch out for locals enjoying their right to priority from the right, even when joining fairly major roads.
• Germany - It is an offence to make derogatory signs or use abusive language to other drivers.
• Greece - Children under 10 are not allowed in the front seat.
• Portugal - Photographic ID of some form is required by law.
• Spain - Pre-1991 (green) UK driving licences need to replaced by pink ones or used with an international driving permit (IDP).

Journey timing

• When planning a drive in a country you don't know, make a rough guess of what you could do in the time and halve it!
• Remember that the more distance you cover, the less you will actually do or see - you can spend too much time in a car.
• Work out how much driving you feel happy to do each day and the distance that represents.
• Build your route, leaving time for sightseeing and rest-stops on the way.
• Remember that motorway driving may be faster, but it is duller and more fatiguing than driving on smaller roads.
• Don't plan too rigidly. Drive for a day or two and you will have a much better idea of driving conditions and the speed at which you can expect to travel (Germany, for example, will be a lot faster than Portugal).
• Decide in advance what to do if you make an error and avoid last-minute corrections which can be dangerous. The best option is usually to agree to come off at the next motorway exit or stop at the first convenient lay-by.

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