I went Eurorailing to more than 10 countries in Europe in the summer of 1992. It is one of my fondest memories. Getting around on the trains was easy, even when we lost the train guidebook. It’s basically just making sure we had the relevant visas, get on the last train of the night, and by morning we’d be in a different country already – saving time and cost. I remember our encounter with a crazy Berliner who talked incessantly about Hitler, perhaps that’s why we didn’t really stay long there, if not we’d have to check out Hotels in Berlin.

However, if I had to drive a car around Europe, that would be a totally different scenario. I would need to know or have the following things ready:
- Make sure I know which side of the road to drive on in which country. People drive on the left side of the road in Cyprus, Ireland, Malta and the United Kingdom. In most other countries in Europe, people drive on the right side of the road. To add to the confusion, in some countries like Belgium, France, Holland and Portugal, one would have to give way to traffic coming from the right.
- Ensure my travelmates are very good navigators / map readers.
- I would need a driving license issued in the EU. I am not sure if it’s possible to simply apply for a driving license if you already have a license issued in Malaysia, or whether you have to go through the whole process again
- Make sure motor insurance is purchased and active
- I would need to know the speed limits. For example, the speed limit on German motorways is 130 km/h but in Belgium it’s 120 km/h. Then in the UK it’s even less: 110 km/h and in Cyprus it’s a mere 100 km/h!
- If I were driving in Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia I would need to remember to get a toll sticker to affix on my windscreen at the border crossings into those countries.
- I would need to research and book for hotels. If I were going to have a leisurely tour of the Louvre, I’d have to check out Hotels in Paris

Hotels in London are not really a necessity since we have Malaysia Hall, but hey, you can consider that a hotel too.

And Hotels in Barcelona was out of the question then because we chose not to go to Spain due to the visa’s cost and we wanted to avoid the crowds during the Olympics being held there at the same time.

Lastly, a travel health insurance policy is a must, just in case you fall ill along the way.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Permalink | misc2, sabud |