Driving

A car is best for getting to out-of-the-way towns the train doesn’t go to and for seeing the truly rural parts of a country. Towns and villages without train stations, at least those some distance from big cities and the highways, are bound to be quieter, more traditional, and see far fewer foreign tourists than rail towns do. I have traveled in some very out-of-the-way places, in both Europe and the Middle East, and the people were generally more friendly (or curious) and certainly less jaded. The downside is that traveling by car can insulate you from your surroundings: you don’t meet people in the same way you do getting around by train, and you can end up feeling as if you’re traveling in a bit of a vacuum.

If cars and the countryside go together like bacon and eggs, cars and cities go together like Twinkies and Tabasco. If you are interested mainly in rural areas and camping, think about a car. If you are going exclusively to major cities, the problems with parking, theft, and driving in traffic may not make it worth it. The expenses of renting a car can be horrific, especially if only paid by one person: generally USD 200-500 a week, depending on the country, for a car that moped riders will laugh at (easyCar - ®www.easycar .com - is a cheaper alternative, if booked far enough in advance). Add to this the cost of gas (roughly the cost of champagne in most European countries), a hefty tax, a collision damage waiver fee, parking fees, road tolls, etc. All this makes renting only an affordable option for groups of two or more. Also, remember that every company has a minimum age for renters - either 21, 23, or 25.

One handy tip for those who do want to rent: it is always cheaper to arrange a rental vehicle before leaving instead of arranging it on the spot in Europe. It may also be cheaper to arrange a fly-drive package with a tour operator or travel agent. They will have much more buying clout than you as an individual, and even with their fees added on may be able to offer you substantial savings.

One friend, who is the king of the do-it-yourselfers, advocates buying a car, especially for motorhead types. If you are a good judge of cars, can make simple repairs, and can bargain hard, you may be able to buy a car, use it, and sell it a few months later for almost as much as you paid for it. Don’t bet the return ticket on this, and remember that you may end up driving around Paris looking for a shop that sells Armor-All so you can spiff the old sled up before you sell it. However, that’s part of the experience, and even if you don’t get quite as much as you paid for it, you will probably end up saving money over the rental option. You might, however, want to leave this for a second or later trip.
The indispensable guide to driving, buying, leasing, and renting a car in Europe is Moto Europa, by Eric Bredesen. Eric and I have never met, but we’ve spoken over the phone off and on for the last seven years. I’ve used his book, and I trust his advice implicitly. Eric has posted the entire contents of Moto Europa on the Web for free

at ©www.ideamerge.com/113jotoeuropa/inctex.html. Those who want hard copies of the book can order directly from the website -if you are considering a driving trip through Europe it will be USD 15 well spent.