10 Things to consider when planning a Road trip in Europe

A road trip in Europe is one of the fun things to do. The beautiful scenery, the monuments, the cities and the short distances from country  to country. If you set out to do this, here are things that you would want to consider and plan for.

I have done many of these trips and each experience is unique and the challenges were different. New technologies makes it hard for you to avoid getting tolls and speeding tickets. I have received tickets after a year later as they need to verify who rented the car that was speeding. In many cases signs are not very clear with speed limits. If you drive in the dark it is easy for you to miss signs.

One may think it is cheaper to do it by car than other means of transportation. It is not always the case. It is fairly cheap to rent cars and it gives the notion of economy. Yes the advantage to visit many places in a short period of time is true.

Gas is bought by the liter and not by the gallon and it is expensive from country to country.  Depending on the car you are driving, it can add up very fast. This can throw you off your budget very quickly.

Not to mention the tolls. In the states when you pay tolls it is in cents or in single digits. Not the case in Europe. France and Italy are the major culprits. If you happen to be in Germany or Switzerland, you are in luck as most highways are free. If you took the Mont Blanc tunnel from France to Italy, you would pay 60 Euros. Once you get to Italy you pass through a series of tunnels and each one could cost  you 35 Euros. Not to mention the other area tolls that could be 5-15 Euros at random places. You can always take non toll roads, then you have to deal with the traffic and European drivers. Delays can put you trip off your plans and that could end up costing you more.

Rest areas are just like in the states. When you are on the road you would depend on these rest areas for your bathroom needs. At certain rest areas if you leave your car key they will let you use the showers for free.  That’s a very good thing considering you have been on the road days at a time. This is something you would appreciate a lot.

So during your planning go over distance and the number nights and plan in detail to avoid surprises.

Consider the following when planning.

1. Cost of Gas per liter as it is sold that way.
2. Tolls are expensive and it is frequent in France and Italy.
3. Not many rest areas like in America.
4. Merging to a major highway is abrupt. Watching for signs and taking precautions.
5. Street parking is almost impossible. Parking lots on the other hand is cheap.
6. Know and watch for street  signs as some you may not used to.
7. City streets can be very tricky and you may end up going in the wrong direction.
8. Speed limits vary from country to country and faster than in the USA.
9. Traffic delays in major and minor cities. Toll roads are traffic free. Every country calls it with a different name. Plan in such a way to avoid peak times in cities like in Paris. 
10. To visit places use parking lots and take public transport.