Road Trip in a Strange Land Wall Street Journal Tourists now can drive to a North Korean resort -- but no photos on the way.
Things to Know About Driving in Mexico CarJunky Some say the only way to see Mexico is drive through it.
Tune in and get into the local groove The Guardian You can tell a lot about countries from their radio stations
Driving each other mad abroad Holiday Extras New research suggests that driving abroad is one of the most common causes of arguments between couples.
He's not the first name that comes to mind when you think of rock ‘n roll icons. He's usually not mentioned in the same sentence with Elvis or Buddy Holly or Chuck Berry. But maybe that's why I've always liked Bo Diddley.
June 27, 2008
Few subjects can inspire more debate among veteran travelers than which countries are the worst to drive in. Is it the intraurban roads of Morocco, devoid of signage, not quite wide enough for two cars and used by maniacs who seem to believe blowing the horn solves all problems? Or the twisty, narrow roads of rural Italy, swarming with owners of new sports cars, hell-bent on showing you how fast they can accelerate? Maybe the insane traffic and parking restrictions of Manhattan?
All good reasons to limits oneself to cabs and public transit. But you can only get so far off the beaten path letting someone else take care of the transit. I'll long recall a tiny little church in Norway, covered with enchanting carvings and pregnant with history from the noble parishoners buried under the floor centuries ago. Experiencing it easily made up for our car being attacked by goats earlier in the day, and we never would have gotten near the tiny town otherwise.
There's also a limit to how lost you can get using buses and trains, and getting delirously lost now and then should be part of the point of travel. One of the grandest and best-preserved medieval castles I've ever seen crossed our path as the result of three wrong turns along the backroads of the Dordogne.
And unless you grab the wheel now and then, your travel stories are bound to lack a certain amount of daring and danger. To whit:
So let's hear from you. What's the craziest place you've ever driven? The junkiest rental car you've ever suffered? Which country has the nuttiest drivers? The most marginal roads?
Share the Eye:
Learn how to drive overseas Vagabonding To make sure people won't be telling stories about your fate for years to come, make sure to take a few steps to prepare before driving abroad.
The Road: The Most Dangerous Place in the Emirates Experiencing the Emirates Surveys on the reasons for the UAE having one of the highest road accident rates in the world have been conducted regularly and have usually pinpointed carelessness and excessive speed as the greatest factors.
How To Plan For A Self-Drive Holiday Self Drive Holiday Weblog A DIY vacation may be remembered for the wrong reasons if it is not planned properly.
still thinking about today...
Which country has the worst drivers?
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On a trip to Jamaica, I had hired a car and driver to take us from the resort to Dunn's River Falls, a trip of about an hour. I very much doubt the driver touched the brakes once as we roared through corrugated tin shantytowns, swerving around goats and the local peasantry. The vehicle probably was on its original set of brakes, but most likely the fourth or fifth horn, given how liberally the driver applied it.
Tony D said...
I have never driven anywhere but in the U.S. However, within this country I have no doubt that worst drivers in America reside in my native Rhode Island.
Whenever I travel abroad, I have heretofore excaped the need to drive myself. But I am told by people who have lived there (including my mother) that Manila and Makati City in the Philippines give new meaning to disastrously insane driving.
Within the U.S., the worst driving I have encountered has been on the Dallas area freeways. My father-in-law always complains about New York traffic but at least the congestion here forces everyone to drive slowly. If you have an accident, everyone walks away with maybe a bruise or two. In Dallas, everyone goes at the speed of summer lightning and there is no chance of anyone walking away from a collision.
drdgscott said...
I've given up motorcycling since moving to northern New Mexico, opting to cling on to life for a few more years. Local drivers navigate roads as though the windshield was a video display and the act of driving was simply gleeful participation in a multiplayer Xbox game. The term "low riders" not only refers to the adjustments made to local flash vehicles, but also to the posture of young drivers -- body slung so low down in the seat that the eyes only just clear the dashboard, arm elevated to a 45 degree angle with the wrist flopped over the top of the steering wheel, the car controlled primarily by wrist pressure.
The majority of roads in Taos County are unpaved with potholes so large that folks are subletting them as vacation rentals.
Even so, its better than driving in Boston.
I learned to drive in the Philadelphia area where driving instructors taught students how to operate a vehicle, how to observe local traffic laws, and how to swear at "godd*mmed Jersey drivers." Later in life, I moved to the New York area (west of the GW), and travelled back to Philly to visit family and stock up on scrapple. As I would drive through the city, I would occasionally hear the frantic honking of horns and shouts of "godd*mmed Jersey driver!" I would roll down my window to join the chorus, only to realize that they were yelling at me. Oh, the shame.
Lovey said...
Don't taunt me, I have yet to get my license.
Dutchman said...
i still remember a harrowing cab ride in Tijuana that I still have nightmares about.
I think there was a point total on body counts.
I truly believe that the seemingly omnipresent use of cell phones for talking and text messaging while driving has evened the playing field worldwide.
If you dare to honk, scream, and display internationally known and accepted hand & finger gestures at them as they turn left from the right hand lane just inches in front of you; they point to their phone as if to say how dare you interrupt their conversation!
Other than that, my bus trip (and I swear if I looked under my seat I would find the bubble gum I left there from kindergarten),through the hills of Hualtuco Mexico had to be the most white knuckled trip I ever had.
Spinner said...
Isn't it nice to know that we as a group are the best drivers around? I am convinced that the cars shipped to KY are special made without turn signals. People exclaim that they would be scared to death to drive the LA freeways, but while driving the 405, I saw a cop pull over someone that had changed lanes twice without signaling. And they let you into their lane when you signal you want to. I am sure that is because they know they will want to change lanes themselves a half mile later.Then when we flew into Louisville, the drive home was much more harrowing. Nobody seems to think those little flashing lights mean anything.
Spinner, I love the idea that the cars are made without signals. By the same token, I have figured out why you can't get a New York taxi cab in the rain. The "off duty" lights are water activated!
I've had two rides on roads that cause fear and a need for therapy as to all things vehicular.
The first was a wild ride in a Lambretta, a three wheel miniture bus used in many "third-world" countries. I hitched a ride into Hue City in Vietnam one day and the ride over a paved road and a series of unofficial dirt roads was a grand experience. My fellow pasengers were two old men, three old women, a pig, assorted chickens, and a dog (obviously detined for a tasty stew), and me with an M-16 and as many rounds as I could carry. I don't think the three-wheeler could hold more than four very small people. Somehow we wobbled, skidded, and bounced into the city. Along the way we stopped for a call of nature, and several small children showed up and tried to siphon the gas and steal the pig. A massive water buffalo took a dislike, or maybe in was an amorous liking, to the three-wheeler and chased us down a dirt road banging wildly into us.
All the time the other passengers were urging me to open up with a fully automatic blast of my rifle to kill the kids, the water buffalo, and at one point they demanded I kill the driver.
The second fun ride was as a passenger in a taxi in Bangkok. Everything was fine till we made it to the circular round-a-bouts. Then it was enter at your own risk. we'd race around the round-a-bout looking for a way out, trying not to run people over, or hit other vehicles. Somehow, I made it to my hotel. So much for ever getting an international driver's license.
All the while we were racing through the round-a-bouts and the streets my driver was pointing out the best brothels in the city as if this was just another day in countryside. He seemed to be obliviious to the dangers on the street.
L.A. freeways are safer by any comparison........
Spinner and DPR,
They must be the same folks who cover up the "Check Engine" and "Water Temp" warning lights on the dashboard with post-it notes that say "buy eggs on way home" so the lights don't irritate them while driving.
Is it worse not using the turn signal or leaving it on for 30 blocks?