Loading...A guide to driving abroad.
Picture the beginning of the Italian Job, cruising through the Rivera on a beautifully sunny day.
Sounds pretty good doesn’t it? Well now one could blame you for wanting to give it a go, after all Europe is only on our door step and it has some of the best driving roads in the world.
So if you are thinking of jumping on a ferry, train or amphibious vehicle and taking a last dash road trip to the continent there is a few things you will need to know.
As everyone will is aware things are all a little bit backwards there, they drive on the wrong side, their steering wheels are all in the wrong place but there is more than that.
Before you go you need to have a look at the essential checklist of things to load into your boot, as if your luggage wasn’t enough!
Headlamp adapters
If you want to take your car to anywhere in Europe you will need some of these little gems.
They are designed to adapt your headlights so that you don’t blind too much oncoming traffic and subsequently have to answer to la Polizia about why you were responsible for that car wrapped round the tree at the side of the road.
The problem is, all of the cars here are in the UK are designed for driving on the left and as such the headlights are directed away from oncoming traffic.
So make sure that you stay out of Le Bastille for causing some poor French driver to stray too far from the road then grab some of these from almost any motoring accessories store.
Warning Triangle
When driving in Europe, one thing almost everywhere will require of you is the warning triangle.
This reflective piece of plastic is a necessity for that unfortunate moment when you break down on some quiet road in the middle of nowhere.
The mainland European countries are all adamant that the flashing hazard lights are not enough to warn traffic of your whereabouts.
So by law you need to place your triangle about 50 metres from your car.
In the cases of Spain and Switzerland you will need to buy an extra one as they insist that you put one either side to warn both directions of traffic, essentially putting a cordon round your car as if it were a major accident.
GB plates
The last of the compulsory items across all of Europe is the cheapest and pretty much most obvious, the GB sticker.
If there was ever a case of doing what it said on the tin (or cardboard packaging) then this would be it, it is as simple as telling people where you are from.
This spreads beyond Europe so if you are going on a more exotic road trip you will need these.
