International Travel

[Galician]

you could also try www.virtualtourist.com, which has literally tons of tips directly from travelers. Lots of pics, too.

[McClef]

Most countries have a mutual agreement that a full valid driving licence from one's own country is valid in another for a certain period.

So a US driving licence is fine in Ireland for a visit as it is in the rest of Europe and vice versa.

[The Barry]

Just make sure that you pack an extra liver, could come in handy!

[O'Callaghan]

Okay fellow x-markers. I needed some advice on references and/or websites that can help me plan a trip overseas... From US to Ireland. I have found lots of websites that give advice and are willing to sell me a travel package. I need to know the legal stuff such as, what kind of licensing I need to drive etc. Even a travel forum would be helpful! Thanks.

Nearly all countries, and certainly both the US and Ireland, are signatories to a convention that lets you drive on a foreign licence for 12 months. The same applies to Northern Ireland, which is part of the UK. Many people mistakenly obtain an International Driving Licence when they don't need one. It might make some sense anyway if you were going to a country where English isn't understood, as it's probably the cheapest way to get your licence translated, but that doesn't apply to Ireland.

That said, it isn't exactly like driving in the US. To start with, you will be driving on the opposite side of the road. That is a major adjustment. It is easy to accidentally switch back on to the side of the road that is normal to you when negotiating some junctions or turning around. It is also very important to look in the opposite direction for oncoming traffic. Also, cars built for driving on the left have the driver's seat on the right, and yet the gear shift and hand brake are still in the middle, so on the opposite side of you to what you are used to.

As to that gearshift, most cars are manuals over there. If you don't know how to drive a stick shift, you are stuck with the few rental cars that they have with an automatic transmission, which will be a limited selection, if they aren't all rented out to Americans already.

Many Irish roads are much narrower than anything you have ever seen before, and driving down the middle because the road doesn't seem wide enough will earn you a head on collision just around that next hedge. Just because the road is narrow doesn't mean that people will drive slowly, because they are used to it.

Ireland has distances in km and speed limits in km/h, just as in mainland Europe, but if you drive across the border into the UK, you are right back to miles and mph.

Don't assume all the rules of the road are the same either. Most are. Some aren't. Don't try turning on a red light. Don't pass on the inside. Don't use high beam if you can even see another vehicle in your headlights. Do stop completely if there is someone on a marked pedestrian crossing. Do try to get a copy of the highway code if you can.

Hope this helps. Or you could just take a coach (bus) tour, LOL!

[thanmuwa]

I am from Athlone, right in the centre of Ireland and lived in Belfast for a few years. If you need any local advice, feel free to PM me.

Nearly all countries, and certainly both the US and Ireland, are signatories to a convention that lets you drive on a foreign licence for 12 months. The same applies to Northern Ireland, which is part of the UK. Many people mistakenly obtain an International Driving Licence when they don't need one. It might make some sense anyway if you were going to a country where English isn't understood, as it's probably the cheapest way to get your licence translated, but that doesn't apply to Ireland.

That said, it isn't exactly like driving in the US. To start with, you will be driving on the opposite side of the road. That is a major adjustment. It is easy to accidentally switch back on to the side of the road that is normal to you when negotiating some junctions or turning around. It is also very important to look in the opposite direction for oncoming traffic. Also, cars built for driving on the left have the driver's seat on the right, and yet the gear shift and hand brake are still in the middle, so on the opposite side of you to what you are used to.

As to that gearshift, most cars are manuals over there. If you don't know how to drive a stick shift, you are stuck with the few rental cars that they have with an automatic transmission, which will be a limited selection, if they aren't all rented out to Americans already.

Many Irish roads are much narrower than anything you have ever seen before, and driving down the middle because the road doesn't seem wide enough will earn you a head on collision just around that next hedge. Just because the road is narrow doesn't mean that people will drive slowly, because they are used to it.

Ireland has distances in km and speed limits in km/h, just as in mainland Europe, but if you drive across the border into the UK, you are right back to miles and mph.

Don't assume all the rules of the road are the same either. Most are. Some aren't. Don't try turning on a red light. Don't pass on the inside. Don't use high beam if you can even see another vehicle in your headlights. Do stop completely if there is someone on a marked pedestrian crossing. Do try to get a copy of the highway code if you can.

Hope this helps. Or you could just take a coach (bus) tour, LOL!

And roundabouts (I think they are called turning circles in the US) are apparently a bit difficult if you are not used to them. Let me just reiterate, red lights ALWAYS mean stop!
Most of the above applies to the UK too. There are a few differences that apply specifically to Ireland. Like on country roads, with metalled hard shoulders, it is polite to pull over slightly onto the hard shoulder (without needing to slow down) to allow faster traffic to pass. This is almost never done in the UK.

[O'Callaghan]

I am from Athlone, right in the centre of Ireland and lived in Belfast for a few years. If you need any local advice, feel free to PM me.


And roundabouts (I think they are called turning circles in the US) are apparently a bit difficult if you are not used to them. Let me just reiterate, red lights ALWAYS mean stop!
Most of the above applies to the UK too. There are a few differences that apply specifically to Ireland. Like on country roads, with metalled hard shoulders, it is polite to pull over slightly onto the hard shoulder (without needing to slow down) to allow faster traffic to pass. This is almost never done in the UK.

I got a little confused about roundabouts myself in this post, as I think you noticed! Hopefully, I editted it out before anyone else read it!

[Monkey@Arms]

You might want to check out www.tripadvisor.com I haven't used it for Ireland, but its been useful for travel in Europe.

Best regards,

Jake

[ali8780]

costco has Rick Steve's videos in their stores right now, probably won't help with the info you need, but they are fun to watch and get excited about.

We bought the Ireland/Scotland one and it is pretty cool. I have nothing to compare it to since we've never been, but we liked it

[Beertigger]

I'll second the recco for tripadvisor - a ton of great info there. Check out the forums, especially.