Car Rental
Car Rental — The International Driving Permit, One-Way Rentals, and Driving in Iceland, Italy, Mexico and Costa Rica
The rules that cost money — the IDP, the mandatory insurance, the ZTL cameras, the drop fee — explained country by country, with the engine's car rental search and the chauffeur alternative.
International Driving Permit
An International Driving Permit is a booklet that translates your driving licence into ten languages. It is cheap, takes ten minutes to get, and in Japan, Italy, Spain, Greece, Austria and a dozen other countries it is legally required to drive at all.
One-Way Car Rental
A one-way rental lets you pick up in one city and drop in another. The fee for the privilege runs from nothing to several hundred dollars depending on where the company needs its cars — and knowing which direction the cars want to go is the whole trick.
Renting a Car in Iceland
Iceland is the world's best road trip and the easiest place to lose a rental deposit. The car you need depends on the month and the roads; the insurance you need depends on whether you understand what gravel and sandstorms do to paint.
Renting a Car in Italy
A car in Italy is the best way to see Tuscany, Puglia and Sicily and the worst way to see Rome, Florence or the Amalfi Coast in July. The rules that matter are the ZTL cameras, the IDP, and the excess on the insurance.
Renting a Car in Mexico
Mexico is the country where the online rental price is a fiction: third-party liability insurance is mandatory and never in the quote. Know that, drive the Yucatán and Baja by day on the toll roads, and a car is the best way to see the cenotes and the ruins.
Renting a Car in Costa Rica
Costa Rica is the country a rental car was made for — the volcano, the cloud forest and the two coasts are all a drive apart — and the country where the online rate doubles at the counter. Know the insurance rule and which regions need a 4x4, and it is the best way to see the place.
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