Foreign driving

Which countries drive on the left side of the road?

Contrary to what many think, renting and driving a car abroad is not so complicated. While it naturally requires being aware of some differences in regulations —such as speed limits— driving a car abroad is a great option, especially if you don’t like relying on public transport or want to visit more remote locations. Here are 10 things about driving a car abroad that are different from driving in the U.S.

As in the U.S., many countries around the world follow right-hand traffic rules, meaning cars drive on the right side of the road. Right-hand traffic is the norm in most of the Americas, Continental Europe, and most of Africa and mainland Asia.

Countries that follow left-hand traffic rules—with cars driven on the left side of the road, and with the driver's seat on the right side—include the UK and Ireland, Japan, India and Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and other countries in the Pacific, and several countries in southern Africa and the Caribbean. If you’re thinking about renting a car with left-side driving, you’ll have to factor in time to get used to this new driving style.

In the U.S., it’s exceedingly common to drive vehicles with automatic transmissions due to convenience and ease of use. While manual transmission vehicles are still used, the prevalence of automatic cars means that not all Americans can drive a stick shift, which can be an issue when renting a car abroad.

In Latin America, Europe, and most of Asia, manual transmission is much more common due to costs, fuel efficiency, and maintenance. Automatic vehicles are available, but are less common than in the U.S., which is something to consider if you’re thinking about renting a car.

The question here is: Do I need an International Driving Permit (IDP)? In most cases, the answer is yes. An IDP is just an official translation of your license information into different languages, so you need a valid license to use it. You can request an IDP through the American Automobile Association (AAA) or the American Automobile Touring Alliance (AATA). It can take up to 10 days, depending on whether you are requesting it in person, online, or by mail.

While some countries (such as Canada, Mexico, France, or the UK) accept U.S. licenses without an IDP for up to 90 days, car rental companies might ask for an IDP for renting a vehicle. Other countries (especially non-English speaking countries such as Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Poland, Spain, or Thailand) will require it if you are on a tourist visa.

On average, global speed limits sit around 62–75 mph for highways and around 31 mph for urban areas, though these limits might vary depending on the region, weather conditions, or the specific city, town, or neighborhood.

Famous exceptions include the German Autobahn (with no speed limit), with other European countries such as France or Italy, which have a limit of around 80 mph on motorways. Latin American countries typically have a 70-80 mph limit for highways, while Asian speed limits tend to be on the lower end.

The driving side or the geographical characteristics of an area will naturally affect the way you drive, but it is also important to consider the differences in traffic laws. Some prime examples include no turning right on a red light (which is allowed in some parts of the U.S.), the use of roundabouts (instead of 4-way stop intersections), and the placement of traffic lights (positioned after the intersection in the U.S., but before in most other countries).

Another main difference is the legal Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) limit. In the U.S., the BAC limit is 0.08% in all states, while in most of Europe, Latin America, and Asia, it’s generally 0.05%. Countries with a zero tolerance policy include Poland, Sweden, Japan, Brazil, Uruguay, and countries with a general ban on alcohol. Traffic violations, especially in Europe and Asia, can result in much higher fines than in the U.S. and, in some cases, even jail time.

Canada and Mexico have their own rules for U.S. citizens. A valid U.S. license will be acceptable without an IDP, but you will have to present your passport alongside it. If you want to drive your own car into Canada or Mexico, you will need proof of vehicle ownership or registration and a valid insurance policy.

While your U.S. insurance policy will generally cover you in Canada (provided you notify your insurer before travelling), it won’t in Mexico, where you will need to purchase a liability insurance issued by a Mexican company. Depending on which zones of Mexico you are visiting, you might also need a Temporary Import Permit (TIP), which can be requested online beforehand or in person at the border.

Toll systems vary vastly depending on the region. Europe mainly uses two different electronic systems: distance-based (in countries like France, Italy, Portugal, or Germany) or a vignette system, where you pay a fee for a certain amount of time (in countries like Austria, Switzerland, or the Czech Republic).

Asia and Australia mostly rely on electronic tolling, using cards, electronic tags, or sensors to identify and charge the vehicles. While many countries in Latin America and Africa have implemented electronic tolling, cash-based tolls are still common.

Most countries around the world have similar requirements when it comes to mandatory safety equipment: a spare tire and the equipment to change it, a reflective jacket, a warning triangle, a fire extinguisher, and a first aid kit.

Some countries might have specific mandatory requirements, such as a breathalyzer (France) or snow equipment (Austria, Germany, or Switzerland), so checking local regulations beforehand is important to avoid potential fines.

Knowing where and when to park while driving abroad is key to avoiding fines or returning to your car to find it was towed, especially in urban areas. Most European cities rely on color-coded areas to indicate free, paid, or restricted parking zones, while major Asian cities forbid street parking, relying on parking lots or vertical parking systems.

Major Latin American and African cities still mostly rely on street parking (many times also color-coded), but paid parking lots are common due to limited space, overcrowding, and security concerns.

Except for New Jersey, gas stations in America are usually self-service stations, with pump nozzles including a lock for hands-free pumping. While self-service stations are common in Europe and Canada, hands-free pumps are usually banned due to safety concerns. Service stations in Latin America and Asia are mostly of the full-service variety.

Another main difference is the size and amenities associated with a gas station. While American gas stations offer a wide variety of services such as convenience stores, fast food service, and restrooms, in other countries, stations that are not on major highways are typically smaller, mainly focusing on fuel.

Is Australia really wider than the Moon? 10 geography paradoxes explained

Maps often serve as our first glimpse into the world, but they can also be misleading. Because it’s mathematically impossible to flatten a 3D sphere into a 2D rectangle without stretching reality, most of us grew up with a distorted view of continents, distances, and even time. From islands that exist in two hemispheres at once to a tiny country with multiple time zones, the true layout of our planet is far more paradoxical than your wall map might suggest. Get ready to set aside what you learned at school as we explore 10 geographic facts that prove our world is much weirder than it looks.

From east to west, Australia spans roughly 2,500 miles, slightly wider than the Moon’s diameter of about 2,160 miles. This means Australia is wider than the Moon across a straight line. However, because the Moon is a sphere, it has a much larger surface area overall. This comparison highlights how large Australia is across its width, even if it’s hard to picture on a flat map.

Here’s a fact that sounds wrong until you look at a globe. We all know Alaska extends far west, but its Aleutian Islands continue past the 180th meridian, the line used to separate eastern and western longitudes. Since longitude resets at that meridian, land just beyond it is considered a part of the Eastern Hemisphere. As a result, Alaska contains both the westernmost point of the United States and, by longitude, the easternmost point too.

Do you know which country has the most time zones? At first thought, Russia might seem like the obvious answer, but actually, France holds the record for the most time zones. The European country officially spans 12 time zones, even though mainland France uses only one. The extra zones come from overseas territories located in several parts of the world, such as the Caribbean, South America, the Indian Ocean, and the Pacific. These territories are governed by France, which is why their local time zones are included in the national count.

Okay, France has the most time zones, but Russia isn’t that far behind. In fact, Russia covers a huge area with 11 official time zones stretching about 5,600 miles from east to west. This means daily life can look very different depending on where you are. When people in the far eastern city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky start their workday, people in Moscow are likely finishing theirs. Pretty amazing, right?

Flat maps can be misleading because they distort distance and direction. When viewed on a globe, Maine’s easternmost point, West Quoddy Head, clearly extends farther east than Florida. If you draw a straight line across the Atlantic Ocean, Maine is closer to parts of North Africa than any other U.S. state. Although Florida lies farther south, in terms of direct distance across the ocean, it is actually farther away.

Canada is often thought of as mostly northern, but its population tells a different story. About 60 percent of Canadians live south of Seattle’s latitude, which is roughly 47.6 degrees north. Major cities such as Toronto, Montreal, and Ottawa are all located below that line. Much of northern Canada has harsh weather, long winters, and limited infrastructure, which explains why so few people live there. Have you ever thought about that?

Wait, what? Though China stretches across nearly the same east-to-west distance as the continental United States, the entire country officially follows a single time zone known as Beijing Time. This system has been in place since 1949, when the government unified the country’s clocks. In far western regions like Xinjiang, the sun might not rise until late in the morning. Because of this, many residents adjust their routines and use unofficial local times for work, school, and social activities, even though Beijing Time remains the official standard.

Size alone doesn’t always determine coastline length. Norway’s deeply indented shores, shaped by fjords, islands, and inlets, create many curves and narrow waterways that increase the total length. When measuring these features, Norway’s coast totals around 64,000 miles. Russia’s coastline spans across several oceans and seas but is generally smoother, with fewer deep inlets. Because standard measurement methods count fewer small bends, Russia’s total coastline appears shorter despite the country’s much larger land area.

Texas covers about 268,000 square miles, making it one of the largest states in the United States. When people say the world’s population could fit in Texas, they are comparing the average population density of major U.S. cities to the state’s land area. At dense urban population levels, Texas could theoretically hold billions of people. Of course, that’s not a realistic living scenario, but it shows how population density, infrastructure, and settlement patterns matter more than land size alone.

How can two locations less than 100 miles apart be nearly a full day apart? Samoa and American Samoa sit on opposite sides of the International Date Line, which marks the change from one calendar day to the next. In 2011, the nation of Samoa shifted its position relative to the Date Line to better align its workweek with major trading partners in Asia and Australia. This decision caused Samoa to skip a day on the calendar. Since then, Samoa has been among the first places to enter the New Year, while American Samoa remains among the last.