Travel the World by Car
If you're keen to plan a trip around the world to visit special places of rare beauty, the car can be a good choice. It can also be a very challenging experience depending on where you go and how much of the "world" you intend to see at once.
Steps
- Define the itinerary. You will need to draw up an itinerary dependent on roads. Since roads criss-cross much of the world it shouldn't be too hard to begin with but keep in mind the following challenges:
- War-torn countries are never recommended; indeed, you may not even get into some of them.
- Roads in developing countries and outlying regions of developed countries can be very poorly maintained, some may look like roads but are mere tracks, etc.
- Some roads are non-existent between countries, overseas, etc., so you will need contingency plans such as boat travel with the car, or collecting another car after a boat or plane flight.
- Roads are weather-dependent. You can't drive on roads that have been iced over, washed out or flooded. This means taking the seasons into account.
- Be realistic. Unless you're a millionaire or a person of few needs, you won't be traveling the entire world by car in one fell swoop. In fact, you'd be lucky to be to achieve that in a lifetime even as a multi-billionaire. You will need to plan for a lot of time to achieve your goal and in all reality, you should select only certain specific trips that will take you to places in the world that really matter to you. When traveling by car, the world is a very big place.
- Have First Aid training. People die on the roads in large numbers every year and the road toll in developing countries is way too high. If you are involved in an accident, a little First Aid training might save your life or that of a passenger or others involved.
- Take the traffic tolls into consideration and learn when there are times to avoid certain roads, such as during peak hour traffic, during vacation seasons, during festivals or religious events, etc.
- Have good traffic knowledge. Every country has its own traffic rules; even some regions have specific variations. Take time to learn about the rules online or write specific embassies for traffic codes of the countries that you want to drive in.
- Get an international driver's license. It is also important to be aware that in some places, this is not considered sufficient and you might need to get some other form of permit to allow driving in the country or area. Make sure you take note of all expiry dates, etc.
- Get visas, passports, vaccinations, etc. Make sure to get all the clearances needed as normal for travel. If taking your own car, you will also need to be aware of issues concerning registration. For example, while you can drive a European country registered car through Europe, this might change when you go into surrounding regions.
- Decide on what car to use. You will need to think through carefully how to find the right transportation, as it will depend on many things.
- Rental cars might prove easier to find/change at borders etc.
- Your own car might not be permitted properly when you cross borders
- You might lose either car in an accident or by theft - can you afford the costs and delay involved in either?
- Consider where a car can go. Some places in the world are now car-free or restrict the use of cars. These include heritage areas, sand dunes, areas where residents live (resident-only cars), etc.
- Plan your accommodations. Everywhere you go, your accommodations will need to be able to cope with housing your car as well. This can be problematic sometimes in built-up areas or areas of high auto theft. Things you can do to help include:
- Always park in well-lit areas.
- Always lock the car..
- Always hide valuables out of sight or take them with you
- Park in pay parks that are undercover.
- Ask the accommodations what parking deals they offer.
- Consider staying somewhere that is not near the sites you want to see, but is better for your car-parking needs and traveling by public transportation to the sites.
Tips
- It is a really good idea to have and use GPS (Global Positioning System) for car travel in areas you are not familiar with. At the same time, don't neglect to read the maps because GPS systems are not always accurate, especially in countries that put less money into their road systems or elements used by GPS for tracking.
Things You'll Need
- Car
- License, international preferably
- Visas, passports
- Other permits needed
- Maps, GPS
