Our cars make our domestic lives so much easier, more productive, and richer. They are one of the things that international travelers miss the most, so while some complain that they have to spend a lot of their vacation time waiting for public transportation or paying a lot of money for taxis, others get an International Driving Permit and decide to do things on their own. Today, we will talk about how to get an international driving permit from the international drivers association and four important things travelers should know about driving abroad and their travel insurance.
- If you conduct a search on the internet, you will find a lot of results offering International Driving Permits for sale, all you need to do is complete an online form. In Australia, IDPs are issued by the same authority as licenses. These are not valid international driver’s licenses; the only entity that can grant you an international license is the same entity that granted you a domestic license. IDPs simply state that your driving license is valid in your home country and are essentially multiple-language translations of your license. It goes without saying that a random website can’t guarantee that, and if you buy one of these, you might have to pay a lot for the wrong documents (like having to cancel or delay your trip, for example).costs that are not covered by travel insurance.
- Some nations do not accept IDPs. If you want to drive in certain parts of the world, you will need the appropriate local permit. The following nations do not honor an IDP and have not signed the IDP convention:
- Even if you have an international driving permit (IDP), this does not mean that you are familiar with the local driving laws. Although it may seem obvious, many travelers do not inform themselves of the local driving laws prior to traveling abroad. Because you’ll need to be able to read road signs to stay safe, you’ll need to learn a few phrases in the language of your destination. If you are involved in an accident and are doing something that is clearly unsafe, such as driving on the wrong side of the road, which is a common mistake, your travel insurance may not be able to cover you. When dealing with legal issues like these, you should always get in touch with the right person in the country you’re visiting rather than doing research on the internet. Usually, you can find the authority by using the country’s tourism websites or their consulate.
- If you are asked to surrender your passport, IDPs can be helpful. In some countries, immigration officials or the police will ask you to surrender your passport. An international driving permit can ease the burden of being without recognized identification if you need to be without it for some time. A side note: Regardless of the “rules” stated by accommodation providers, travelers should not hand over their passports. Travel insurance may not cover you if your lodging “loses” your passport if you voluntarily surrender it.