Driving Directions

Driving in unfamiliar territory — a different city, state or country — can be a harrowing experience. Just ask Moses.

Driving a rental car in a foreign country is a real trip. If you choose to do this, you're looking for adventure, and more than likely, you're going to get it. Depending on the place — London, Rome, Beijing — it can be anything from a reasonable to a frustrating to a harrowing experience.

In some countries, drivers must motor on the opposite side of the road. They are piloting a vehicle that has the steering wheel on what we think of as the passenger side, and they have to shift with the left hand. In places like the United Kingdom, Thailand, Hong Kong and Australia, drivers must look to the right rather than the left when entering a roundabout (in fact, even that term may be unfamiliar, since they're usually called "traffic circles” in the United States). There may also be traffic laws in which we are unversed.

But beyond all that, a tourist driving a rental likely is not familiar with the regional geography. The signage may be in a language that's unreadable, and,...