My family like self driving when going for oversea travel. Since I have set the precedence, my sons also prefer to self drive when they are travelling overseas.
I have done self driving tours in Australia, New Zealand, California, Canada, Alaska, South Korea, Greece, Iceland, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Taiwan and Japan.
For peace of mind, I will purchase comprehensive coverage when renting cars oversea.
Common problems that I have encountered so far when driving a rental car overseas are -
1. flat tire
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| In Vienna |
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| In Switzerland |
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| Waiting for mechanic to replace the tire |
2. chips on windscreen (from flying pebbles when driving along a highway)
3. scratches on bumper
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| Managed to get refund from auto-insurance for rental excess |
While driving in Iceland during winter, my car was stucked on the roadside ice/snow - need to get a tow truck to pull the car out - it cost me EUR 300. (but as the saying go - any problem that can be solved by money is not a problem!?)
Without comprehensive cover, I will probably have to foot the rental excess of ~SGD $500-750 before basic coverage kicks in.
BUT please note that not all comprehensive cover pays for flat tire.
One thing I learnt when renting a car in Japan is that even for minor scratches on car (not caused by road traffic accidents), a police report may be needed for insurance reimbursement.
We had such an encounter in our recent trip to Wakayama, Osaka - the right front bumper was grazed without any apparent reason ( We only noticed it the next morning when driving our car) - after numerous to-and-fro whatsapp communication with my rental company - it was finally agreed that no police report was necessary because 1. there was no accident involved, and 2. our comprehensive insurance cover is an international company (i.e. not local Japanese company). I have submitted the necessary documents for reimbursement yesterday -- lets see how it goes.
外国旅游，如果环境允许的话， 我比较喜欢自驾游。
自驾游须要事先安排行程，住宿，机票，然后预定车。
一般上，外国租车， 我会选全保， 以防万一/也买一个心安， 不用为有可能发生的意外事项，以及所导致的高额消费发愁。
我已经自驾好多趟，前几年都相安没事；但最近几年却碰到了车辆爆胎，挡风镜被迎面飞来的碎石撞开了一个芝麻小裂口，及右前方的汽车保险杆被剐蹭 (也不知是何时/如何发生的）。
需要注意的是不是所有全保都包含车轮爆胎事项 - 在瑞士那回，爆胎索赔成功；但奥地利那次就不行。刚刚才呈上汽车保险杠被剐蹭（在日本熊野县自驾时发生）的索赔，希望能成功。
自驾游的好处是可以根据自己的喜好停停走走。当然，有时也得因为突发状况而临时改变行程应急。 |
| Switzerland |
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| Nara, Japan |
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| Canada |
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| Wakayama, Japan |
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| North-east Japan |
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| Austria |
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