Car rental is a great way to get around in many countries. It’s cheaper, more convenient, more flexible and a real boon when you can just leave extra gear locked in the car.

Derek changing a tire in the Kalahari desert

Notwithstanding this picture of me with a rental car in Namibia, many boomers worry too much about driving in foreign countries, about driving on the left, about getting lost, about what happens if you’re in an accident and so on.

We can assure you from driving in many, many countries that most are easier to drive in than the US, with generally more courteous drivers.

Where are places NOT to rent a car? We’d say strike off countries where there is very little English spoken and the road signs are in a different alphabet. Or if it’s just plain crazy. That means India and China are pretty much out of the question to drive yourself.

But a lot of places are GREAT to drive in, and you’re missing out if you don’t/ Our favorite driving countries are France, Italy, South Africa, Australia and more.

Here are 10 tips to get yourself the best car rental deal, once you’ve decided to rent.

So finding the best car deal can really make your trip a lot easier. Most aggregator sites offer the same prices as direct bookings through the car rental companies.

Our favorite is Carrentals.com, which is part of the Priceline group, whose sites all do a great job of pulling together deals.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]