Low Price Plans Make Car Travel More Accessible

With $25 down and two months to pay, most Americans abroad can drive a private car across the European continent. British Fords, Italian Flats, French Renaults, and German Volkswagen are small, inexpensive, are highly-popular means of transportation.

With a private car families and groups of students find Europe and travel more convenient and less hectic, provided they can ask for petrol in the native tongue and are adept at changing tires on mountain passes.

Practically every country on the continent has facilities for car rental. Most require an initial deposit, and charge by the mileage run off. American drivers must carry with them a national driving license, an international driving permit (18 and older), international license plates, and an international registration certificate. The AAA can provide these before leaving for Europe.

The cost of shipping an average car, unboxed, as freight, is $360 to England and $415 to France. To box a car costs about $200.

American drivers should remember that "kept left" is the Rule of the Road in Great Britain, Ireland, and Sweden. Gasoline is more expensive, varying from a minimum of 43 cents per gallon in Denmark to 60 cents in Great Britain, and as high as 84 cents in Italy.

Since the used car market in Europe is limited, most Americans find they keep their car for another trip or ship it home.