International Driver's License Scams

It's great to rent a car overseas and drive yourself. Not so great if you are driving with an illegal international driving permit, called an IDP. So beware of buying a fraudulent license, especially over the internet.

There are only two organizations in the United States which can issue a proper, legal IDP to drivers holding a license issued by one of the 50 US states. One is the AAA, the other is the American Automobile Touring Alliance. That's it. Just those two. Anybody else offering to sell you an international driver permit is a scam and a fraud, and if you're stopped by a foreign police officer with one of these make-believe permits, you could spend the rest of your vacation in a foreign jail.

Authentic IDPs and Inter-American Driving Permits (IADPs) are official translations of a motorist’s driver’s license, for use when driving in another country. Anyone 18 years or older who presents a valid U.S. driver’s license can get one on at any of the more than 1,100 AAA offices around the country, or by mail following instructions on the AAA website.

An IDP costs just $15 from AAA, $20 from AATA. Anybody charging you more than that should throw up red flags -- it's a tip-off to a rip-off. Some of these scammers are charging hundreds of dollars. One website I checked promises your application will be processed within 12 hours. Terrific. If you go to an AAA office with the proper documents, your legal, $15 application will be issued on the spot, in under one hour.

Plus, you can be sure the AAA won't sell your driver's license information to other scammers who are in the business of identify theft, and cause you years of financial grief.

These on-line permit scams are nothing new. They're just easier now thanks to the internet. The US Federal Trade Commission has been warning us about these scams, and telling the fraudulent marketers their conduct won’t be tolerated.

Drive safe. Drive legal.

Renting a Car in Europe

There are some great drives in Europe -- both scenic destinations and wonderful country roads, and some models not available in North America, like the Peugeot.

Renting a car in Europe is expensive -- rates are lowest in Ireland, where it is possible to get a vehicle for under $20 a day. Rental rates for Florence and Rome are double that -- around $40 per day. And car rental rates in Munich and Frankfurt are in between, around $30 a day.

And for that you get a small car with a manual transmission, which can be dangerous for those of us who have been spoiled by automatic transmissions and clutchless sport shifts with names like TipTronic.

That includes me -- yes, even me, who writes about cars and test drives them, too. The thought of a driving a manual transmission in the crazy traffic of Rome or Paris or London fills me with visions of medical evacuation helicopter flights.

If you are staying in Europe for 17 days or longer, you can opt for a long term rental -- in effect, a shor-term lease -- from Auto Europe. You'll get a factory-new Peugeot 308 with fuel-efficient automatic transmission, for as little as $39 a day, based on a 45-day rental.

The deal includes a non-deductible fully comprehensive insurance, the ability to travel into most former Eastern block countries with no additional fees, and 24/7 roadside assistance, most of which cost extra with a 'regular' rental.

Vehicles can be picked up in cities including Amsterdam, Brussels, Madrid, Barcelona, Milan, Frankfurt, Munich, Lisbon, London, Paris, Rome and Zurich.

According to the AAA, more of us this year than last year will be visiting Europe this summer. Read more about where we are travelling on my Green Travels website.