Travel, I believe, is what everyone loves, but each way of traveling is different. Self-driving travel is now everyone’s favorite way to travel. By driving by yourself, you can freely arrange your travels and enjoy the scenery you like.

From the current point of view, traveling with a tour group, sleeping on the bus and getting off to take pictures, is of no quality. If you are well prepared, you should rent a car and drive on the Western-style Route 66, roam the Champs Elysées in Paris, and drive to Bruges, where "killers don't have holidays"...

Walking on an unknown journey, encountering incredible challenges, makes life full and complete. If you have the same idea, then quickly go abroad, rent a car and drive to a foreign country to see the outside world. But when it comes to overseas self-driving, many novices will ask various questions. Don’t worry, save this article, you will definitely use it!

1. How to use and apply for a Chinese driver’s license abroad?

The international driver's license is not actually a driver's license, but an English certificate issued by the driver's home country's driver's license management agency, mainly to allow police in other countries to understand the driver's information. The international driver's license cannot be used alone and must be used together with the driver's national driver's license to be valid.

Currently, China has not joined the United Nations Convention on Road Traffic, so Chinese citizens cannot apply for an International Driving Permit (IDP). If you want to travel abroad by car, you can rent a car by using the "original Chinese driver's license and Chinese driver's license translation". Let me quietly tell you a benefit. If you search for "International Driver's License" on Alipay, you can apply for it for free. You heard that right, it's really free!

2. In which countries can the Chinese driver’s license be used directly?

China has signed agreements on mutual recognition of driver’s licenses with many countries. In countries or cities where driver’s licenses are mutually recognized, you can use them as long as you obtain a valid translation and notarization.

Some states in the United States do not recognize Chinese driver’s licenses. Slovakia, Greece, the Czech Republic, Slovenia and other countries have made it clear that they do not recognize Chinese driver’s licenses.

3. About left and right driving on the road

As of today, 166 countries in the world adopt right-driving rules and 77 countries adopt left-driving rules. "Right travel" is mostly influenced by the United States, Germany and France; while "left travel" is basically the former British colonies: such as the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Singapore, Hong Kong and other places.

In fact, developed countries except the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Japan basically follow the same traffic rules as China. It should be noted that although Japan is not a British colony, it once followed the example of the United Kingdom and also chose to drive on the left. Traffic Laws.

4. Early car rental preparation

(1) The main driver must hold his or her own Visa, MasterCard or American Express international credit card. Some car rental agencies accept UnionPay credit cards, so there is no need to apply for an international credit card. You must hold a VISA/MasterCard credit card in your name that is in good condition and has sufficient credit limit, because the car rental company does not accept cash for all fees and deposits paid in stores.

(2) The main driver must hold a valid original Chinese passport. If an additional driver is needed, the additional driver must also hold a valid original Chinese passport.

(3) Recommended mobile phone download navigation for traveling abroad: Google Map. Tip: Google Maps is harmonized in China and can only be used abroad! However, it is recommended to download offline maps in advance because mobile phone signals are poor in many places abroad.

After the preliminary preparations are done, the next step is to use enough time to play and experience it as much as possible. I hope everyone can have fun in a foreign country! In the next issue, I will share with you a practical guide to renting a car!

This article comes from the author of Autohome Chejiahao and does not represent the views and positions of Autohome.