The European ideal of countries without borders is all very well but as most native English speakers seem to have an innate objection to both speaking and reading in a language that is not their own, this may be an impossible dream. If you live in the UK but want to drive through Europe then you may find yourself befuddled and bemused when trying to decipher road signs. Some road signs are, of course, internationally recognized such as the men at work sign, stop signs, bend in road etc. but there are still plenty more that are written in the language of that country.

The inability to decipher which direction you should be going in somewhere like the Czech Republic is virtually a guarantee of trouble as this country has one of the highest road accident rates in Central Europe. If you are resident in the UK then your license is valid in any European country, if you are American though you’ll need a Green card which is valid for 3 months and gives you full liability insurance. You should be aware that driving on Czech motorways is very expensive, while they don’t have toll booths they have a system whereby you have to purchase a window sticker (usually available at petrol stations) that you put on the inside of your window. If you fail to do this then you will face a big fine.

One of the problems of driving on foreign roads is the possibility of breakdown. If you are travelling across Europe then you should check with your insurer before you go and get yourself some temporary European breakdown cover. You don’t want to be stuck somewhere in the middle of nowhere in a country where you cannot even read the road signs properly – which, by the way could increase the possibility of breakdown.