If you want to drive in the US of A let me reassure you that it is a very enjoyable and safe experience. All that you need is a valid driving license in English, and a valid International credit card with a limit that is adequate to provide for the security deposit that would be needed for the type of vehicle that you are renting. I had an International driving license as well, but no one asked for it.

One common myth I must debunk here, especially for Indians is “If you have driven in India, you can drive anywhere”!

Nothing can be further from the truth. The bad habits you learn while driving in India, like cutting lanes without understanding the lane marking rules or signalling, honking at the slightest reason, and trying to run over pedestrians, are considered downright rude in most developed nations!

Since I have driven in various countries, and I read up on the rules, and have been driving with locals in the US, I felt I was prepared for the drive.

We took our first rental car for this trip at Raleigh in North Carolina, and my booking had mentioned that we have a wild card car waiting for us.

So when we landed in Raleigh in North Carolina, we took a luggage trolley and loaded our 5 bags on it. Of course you have to pay a few dollars for that trolley. After that we headed to the Dollar Rental Car service counter located at the arrivals itself. The documentation process was over in a few minutes, basically scanning your drivers license and then authorizing your credit card. 

One pro tip is that I took an Overseas mediclaim policy which also included rental car insurance for any damages, that saved me a lot in buying insurance separately for the car.

I would recommend you to take that add-on when you take an Overseas mediclaim policy and if you are planning to rent a car abroad.

Okay so when they told us that the car is waiting in the parking lot, we carted our luggage out into the parking lot. When we reached the slot number which was mentioned, we were very surprised to see that there was a huge truck waiting there for us!

 It was a DODGE Ram pick up truck. Truly an authentic southern experience, as my nephew later said.

Anyways this was the wild card and it really turned to be a wild card. 

We put our bags into the back of that pick up truck and climbed on it literally because it was quite high.

After figuring out how the controls worked because it had a gear shift attached to the steering wheel, we set off to drive after entering our destination in the navigation system. Most cars have inbuilt maps, otherwise you can connect your Google Android auto via bluetooth. [Tip: Remember to download offline maps of the place where you plan to visit, on you phone over Wi-Fi, before you drive. This will save data costs when roaming. Also take pictures or videos of the rental car from all sides, as a reference. When you return the car and are told about any damages etc these will help.}

Driving here in the US is very safe primarily because of the lanes. We just had follow the lanes, and in case you have to depart from the lane you need to give the indicator and depart only where the road markings allow for you to depart. If the marking is a solid white or a solid Yellow or double yellow, you should not exit that lane which you are driving.

In California we rented a more standard vehicle, a Nissan Rogue, from Hertz in Fresno.

That was very easy and comfortable to drive.

The Rogue has pro pilot assist, which makes long drives a dream, with ADAS level 2. Just set the maximum speed and lightly hold the steering wheel, the car will take care of the acceleration and braking as well as keep you in your lane. Both your feet are resting on the floor.

It is good to familiarize yourselves with the other rules of driving in the US as well, especially the yield and round about rules.

We drove the Nissan from Fresno to California, where we stayed at Kartik’s lovely new home in Livermore..

Returning the rental car is also very easy.

We returned the car at Hertz SFO ie San Francisco, all clearly marked by signages, and then caught the train to the departure terminal. The Luggage trolly cart cost 9$ at the rental return place, but you can carry it in the train.

All things considered, it is not only a pleasure but a necessity to drive yourself in the US, as public transport is rare, and your friends or relatives need not be inconvenienced.

Do let me know your comments.