Are you in the midst of planning a trip overseas? If so, that can be a really exciting time as you gear up to embrace the art, food and culture of another country. As you're making plans to prepare for going abroad, one thing that you might want to consider is renting a car. That way, you have the freedom of moving around on your own schedule. Plus, if you're not very fluent in the language of the city that you're going to, you can use a GPS system that speaks your own language so that it can help to "translate" the directions to each destination.

If you do decide to go with this option, you may be wondering if there are any special things that you need to know about renting an international car. While many instructions are similar to the ones here in the States, we did want to recommend a few things just to make the rental process easier for you.

Make your reservation way ahead of time. If you've ever rented a car in the United States, you may have experienced times when you couldn't get the car that you wanted because it was not available at the time that you needed it. This can also be the case with international car rentals as well. In order to make sure that you are in a vehicle that will best suit you during your trip, try and avoid waiting until you arrive in that particular country before making a reservation. Instead, make a point to book a car at least two weeks before your scheduled arrival.

Check on the gas prices. There are people who can share with you stories of being overseas and spending way more money than they initially planned all because they did not properly estimate what the currency exchange rate would be. You definitely don't want to spend most of your funds on paying for gas because you didn't know how much it would cost beforehand. So, when you're making your car rental reservation, be sure to inquire about the gas
prices too.

See what kind of driving permit you will need. Although in the United States, you can use your driver's license to get around from state to state, one thing that some international drivers overlook is the fact that they will usually need a certain kind of driver's permit in order to be on the roads in another country. In some places, you will be required to have a temporary license and in others, a driver's permit. In order to find out which one you will need for where you are headed, go to Embassy.org, Travel.State.gov and AAA.com. They can provide you with all that you need to know about becoming eligible to drive while visiting overseas.

Don't forget about car insurance. Obtaining auto insurance coverage when you travel abroad is a very important matter. That's because even if you do have an active car insurance policy, it sometimes does not apply to international trips (it doesn't hurt to ask, though). Many of the car insurance companies will offer you some kind of coverage for a fee. However, so that you can avoid overpaying for a temporary policy, visit DMV.org and put "international auto insurance" in the search field for additional details on how to get a policy that works well within your budget.

Study the roads and routes. Some people avoid renting a car altogether because they don't want to spend countless hours getting lost on the international highways and back roads. Thankfully, many international cars come with a GPS system that speaks in your own language, but it also can't hurt to do some research on the roads and routes that may want to take. For assistance with international route planning and driving directions, go to TravelPortal.info. For a list of a particular country's driving laws, go to TOWD.com.