Driving Around Europe

1der

Right, Hows it goin?

Jus got an idea of doing a jack kerouac job around europe.
Problem is though, i want to drive through the whole continent but i've only got an irish provisional license and no car at the moment.
Anybody got good info on the best way to go about organising such a trip?
i mean like, can i drive round europe with a provisional licence at the age of 23? and is it better to just rent a car or to buy one if it's for a three month period?
and what kind of prices are we talkin about here?

Thanx in advance to anybody that replies.

Captain Trips

I would check out the restrictions on not being fully licensed as I would imagine they vary from country to country. A full irish licence is valid anywhere in the EU though.

Many car rental agencies (or any I know!) restrict I think to 25+ with full license. Definitely, to get the international driving license you must have full one from your own country first - BUT, the international one isn't totally necessary if it's a short trip (months) and you have a valid full EU license.

I think you might be out of luck unless you get a full license in advance.

On buying versus renting: renting will cost a hell of a lot if it's a few weeks you are planning. You can get cheap cars in germany (say 3-4k) but insurance, tax, etc., . E.g., in Switzerland you need a yearly motorway permit even if you are just driving through to some other place.

The irish provisional only entitles you to drive on Irish N-rated roads at most, always in the company of a fully licensed driver, isn't it? So you wouldn't be allowed on any motorways even.

dermot_sheehan

An Irish Provisional isn't valid outside the republic, you therefore can't drive outside Ireland with it. Pass the test before you go is the only way to do this.

5starpool

Go Interrailing instead.