My son and I visited Sri Lanka, Oct. 13-21, 2012, generating our own itinerary from suggestions off TripAdvisor.com (hotels, restaurants) and from the Lonely Planet guidebook and with the help of Mingkhwan Boonmanee of Diethelm Travel in Bangkok (Kian Gwan II Building, 14/F 140/1 Wireless Rd., Lumpini, Patumwan, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand; phone +662 660 7000, www.diethelmtravel.com).
At Scotland’s Gleneagles Hotel (Auchterarder, Perthshire, Scotland PH3 1NF, UK; phone, from the U.S. 866/881-9525, www.gleneagles.com), children age six to 12 can drive mini Land Rovers on their own off-road course, navigating log piles, bridges, grades and water splashes.
Per room (two people sharing) per night and with an introductory driving lesson, Off-Road Break prices are as follows: £550-£660 (near $1,140-$1,370) including dinner or £455-£560 without, November-April, and £610-£765 with dinner or £530-£685 without, May-October.
Eight self-drive itineraries to the center, north and south of Thailand, including accommodations, are offered by Asian Trails, Ltd. (9th Floor, SG Tower, 161/1 Soi Mahadlek Luang 3, Rajdamri Road, Lumpinee Pratumwan Bangkok 10330, Thailand; phone 66 2 626 2000; fax 66 2 651 8111, www.asiantrails.net).
Example — the Chiang Mai-Sukhothai Loop offers views of the Yom River, Kamphaeng Phet and Mae Sot. The 6-day package costs $223 to $381 per person, double occupancy, depending on the car chosen. The single supplement is $120.
European Boating Holidays (86 Averyville Lane, Lake Placid, NY, 12946; 866/606-5278, www.europeanboatingholidays.co.uk or call a travel agent) offers self-drive boating vacations in the waterways of France, Germany, Holland, Ireland, Italy and Poland. No experience necessary — training is provided. All boats have fully equipped kitchens and entertainment systems.
Rental cars under the “World-Class Drives” program of Budget Car Rental Vietnam (198 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia St., Ward 6, District 3, HCMC, Vietnam; phone [84-8] 3930 1118, www.budget.com.vn) each include an English-speaking chauffeur with strong English-language skills who drives you on a half- or full-day trip and also functions as a concierge.
There are 15 short trips out of Ho Chi Minh City and seven more farther afield, including short tours designed for war veterans, cooking buffs, golfers or families. You also may build your own itinerary.
Designed for self-drive travelers in New Zealand, the Kruse® audio guide includes more than 2,000 point-of-interest commentaries, among them Maori legends, suggestions for photo stops, information about flora and fauna and directions to sights such as fossilized whalebones.
The small device sits on a car’s dashboard and works with compatible FM radios. For car rentals of a week or more, the Kruse® costs NZ$10 (near US$6) per day, and for a 3- to 6-day rental it costs NZ$12.50 per day (minimum, 3-day rental).
While most first-time visitors to Europe choo-choose to travel by train, consider the convenience of driving. Behind the wheel you’re totally free, going where you want, when you want.
While traveling in Spain with my husband and son in May 2014, we received a speeding ticket, but we didn’t even know we had been cited until at least two weeks later when the rental car company forwarded the ticket to us by email (charging us over €30 for this “service”). The ticket, a fine of €300 (near $403), had been given electronically.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading the article “Impressed with the Quaint Italian Town of Arezzo” (July ’14, pg. 16), Margo Wilson’s recollection of her visit to Arezzo with her husband. It reminded me of a visit I took with my wife and friends in September 2009. We rented a car in Rome and drove to, first, Orvieto (worth a visit) and then Arezzo on our way to Lucca.
For a 3-week vacation I took in Panama with my wife, brother and sister-in-law in February 2014, we rented cars.
Be aware. I was informed that all car rentals in Panama include a mandatory, $16.99-per-day third-party insurance payment, which means that, often, you will end up having to pay double the price you were quoted online from a rental agency.