theresa126

Hello-
We're heading to the Alps at the end of June (yay!), and I've been doing research on driving tips, but am still a bit confused. I understand that we need to purchase extra insurance with a really low deductible - A collateral damage waiver, is that right? And that there's a pass we need to get when we get into Austria.
Also, any recommendations for using the GPS on our american phone? I have the maps on a micro-SD for our garmin for Italy, but not for Austria or Germany. I've heard I can download maps beforehand onto my phone (I haven't done that before) so we don't use data, but I plan to get an international data plan for the time we'll be there, just in case.
Any other tips? Also, it looks like the Dolomites have rain every day this week in the afternoon. Is that typical?
Thanks!!!

HappyTrvlr

We had beautiful sunny days in the Dolomites this exact time of year.

massimop

You definitely need to pay attention to the weather in the Dolomiti, on a daily basis. There is always the likelihood of summer thunderstorms at those elevation, all over the Italian Alps, and these can include loads of lightning strikes + hailstorms. These might last only 20 minutes to an hour -- but you definitely don't want to be caught by surprise. Hiking in the morning might be prudent on some days when afternoon thunderstorms are predicted for particular areas.

This is an Italian website I like to use because you can get forecasts for specific towns, even tiny towns. Just play around with the drop-down menus or use the search feature

https://www.ilmeteo.it/meteo/Bolzano?refresh_cens

kja

If there is <b>any</b> chance that you will have jet lag, I would strongly encourage you to take public transportation for your first night or two. Although many people are not aware of it, there is mounting evidence that driving with jet lag is just as dangerous -- to yourself and others -- as driving drunk, and nothing you can do will prevent the microsleeps (which you might not even notice) that are the apparent culprit. And please note – microsleeps aren’t dependent on getting sleep or not, they result from shifting your waking / sleeping cycle away from the one to which you are accustomed. Seriously -- NOT a good idea, no matter your other constraints and no matter your prior experience!

rs899

Here We Go is a good, offline GPS smartphone app.

fourfortravel

You will need "Collision Damage Waiver" and insurance liability for your rental. Basically pay for the plan that allows you to walk away from the car if it is wrecked or stolen; the extra 15USD per day is worth the peace of mind.

You will also need to purchase an Austrian road vignette if the car does not have one.

kja

Whether to purchase CDW is not, IME, a clear issue. Many credit cards issued in the U.S. provide CDW coverage as a free benefit of the use of the card if you use that card to reserve and pay for the rental and if you expressly decline the CDW offered by the car rental agency. Most of my CCs provide this benefit, but not necessarily in all countries, so I always call the CC company in advance to make sure I know my options. And the car rental agency in some areas might require a statement of coverage, which you should be able to obtain from your CC company. For me, $15 a day for a service I can already access for free is not worth it it. Your coverage, options, and preferences might be different than mine.

fourfortravel

kja, I understand your point. At the same time, one of the last things I would want to be doing is trying to contact my overseas CC company after an accident. Case in point was last spring. We had a rental car on Corfu; we drove from the airport to the hotel and parked the car for the night. The following morning, having driven barely 10meters from the hotel, the car was hit. The only "loss" was the hour taking the car back to the airport for inspection. We drove away with no worries while the owner of the vehicle that hit us remained behind for paperwork.

For a week's rental, the coverage amounts to a small percentage of the travel budget, but offers a great deal more in stress relief.

kja

@ fourfortravel: As I said, I don't believe the issue is clear. As a solo traveler, $15 per day is a substantial cost for something I don't need. Obviously, your circumstances led to a different conclusion. To each his/her own, but maybe some additional information would be helpful to the OP and other travelers:

I have no idea how the times involved in dealing with an accident would be affected by the source of my CDW. If a car I had rented was in an accident, I would not find it burdensome to call the rental agency and/or the company that made my rental car arrangements. In fact, one reason that I prefer to work with gemut.com for my car rentals is that I am guaranteed to reach an English-speaking person at their toll-free number 24/7.

Again, I'm not advocating use of a rental car without CDW; the only difference is in who is responsible for any damage -- my CC or the rental agency's plan. Thank goodness I don't speak from personal experience, but at least some of my CCs promise to cover the cost until any legal disputes are resolved, while at least some rental car policies I've read over the years charge you until then. That, to me, would be a major consideration!

My understanding is that photos would be an advantage either way, but basically only demonstrably before and after, so the pictures you take when you take possession of the car (and please, do take pictures when you claim the car!) and those you take after any accident (or upon return of your undamaged car to the rental agency) should prove invaluable -- again, as I understand it.

But I'm sure there are different requirements that depend on the laws of the country in which the accident occurred and the specific rental company and/or CC company.... So, for example, I believe some countries require that you stay on site until a police officer (or other official) has documented the damage, or such a report might be required if the damage exceeds a certain dollar amount or involves an injury to a human.... IME, better guidebooks cover these unique requirements.

I'm sorry you had to deal with a car accident while in Corfu, fourfortravel, but honestly, your example doesn't prove the case....