adjusting to left hand drive vehicle and roads

Driving in foreign countries - especially on the other side - is definitely not for everyone. We've done thousands of km on the other side (mostly in North America) and seem to have survived it okay, but the reality is that most other places have faster and more congested traffic than here in Australia.

I don't think you need a driving school - all you need is some time behind the wheel. Here are a couple of tips to assist:

1. Do not pick up the car in a place or at a time that is going to make it a nightmare for you
2. Pick a quieter time, and somewhere relatively simple, such as in the suburbs somewhere (but sometimes airport perimeters are not too bad)
3. Invest in (or take) a GPS ... and make sure the non-driver is very good at using it
4. Speaking of the non-driver, they have to be totally supportive and totally focussed as well
5. ALWAYS keep your left shoulder in the centre of the road - imprint this into your memory!
6. Don't worry too much about other drivers - those that are not maniacs will give you some space if you obviously look lost or in trouble - no-one will deliberate make life harder for you

It takes about a day of intense concentration to get used to it, but after that it becomes fairly routine. It's likely you will rent a manual rather than automatic - you'll be changing gears with your right hand, which feels weird for a while, but the clutch, brake, and accelerator remain the same.

The other issue of course is whether you actually need a car. There have been times (in Tuscany, Provence, parts of the Netherlands) where I would have liked a car just to have the freedom and convenience, but we always managed with public transport. And parking can be hard in many places - especially anywhere near Old Town precincts.

One tip I've found useful: when negotiating a junction, be clear in your mind where you want your car to end up, and precisely how you want to get there. Just be sure which route you're going to take as you make that small manoeuvre.

Indeed.

Making a left-hand turn from one divided road to another divided road - even with traffic lights - requires plenty of pre-thought. But it's kind of buzzy when you get all these small things right. Take care approaching roundabouts too - remember that trouble appears from your left, not your right.

It really is not that difficult - most of the time the traffic will tell you what side of the road to drive on and in most cities and towns the road engineering keeps you on the right/correct side. Be extra careful on small singe track roads beacuse your instinct will be to pull to the left if another car approaches, you need to rememeber to pull to the right. I've heard that sticking a bit of paper in front of the driver with DRIVE RIGHT or some such on it helps.

I've driven on both sides of the road in cars with the steering wheel on right or left and only a couple of times have I forgotten. You really don't need a driving school to tell you how to drive, just take it slowly and you'll be fine.

It is fairly easy for the first few days you will have to concentrate a bit more, the pedals are in the same placement, your steering wheel is still in the centre of the road and if you remember that you will be fine. Probably the hardest thing is using the right hand to change gear, and nobody can really teach you that.

Second hardest thing is that every time you and your partner go to get in the car you will each head for the wrong door. This continues indefinitely ... especially if you're absorbed in what you're experiencing!

Try to rent an automatic car. No worries about having to change gear with the wrong hand.

When I've rented cars in Ireland or Australia, I've actually found that using a manual transmission helped me to focus on driving on the correct side of the road.
As has already been mentioned, you may not even need to rent a car. The rail system in Europe is mostly very good and, after many trips in France, I rarely rent a car. It's possible to reach even tiny villages with some combination of public transport, and having a car may not be necessary, and may even be a nuisance in terms of parking in towns or cities.
Before you decide to rent a car, spend a little time on the internet looking at rail schedules, and try to determine if you'll even need to have a car to reach your intended destinations.

If you decide against hiring a car, be assured that there are absolutely HEAPS of places that you can enjoy by public transport, even quite remote towns. Of course, you may not be able to visit five villages in one day (maybe one or two) but to me that's a benefit not a disadvantage. I rush around all week at home so slowing down is a pleasure when on holidays. I'd rather gaze out of the train window than stress over driving, navigating and parking. I've been to Europe many times and have very rarely hired a car and then only for a few days. If you need help with finding online timetables and ticketing websites, just shout.