Picking the right Rental Car for Winter Conditions

The most important decision you will make in regards to safe winter driving is selecting the right car.   So often we just take which ever car the rental car company assigns, but for winter driving you must be proactive.    Often the overeager falls into two camps: Overkillers and Camaros.  The overkillers see that it is slightly windy and requests a Hummer.  The Camaro camp throws caution to the wind, and can’t believe how cheap renting a Camaro is with the temperature 20 below and 3 feet of snow.  They have ALWAYS wanted to drive a Camaro and this is their chance.  Big mistake on both counts.

Winter driving is not always this glamorous! Be careful!

A few key car terms to understand:

RWD-Rear wheel dive.  The vehicle is “powered” by the rear two wheels.  The front two tires are only used for steering.

FWD-Front wheel dive.  You guessed it…the vehicle is “powered” by the front two wheels.   The front tires do both the steering and the pulling.

4WD or 4×4-Four Wheel drive-Power is supplied equally to all four tires.  Each tire receives power independently.  This function must be mechanically engaged to turn on.  Think SUVs, pickups and trucks.

AWD-All wheel drive- Through electronic or mechanical means, power is constantly shared to all wheels on a percentage basis.  Some of the finest performance cars in the world have very complex and intelligent AWD power distribution systems.

Which is better?  It depends.  Luci drives a rear wheeled drive Mercedes Benz sedan.  It drives like a dream in the snow and ice of our fair Idaho.  Mike on the other hand drives an AWD drive Subaru.  It is also a sound slick road driver.

Key is selecting which you feel most comfortable with at the time of rental.  If you regularly drive a RWD car, know how it handles when you head to the slopes opt for the RWD.  If you have never driven a RWD and opt for a Camaro, you are asking for trouble on snow.  Trying out a “cool” car driving on snow is NEVER a good idea.  Save it for the summer.

Overkillers

We have all seen them.  The novices leave their Sentra at home and show up to the ski hill in a huge SUV or truck.  If you are not accustomed to driving a huge vehicle with 4×4 powered wheels, you are asking for disaster.  Heavy vehicles are difficult to see out of, even more difficult to stop.   Mike in his able Subaru often passes “monster” trucks on snowy mountain passes.   You really don’t need a huge vehicle to be safe on snowy roads.  You need a vehicle that you can operate comfortably.

Be careful out there!

Wheel base

The next step in finding the right car once you have made a decision on driving wheels, the next consideration is the wheel base.  This matters a lot for safe winter driving.  You can easily get into trouble especially in Europe where the entire continent worships short wheel base cars.  Short wheelbase-think Volkswagen Golf.  Long wheel base-think Cadillac.  There are hundreds of choices between these two extremes.  Key to remember longer is better.  Mike took a trip this past year to Austria, Czech Rep, and Poland.  He went cheap on the rental.  He ended up with a lightweight, short wheelbase car in the middle of a huge snow storm.  It was lucky he made it back alive.   Longer is better for driving on ice.

Leave room between you and the car in front.

Visibility for Winter Driving

One of the inherit dangers of driving in poor weather conditions is visibility.  When you get into a car that you are unfamiliar with you are already a few points behind.  Add into the mix snow, fog and ice and visibility becomes serious concern.  Before leaving the rental yard, check to make sure the window defroster for both the front and rear windscreens are working properly.  It is wise to check the windscreen washer fluid level before setting out.  The reservoir is under the hood/bonnet and is usually blue in color.   Check to see if the rental agency has included an ice scraper in the auto.  The ability to visually assess what is happening around you is key to survival on snowy roads.

Helpful hint:  Always drive with your low beams in fog.  Water reflects high beam light and make visibility difficult.

Tires

This is a difficult one.  If you agree on the right car and you get out to find that the tires are bald, go back and demand a different auto.  Proper tire tread is a must for driving on snow covered roads.  Acceleration, turning and braking are all affected by the tire tread.  A good rule of thumb is a 3^rd of a US penny and half a euro cent is preferred.  The deeper the tread the better.  Tire tread allows you to grip the road and handle the water and snow.

Technology

Use the tools that you are given.  Read the weather reports online.  Have a good GPS unit in the car.  Read the weather and road advisories.  Being adequately informed about the conditions and terrain will give you a heads up if tire chains are required.  Cell phones are always handy for long road trips.  Use the tools provided to avoid being stranded and understand what the conditions are like in front of you.

Helpful hint: Do I need an International Drivers Licence

Eliminate Distractions

White knuckle driving is par for the course for winter.  It goes without saying when you enter dangerous driving situations increase your focus and uses of your senses.  Turn the radio down or off.  This will allow you to hear the road noise: slush or water.  Hearing how your car is braking will also give you insight into the conditions.  Do you slide every time you apply brakes?  As stated above, make sure that you make the windshields are clear as possible.  Make sure you can see what is happening around you.

Speed kills

We saved one of the most important factors for safe winter driving for last.  Slow down.  Cars and trucks are incredibly heavy.  It takes an average of 235 feet to stop a car going 50 MPH on dry pavement.  If you are on solid ice or snow, double that.  Just because you do not see the ice, doesn’t mean that it is not there.  So called black ice is invisible to the driver and is deadly.

We hope that this winter driving refresher course is helpful.  We wish you safe and happy travels this winter.  We hope that winter driving takes you somewhere fun!

Geocaching is a real-world, outdoor treasure hunt! Geocachers use a GPS to navigate to a set of coordinates, and then attempt to find the geocache (container) that’s hidden at the location. It’s amazing because geocache locations can be found all over the world! Many “caches” are hidden in locations that are important to people, have historical significance, or are
just pretty cool places to visit!

Geocaches are found everywhere!

Liz and I discovered Geocaching several years ago on a whim. A friend introduced us to the hobby and we have been using geocaching as a way to discover new lands and cultures around the world. We tested out geocaching while on a boring road trip one day, and it added so much excitement to the drive. From then on we were hooked on incorporating Geocaching into
everywhere we traveled. One of the things that we love about our hobby of Geocaching is that you can only do it outside, and we enjoy the outdoors! So Geocaching gives us purpose to get up and get outside.  Besides being a way to keep physically active, Geocaching as a couple has given us the opportunity to explore nature, culture, and history together, as well as having spontaneous adventures all over the world!

Geocaching in Central Park

Geocaching & Travel

Geocaching and road trips go hand in hand with us. We love planning little trips around our state of Georgia. In fact, Georgia has a Geocaching Tour of its state parks and historic sites. They have placed a series of caches in all state parks and you can achieve different levels as you discover more caches in the parks. This is a fun activity that we do locally, when we don’t have time to travel long distances. This Geocaching Tour has taken us on many beautiful hiking trails all around the state, and we have also learned so much about Georgia’s history through Geocaching.

Geocaching in Dublin

Geocaching is a big part of our adventures when we travel abroad. Once we have decided on a travel destination and booked our travel, we go to the geocaching website (www.geocaching.com) and search for interesting caches in the areas we are visiting (we like to go for the caches with a lot of favorite points). Since most caches are hidden by locals, this is a great way to get to know the area and the sites that locals want to highlight. So besides seeing the main tourist sights, Geocaching will also take you off the beaten path and give you a chance to find hidden gems that most tourists don’t know about. We experienced this first hand when
we discovered a cache on a hidden hiking trail in the Scottish Highlands, which had a beautiful few of a Loch & a local monument to mark a historic event. This site was no where to be found on any tourist map.

Geocaching is not for Dummies

If you go in search of a Geocache, be sure to bring your thinking cap! There are some creative people out there hiding caches all over, and some are very cleverly hidden & disguised. It’s fun to solve the clues & try to figure out where they hid the cache. We had to think carefully while in Malaysia as we were trying to find a cache located in the local park near the Patronas Towers.
The saying is true, “two heads are better than one,” as we both worked hard to make the find. The view was well worth the effort.

Geocaching is also a great way to break up the regular tourist sight seeing itinerary. While walking and discovering Dublin, Ireland we used Geocaching to break the day up. After visiting so many museums and cathedrals, taking some time to hunt out a Geocache added a little adventure while we explored this beautiful and historic city.

We love what Geocaching has brought to us as a couple who travels. We started on whim with a friend, and now it is a big part of our travels around the world. We use Geocaching to help plan our trips and to seek out adventure in foreign lands. It’s a great activity for couples, families, and also for yourself as an independent adventure-seeker! It has gotten us out and more active and has taken us to places we wouldn’t have known about otherwise.

With over 2 million caches hidden all around the world, there is an adventure around every corner of the globe. We hope to see you out there Adventure Caching with us around the world.

1000Fights:  What a great idea!  Thanks to Liz and Josh for introducing us to this great couple activity.  You guys must promise us to take us on a hunt!

Guest post by our friends Liz and Josh of Peanuts or Pretzels.   For more on Geocaching around the world checkout Peanuts or Pretzels Geocaching Page.

The new year is nearly here!  Are you ready for some travel inspiration for the New Year? Couple travel bloggers are an excellent source of great travel ideas and inspiration.  We asked a few of our blogging friends for their best picture and post from  2013.  We also asked them to give us a sneak peek at some of their travel plans for 2014.

The Traveling Canucks

Cam & Nicole

1000Fights:

Fave Post:  Why We Love the Mosel Valley in Germany 

Fave Picture:

Mosel River Valley, Germany

The newest addition to the Traveling Canucks!

Our plans for 2014:

Our future travel plans have evolved now that we have a toddler and infant in tow. We plan to spend most of our time in North America, to avoid long flights and nasty time zone changes. After a few ski trips in central British Columbia, we plan to head south and visit Phoenix, Palm Springs, San Diego, New Orleans and Niagara Falls. In early summer, we hope to spend a month in Nicaragua, followed by shorter trips to Alberta and Newfoundland.

♥

AfterGlobe

Kimmy & Drew

Fave Post: Whale Watching in Lahaina Harbor

Fave Picture:

A Seabird in Niihau

Our plans for 2014:

We will be focusing on travel throughout the Pacific Northwest. Even though we are currently living in this area there is still so much we have never seen, such as Crater Lake, Olympic National Park, or the Painted Hills. We want to make sure we travel to all of these places we’ve been meaning to visit before we leave for our travels around the world. We will also be heading to Lake County in California and the Hawaiian Islands of Maui, Kauai, and Oahu.

♥

Goats on the Road

Nick & Dariece

Fave Post: Goodbye China! We Will Miss You…  

Fave Picture:

Pamir highway, Tajikistan

Our plans for 2014:

We have quite a few things already planned for 2014. Some of which are a secret for now. What I can tell you is that there will be a lot of beaches and tropical paradises in our future. We plan to travel to Mexico and parts of Central America for 3 months before arriving at our perfect house sitting job! This year, we will be attempting to travel in a financially sustainable way by living off of earnings from our website, as well as testing out house sitting and other forms of free travel! Stay tuned to see what we get up to in the next year!

♥

Hecktic Travels

Dalene & Peter

Fave Post: Back to the Wild in Greenland

1000Fights: Great video!

Fave Picture:

Kayaking in Greenland

Our plans for 2014:

2014 plans – Well, we haven’t got many! We are spending the first six weeks touring around our home province and visiting our family and friends. It will be nothing short of exciting – we’ll be doing all kinds of winter activities like bobsledding, snowmobiling and skiing for the first time. But then we will surely need an injection of hot sun so we will likely head due south to Mexico for a couple of months of beaches and tacos. And that is the extent of our (very loose) plans. The rest of the year is entirely up for grabs!

♥

My Tan Feet

Sammantha & Yeison

Fave Post: Common Misconceptions about Costa Rica 

Fave Picture:

Surfer at Sunset at Playa Tamarindo, Costa Rica

Our plans for 2014:

Our goals for the next year is to travel as much in Costa Rica as possible. There are a few places we have both yet to see and is on our list as part of our goal to provide the best information and be the best resource for travelers coming to Costa Rica. Our biggest plan for the upcoming year is to move to Taiwan where Samantha’s family is and travel around Asia. We both have family in Asia so we want to explore as many countries as possible and we can’t wait to experience something new. We know 2014 will be an exciting year for us as we just started blogging in the middle of 2013 and it has opened up so many doors already!

♥

 Hey you!  Did you know that you could ask the Fighting Couple ANYTHING?  Try the Fighting Couple Forum!

♥

Sand in my Suitcase

 Janice & George

Fave Post: Wonder Where the Lions Are?

Fave Picture:

2 monks shaving each other in Burma (Myanmar)

Our plans for 2014:

2014 is shaping up to be an exciting travel year for us! First up? Exploring some of Mexico’s colonial Mexican towns, like Guadalajara, Guanajuato, San Miguel de Allende and Morelia. In Morelia, we’ll take a day trip to hike to the Monarch butterfly sanctuaries in the mountains. We’ll finish our Mexico trip on the beach in Zihuatanejo. Then we’re off to Bali and Lombok – and we’re booked for a 6-night cruise on the deluxe Ali Purnama, a sailing dive boat which leaves from the island of Komodo (lots of scuba diving – and we’ll see the Komodo dragons). Come September, we plan to attend the Society of American Travel Writers’ annual convention in Iceland – and maybe tack on some time in Greece afterwards.

♥

Latitude 34

Jeff & Marina

Fave Post:  Homesickness and Reverse Culture Shock 

Fave Picture:

Final Procession of the Phuket Vegetarian Festival

Our plans for 2014:

In January we will be flying to Dublin, Ireland to start a months long trek across Europe, the Middle East and India before arriving back to SE Asia sometime before summer. We are most excited about experiencing carnival in Venice, visiting friends in Berlin, Austria, Amsterdam, Paris and Turkey as well as seeing the Northern Lights in Lapland, Finland and hopefully driving to India through Pakistan and Iran!”

A Cruising Couple

Dan & Casey

Fave Post:  101 Tips to Living in Taiwan

Fave Picture:

We celebrated our two year wedding anniversary in Hong Kong last May, and just loved the city.

Our plans for 2014:

We’re really excited about where the New Year is taking us. First off, we’re flying to Mexico on January 3rd. Our goal is to find a house to rent for a month or two in San Pancho, and then do a bit of traveling around the Cancun area. In March we fly to Sweden. We’ll be bouncing around Scandinavia for about three months, which will be really exciting for us as we have never been to Europe together! Then in June we’re off to Brazil. We have tickets to the World Cup- something that has been on our bucket list for years! We are planning a few months in Brazil and the surrounding area, probably until October. Then we have no concrete plans! But we do have a lot of ideas, and we’re excited to see which ones work out!

♥

Contented Traveller

Gordy & Paula

Fave Post: Serendipity is Important for Travelers and for Life 

Fave Picture:

I fell in love with Amsterdam it has got to be this one of the bridges and canals of this wonderful city.

Our plans for 2014:

In February we fly to Japan and have 2 weeks skiing in Nozawa Onsen, our second home. We then go straight onto Kitzbuhel in Austria for a week, then to Lucerne for a few days. From there we go to Zermatt, Switzerland for a week overlooking the stunning Matterhorn, which we are so excited to see. We intend to ski into Cervinia in France for lunch, just because we can (if it is not too hard for me that is!). We then have a few days in Milan then fly to Bangkok for 3 days, which we always enjoy and then back home. All of the ski resorts needed to be booked in advance due to their popularity at that time.

In August/September we are flying to London for a week but haven’t planned anything yet. We then have organized a barge cruise in the Alsace region of France for a week, which has been booked in due to the popularity of this personalized little barge. After the cruise we have 3 weeks to do whatever, but will end up in Paris definitely for a fair bit of that time.  So really next year there is not a lot of serendipity involved in planning, but there will be a lot in the execution.

1000Fights: Aren’t these ideas and pictures wonderful?   Time to start planning those travel New Year’s Resolutions!

Thailand has been aptly called the land of enchantment.  It is a paradise for couple travelers.  Thailand tempts couples with its vibrant cities, white sandy beaches, and adventure at every turn.  With so much to do and see, how do you decide what to do?  We are here to help you avoid this fight.

Bangkok Royal Palace

The Grand palace of Bangkok

The crown jewel of Bangkok, Thailand has to be the Grand palace.  It is not to be missed.  The palace complex is a collection of former and current royal residences, Buddhist temples, and statues that give the feel of the power and majesty of the kingdom.  The reclining Buddha is a work of art that glows with a golden sheen.  We spent the lion share of a day walking around the grounds.  A helpful audio guide is available when you purchase you tickets.  There are guided tours available and candidly, we wished we have forked out the “Thailand bahts” for one of those.  We are not convinced that the audio tour gives you all of the interesting details.  We ended up with more questions than we had answers by the end of our tour.  Be aware that the dress code for the palace is strict.  Do your homework on what is and is not allowed. If not dressed appropriately, guards will make sure you have extra clothing to wear.  Getting there: take the Skytrain to Saphan Taksin Statio on the river, then jump on a river taxi heading north.

Elephant Safari

Elephant Safari Adventure

What visit to Siam would be complete without a jungle trek atop an Elephant?  Yes, it is a little touristy.  But you have to do it!  The unforgettable adventure of sitting atop one of these massive animals tramping through a jungle is a must.  We were offered views that looked like something out of Jurassic Park.   The gentle sway of the elephants gait is a great excuse to clutch your lover closer.  Our safari’s midpoint was at a watering hole that allowed us the chance to cool down in a pond.  The elephants got into the mix as well.   A word of caution.  Please do your research on which elephant trek adventure to take.  Some operators mistreat their animals and run their business in a manner that causes harm to customers and animals.

Hike in Khao Sok Jungle

One often overlooked area in Thailand is located halfway between Bangkok and Phuket, the Khao Suk National Park.  The Kao Sok Jungle is the perfect couple travel adventure!  This collection of 300 square miles (738.74 square km) of dense lush rain forest is dotted with deep lakes and enchanting waterfalls.  The flora and fauna, is second only in our experience to the Amazon.  You have a number of different options for accommodations near and in the park, everything from a bungalow right on a remote lake to a tree house (read about our tree house stay here.)   The park offers self-guided day hikes to some of the most breathtaking vistas our eyes have ever seen.  Seeing the mist hanging over the lush canvas of the rain forest canopy, set to a back ground of karst mountains is difficult to describe.  Simply amazing!   If you are particularly adventurous, take a night hike and see the jungle come alive at night!  Obviously we strongly recommend a guide for this undertaking.  Getting there:  If you are staying in a Phuket or Krabi resort, there are a number of mini buses that will pick you up and deliver you to one of the forest camps.  A great resource about mini buses from other locations is available at wikitravel.

The Beaches of Krabi

Island hopping out of Krabi

Take our advice on this one.  Skip the long line of sun seekers headed to Phi Phi.  Rent a boat for you and you lover and go island hopping!  We are strong proponents of staying in Krabi over Phuket.  It is much more quaint, affordable, and candidly more beautiful.  Along the beach are a number of iconic wooden boats with their brightly colored streamers.  Barefooted captains are ready to whisk you away to your own private paradise.  We made the day of it and visited 4-5 beaches, many of which we had all to ourselves.  Would we trade this for a crowded space on Phi Phi?  NO WAY!  Getting there: take a walk down the beach in Ao Nang, Thailand and negotiate the best deal.

YUM!  Dinner at Lae Lay Grill

Dinner at the Lai Grill

We have saved the best for last.  Perched in the hills above Krabi, overlooking the ocean is one of the best restaurants we have found in our wandering, the Lae Lay Grill (www.laelaygrill.com).  Thai Cuisine is renowned worldwide for its distinctive spices and flavors.  Lae Lay pairs that tradition with the bounty of fresh seafood available in Southern Thailand.  The final part of the equation is a crew of some of the most capable and comedic cooks.  The open kitchen is part of the entertainment.  Get the seafood sampler to share, a pineapple full of fried rice and a cool libation to wash it all down.  We capped our visit to Krabi with this dinner and with the view of the sunset, we will never, ever forget that meal.  Getting there: Give them a call and they will pick you up from a local hotel or take a tuk tuk to 89 Moo 3, Ao Nang, Krabi Town, Thailand 81000.

Reclining Budda

North to Chiang Mai

We rarely write about a place that we have not been because we want to be able to field questions and give reader’s our candid opinion. Unfortunately,  we haven’t been to Chiang Mai so we rely on ourr blog-BFFs that have been there many times.   Lets start with an overview of the area with Tieland to Thailand (First Impressions of Chiang Mai).   To capture the vibe of Chiang Mai, the Globetrotter girls really capture the highlights: (Things we love about Chiang Mai)  In an effort to present both sides:  Adventurous Kate offers the pros and cons (Chiang Mai is Not for Everyone).  Getting there: From Bangkok it’s a 70 minute flight, or 11 hours by bus or 12 hours by overnight train.

This should get you started!  Check out Thomson flights and book your Thailand flight today!

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