A couple more things to add: take photos of the car when you pick up and when you return it; and find out how everything works before you leave the rental agency.

Have fun.

I've read in several reputable places lately that some agencies are requiring the international license - the trend is to enforce the rule of having to carry one. And the reason is not just more red tape, it's so the local gendarms can read your information .... very little English outside of main cities.

An International Drivers Permit can be obtained from AAA in USA, but is not a legal requirement in France. It might be helpful if you encounter a gendarme who wants to be officious. Do not get an International Drivers Licence, which is a meaningless piece of paper sold by some web sites.

There is no rule, no trend, no requirement of any kind to have an International Driving Permit while driving in France. In fact there is very little to no reading of any kind on a license in the first place. The French police know that the dates on US licenses are written in the format: mm dd yy, they can identify the state in which it was issued, even determine the expiration date. A French policeman is a very cunning fellow with extensive capabilities.

The Italian police force is apparently not so clever as an IDP is required there.

What you should check when picking up a rental is that a copy of a "Constat" is in the glove box. The reverse side should be in English. In the event of an accident, the drivers complete the form and submit it to the local police station.

Making sure you have a pen available is another excellent precaution.

Wow, I hope the guy from Dallas is never jet-lagged and slumped over the rental car counter at 8am trying to understand why they won't give him a car. As an experienced traveller, it seems to me that getting whatever at AAA might be a wise choice.

If you have travel insurance make sure you know what it will cover with the car. Most have what I think you call a damage waiver. If so, you will not need to take this out as additional insurance on the car. They will ask if you want it and will urge you to take it, so be prepared.I might add that some travel insurance does not cover you for theft if the luggage is visible, so ensure the car has either a trunk or one of those shelves or covers that hide the luggage space.

(our story of this in the USA involved being transferred from a compact to a shiny black Mustang at no extra cost. Very swish)

<<.I might add that some travel insurance does not cover you for theft if the luggage is visible, so ensure the car has either a trunk or one of those shelves or covers that hide the luggage space.>>

Lynneb - that's very interesting. Last Easter my parents, brother and sister-in-law had all their luggage stolen from a Toyota Tarago people mover which was parked outside my apartment here in Perth for a couple of hours before they went to the airport for the flight home to NZ!! (I live in what is considered a very safe suburb!) The luggage was visible and it seems from your post they were very fortunate to have had their extensive insurance claims met.

Their experience made me think twice when I rented a car in Canberra and was told the parcel shelf was missing - I too got an upgrade to a much "swisher" car when I explained why that wasn't acceptable. Before my folks' incident, I wouldn't have given it a second thought. I'm not sure what one can do with vechicles such as a van which doesn't have a shelf. Cover everything with a blanket I guess (but that would probably give the thieves (who are obviously opportunistic) the idea there was something underneath worth stealing. :-(

Our fellow posters from Australia bring up several excellent points about car theft which may be a bigger problem in France than is generally known among many tourists (my French friends caution me about this all of the time).

It is important to be careful, keep in mind that thieves know which cars are likely being driven by tourists. Those with:

1. Red license plates - indicating a non taxed or foreign leased auto.

2. Distant department numbers on the license plate. The last two digits on a French plate indicate the department of registration. Europcar for instance registers many of their automobiles in Haute Normandie. When driving around Provence with a plate ending in 76, the fact that you are either from a distant department or probably a renter is not missed by those looking for tourist prey.

3. Little white square stickers still stuck near the refuel port which say something like "gasoil only". These stickers are placed on all new cars with diesel engines to remind owners of the correct fuel requirements. Real owners remove them, renters don't bother.

It is difficult to avoid leaving items in your car when on vacation. Some suggestions:

1. Lock valuables in the glove box.

2. Leave nothing in plain view, particularly maps and English language magazines or newspapers.

3. Place a copy of a local French newspaper (date not important) clearly visible in the windshield.

There are no guarantees but tourists can be easy prey for the unscrupulous. Common sense can help avoid tragedies.

Don't bother with the international drivers' license/permit - we did that a couple of years ago, and the rental car clerks had no idea what it was and didn't care (your US license and/or passport will be sufficient).

Also, I don't want to alarm people unnecessarily, but I always get the insurance. If you get into a dispute, you don't want them putting a 20,000 euro (for example) hold on the credit card that you thought would cover the insurance, while you sort things out with your credit card company as to what they "really" cover and what's excluded. It's just not worth the hassle, especially as they may put a hold on your card until it's resolved.