Great write up. Feel like I am traveling along with you on this trip. Yes people had those mounted on their cars to detect speed traps, and in many states they were illegal. Hope you all continue to have a wonderful time. Things are much better - we have two Harris/Walz signs on our lawn and stickers on the car, but we live in a very blue NE state. There is a renewed feeling of hope. Our plans to move to Portugal in 2027 after our son starts college are still in place, looking forward to it. :)
As a Brit who lived for a short time in the USA, and loved the country(50 years ago), I too feel so much happier with the way things have changed over there in the last couple of weeks.
Love your writing! I found that my Apple Watch was infinitely convenient for the toll stops in France! Just double-click the side button and hang your wrist near the machine!
I'm pretty sure that radar detectors were illegal everywhere, but also used everywhere. Nancy, I think your memory of suction-cupping it to the windshield may be wrong (I used mine more discretely), but perhaps you're just bolder than I. :-)
Our daughter lives in Denmark and we live near Viana de Castelo. I am very curious about your road trip and looking forward to reading other posts about it.
I use public transport so learning about the different rules across countries is so interesting! I didn't know roads are privately owned in France, I bet the owners make a good living from all the tolls!
Hi Onix- smile for the camera! 2 things: I retired early because I couldn’t stand the daily bumper to bumper traffic in Atlanta commute. Next, it is amazing how the political zeitgeist has become more positive with new choice available! Looking forward to descriptions of your trip.
Interesting! We have not driven as many places as you, but we have driven a lot in Ireland (where we now live), a bit in France, and Spain. We’ve been pedestrians far more often in Europe.
I’ve observed that Irish drivers are much better behaved than American drivers, in that they follow the rules and behave predictably. They aren’t filled with road rage. This is very likely because everyone is required to take drivers ed courses, and because life just isn’t as rage-filling as it is in America.
But also, they absolutely DO NOT yield to pedestrians. Pedestrians simply don’t have the right of way, and it’s such an odd experience to see an otherwise polite and friendly Irish person nearly run you over with your stroller for the offense of trying to cross the street.
Whereas in Belgium, the drivers consistently stopped well short of us to allow us plenty of room to cross the street. Made eye contact, politely waved us forward, the whole thing.
thanks for the heads-up regarding drivers and pedestrians in Ireland. that is very helpful as in Portugal we do stop when pedestrians enter the crosswalk.
I'm curious about your comment about talking to americans putting plans to move on hold. We are likely one of them. . . . feeling hope with the election and concerned about the AIMA backlog. Can you write more about what you're hearing in another column? Enjoying your writing!
Yes the AIMA backlog is a concern. I would strongly recommend you get an appt time and date before you leave the US. If you complete the right paperwork or have the help of a competent relocation specialist you can get the appt scheduled when your visa is issued.
Sounds like a great road trip so far! Are you driving a rental car, or your own? I'm awaiting what I hope will be the last of the paperwork I need to exchange my US license for a PT license so I can legally drive outside of Portugal. We're looking forward to a less ambitious road trip next year through Spain and Southern France. Dealing with tolls is definitely on my list of things to account for in our planing.
Hello Nancy! I’m a new subscriber who was recommended by a friend of yours from N.C, Denise. I’ve been living in Europe for ten years now and currently in Porto. Nothing about the aggressiveness and skills of the various European drivers ?:) I think Portuguese on-ramps are some of the worst in the world and the drivers not at all inclined to let you merge. Italians and Germans like to get very very impatient in the left lane and ride your butt or honk at you if you don’t move out of the way right away. The French are masters of parallel parking in a tiny hole between other cars, but they can be mean and aggressive drivers. I prefer to let my husband drive in Europe, ha! And in Porto, I don’t drive at all! Please be very careful not to speed even marginally: Spain is notorious for very high tickets for minor infractions! We were hit with a 100€ ticket for going 6km/h over the speed limit. I’m still fuming thinking about all the rude speeders I’ve witnessed in urban areas with children and pets near by, but that infraction on a highway made me very mad! Happy travels’
Great write up. Feel like I am traveling along with you on this trip. Yes people had those mounted on their cars to detect speed traps, and in many states they were illegal. Hope you all continue to have a wonderful time. Things are much better - we have two Harris/Walz signs on our lawn and stickers on the car, but we live in a very blue NE state. There is a renewed feeling of hope. Our plans to move to Portugal in 2027 after our son starts college are still in place, looking forward to it. :)
As a Brit who lived for a short time in the USA, and loved the country(50 years ago), I too feel so much happier with the way things have changed over there in the last couple of weeks.
There is hope for a better future for us all.
Love this week’s article, thank you
Love your writing! I found that my Apple Watch was infinitely convenient for the toll stops in France! Just double-click the side button and hang your wrist near the machine!
Nanc, maybe it depends on where you came from? In CT radar detectors were illegal.
Thank you for this aweome and muito útil post!
I'm pretty sure that radar detectors were illegal everywhere, but also used everywhere. Nancy, I think your memory of suction-cupping it to the windshield may be wrong (I used mine more discretely), but perhaps you're just bolder than I. :-)
Our daughter lives in Denmark and we live near Viana de Castelo. I am very curious about your road trip and looking forward to reading other posts about it.
I use public transport so learning about the different rules across countries is so interesting! I didn't know roads are privately owned in France, I bet the owners make a good living from all the tolls!
Radar detection in cars was illegal in No, aybe different in other states?
Hi Onix- smile for the camera! 2 things: I retired early because I couldn’t stand the daily bumper to bumper traffic in Atlanta commute. Next, it is amazing how the political zeitgeist has become more positive with new choice available! Looking forward to descriptions of your trip.
A very useful and informative post! (including your side comments)
sounds like an amazing road trip. enjoy.
You are so right about Spain's highways :(
Very much looking forward to hearing all about this trip. Thanks for sharing.
Interesting! We have not driven as many places as you, but we have driven a lot in Ireland (where we now live), a bit in France, and Spain. We’ve been pedestrians far more often in Europe.
I’ve observed that Irish drivers are much better behaved than American drivers, in that they follow the rules and behave predictably. They aren’t filled with road rage. This is very likely because everyone is required to take drivers ed courses, and because life just isn’t as rage-filling as it is in America.
But also, they absolutely DO NOT yield to pedestrians. Pedestrians simply don’t have the right of way, and it’s such an odd experience to see an otherwise polite and friendly Irish person nearly run you over with your stroller for the offense of trying to cross the street.
Whereas in Belgium, the drivers consistently stopped well short of us to allow us plenty of room to cross the street. Made eye contact, politely waved us forward, the whole thing.
thanks for the heads-up regarding drivers and pedestrians in Ireland. that is very helpful as in Portugal we do stop when pedestrians enter the crosswalk.
I've heard that is vigorously enforced here in Portugal, and drivers face stiff penalties for failing to yield to pedestrians.
In the UK you can get a hefty fine for not stopping for pedestrians on crosswalks.
I'm curious about your comment about talking to americans putting plans to move on hold. We are likely one of them. . . . feeling hope with the election and concerned about the AIMA backlog. Can you write more about what you're hearing in another column? Enjoying your writing!
Yes the AIMA backlog is a concern. I would strongly recommend you get an appt time and date before you leave the US. If you complete the right paperwork or have the help of a competent relocation specialist you can get the appt scheduled when your visa is issued.
Sounds like a great road trip so far! Are you driving a rental car, or your own? I'm awaiting what I hope will be the last of the paperwork I need to exchange my US license for a PT license so I can legally drive outside of Portugal. We're looking forward to a less ambitious road trip next year through Spain and Southern France. Dealing with tolls is definitely on my list of things to account for in our planing.
We own a car…purchased it when we decided to live in Algarve. It is not an absolute necessity…but certainly makes our golfing trips more convenientz
yeah, the Algarve is definitely a bit more car-dependent than other parts of the country, and definitely opens up the possibilities for golfing :)
Hello Nancy! I’m a new subscriber who was recommended by a friend of yours from N.C, Denise. I’ve been living in Europe for ten years now and currently in Porto. Nothing about the aggressiveness and skills of the various European drivers ?:) I think Portuguese on-ramps are some of the worst in the world and the drivers not at all inclined to let you merge. Italians and Germans like to get very very impatient in the left lane and ride your butt or honk at you if you don’t move out of the way right away. The French are masters of parallel parking in a tiny hole between other cars, but they can be mean and aggressive drivers. I prefer to let my husband drive in Europe, ha! And in Porto, I don’t drive at all! Please be very careful not to speed even marginally: Spain is notorious for very high tickets for minor infractions! We were hit with a 100€ ticket for going 6km/h over the speed limit. I’m still fuming thinking about all the rude speeders I’ve witnessed in urban areas with children and pets near by, but that infraction on a highway made me very mad! Happy travels’
I wrote 2 or 3 years ago about PT drivers. I think the on and off ramps of PT roads are far too short, which accounts for some of the issue.