# 1st time Ireland, England, Norway; advice?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1st-time-ireland-england-norway-advice/836014>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [June 25, 2019, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1st-time-ireland-england-norway-advice/836014 "2019-06-25T02:54:52Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\
**Post date:** [June 29, 2019, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1st-time-ireland-england-norway-advice/836014/41 "2019-06-29T07:19:13Z")

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> [@HubZilla](#):
>
> I read you can get “L” stickers to put on your car to let people know “dumb American student driver”, but if you get the wrong color, they keep you off expressways. Is this true?

If you are an actual learner driver, you need to have a red ‘L’ sticker on the car, and learners aren’t allowed on motorways (roads with an ‘M’- like M5 or A1(M)), and you shouldn’t be displaying one if you’re not a learner. I mean, people do just leave them on sometimes and I’ve never heard of anyone actually getting into trouble (one of my co-workers has had them on her car for years, after her daughter learned to drive), but a rental car showing them? Nah, best not.

You can stick a green ‘P’ sticker on if you like, which indicates an inexperienced driver and doesn’t come with rules.

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**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\
**Post date:** [June 29, 2019, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1st-time-ireland-england-norway-advice/836014/42 "2019-06-29T15:06:19Z")

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> [@HubZilla](#):
>
> I checked the rental car company’s policies up and down and there were no restrictions for Ireland. I got the letter from our Chase Sapphire and it specifically says CDW now includes Republic of Ireland. Thanks for helping me double-check that.

I strongly recommend that you don’t just rely on just checking the policies. You never know what you may have missed and it may not mention Ireland specifically anyway and would include it under “EU”  
Speak to a real person at the hire firm and tell them exactly what you are doing, that you are taking the hire car on the ferry to Ireland and get them to positively confirm that no further arrangements or payments are required because I would expect that the very minimum they would expect is that you inform them that you are taking it out of the country.

You can easily find yourself fully liable for anything that happens to the car and your CDW from your own insurance will almost certainly have a clause that requires you to operate the vehicle within the hire company’s requirements.

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**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\
**Post date:** [June 29, 2019, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1st-time-ireland-england-norway-advice/836014/43 "2019-06-29T16:13:02Z")

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> [@HubZilla](#):
>
> For “tips”, rather than cash, we’re bringing over a bunch of Hawaiian chocolate macadamia nuts packs for B&B staff and guides.

B&B staff\* tend to be the family whose house you are staying in, so there’s no need to tip them. A nice gift like you propose will be appreciated. For guides and the like though, I highly recommend tipping them in cash.

- In England and Ireland anyway, no idea about Norway

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