If you are hiring a vehicle you might be able to include a sat nav in the deal.

A couple of visitors I had said that the cost to download Britain's information was higher in the US than in the UK, so they had planned to download to their personal Tom Tom when they arrived, but that the Tom Tom telephone helpline was obstructive and they never got the download.

I have found our sat nav very helpful finding places both driving and walking, just putting in the post code and the house number or finding the nearest car park or petrol station can save a lot of time - and I can read maps and charts and navigate.

I use the Enterprise car hire firm, and their website seems clear enough even for me to use to select which branch to use dates, type and size of vehicle and see what it will cost. I usually call into the office as it is just at the end of the street in order to make the actual booking, and it is always busy, so I take that as a good sign. I have no experience of any other office, but you can use the website to get an idea of the costs involved.

With the size of vehicle - it is more the engine capacity than the actual size of car. We have a Nissan Micra with a 1.4litre engine, and that is fine for travel on motorways, we went to Yorkshire in it no problem. Our son has the same model in a cheaper form, a 1.2litre engine, and it is slightly underpowered for my liking. It copes on the motorways, is slightly more economical, but for serious travelling it would get a bit wearing.

I was used to driving a Nissan X trail so that might colour my opinion, but I suspect that most cars in the US are more like the X trail than the Micra. Filling up the X trail got really alarming though, when the cost of petrol was really high.

Fuel costs here are going to be a shock after the US, so do your conversions carefully - I do know of one lady who planned to tour all of Britain in a large car, until she discovered that her assumption that a litre was about the same as a gallon was entirely wrong. Her tour was drastically reduced the first time she filled the tank and discovered it cost her over 50 pounds.

Anne the Pleater :ootd: