Our trip to Australia in June 2008 was my third stay in a country where one drives on the left side of the road and, this time, I decided to give it a go. In fact, I raised the bar and set the goal not only at not having a wreck but even to not embarrass myself.

During my Antarctic trip that took me through New Zealand two years earlier, I heard some folks talk about how easy it is to identify American drivers because their windshield wipers come on prior to making a turn. Yes, the turn signal indicator is on the right side of the wheel.

Well, I wasn’t going to be that guy.

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After arriving at Gold Coast Airport in Coolangatta, I spent a good while in the car before driving from the airport. Not only was I getting familiar with where things were and practicing finding my mirrors, etc., but that was our first time using a GPS and we had to learn about and program it for our hotel.

So, after trying out all the levers and switches, after getting an idea how to leave the airport, I drove to the end of the parking row, started to turn right, and my windshield wipers came on. And, no, that wasn’t the last time it happened.

Take a look at the Dream Chasing 101 article of what to consider before venturing out to drive on the other side of the road.