My First Self Drive Trip in LA

My First Self Drive Trip in LA

by Car Guru

You have alot of time on your hands on a long haul flight. On a recent flight to Los Angeles, I was preoccupied thinking about the task ahead - my first ever driving holiday.

I was hoping and praying that I would stay safe on my first shot at driving on the other side of the road. Don't get me wrong, I was really excited to be travelling to the city where all the stars live and movies are made, but at the same time, I was nervous about driving in such a big city, on the oppisite side of the road and finding my way around. By the time I got off the flight, I was wondering why I had ever decided to drive on my own in the US in the first place!

But, by the time I was getting the free shuttle service to the Hertz depot approximately 5 minutes away from LAX airport, my nerves calmed. I thought I've come all this way; I might as well give it a go. Once I settled into the roomy Hyundai Elantra, packed with air-conditioning, CD player, power windows and even a sun-roof, I felt alot more comfortable. After a bit of hesitation and a few wrong turns, driving on the other side of the road was no longer a problem. I was able to get used to it quite quickly.

I was relying on my Seymour GPS unit to help me get around LA for the 5 days I was there, so imagine my horror when I realised I had the wrong memory card! The SD card with maps of Europe unfortunately was no good to me in the streets of LA. So for the first few days I had to do what we all used to do before GPS units became our best friends, and used paper maps.

Not ideal, but I did manage to get to Hollywood Boulevard and to the Hollywood Walk of Fame and back to my hotel in Maria del Rey without too much trouble. The correct SD card did arrive while I was still in LA and the Seymor GPS Travel Assistant quickly became my lifesaver and best friend!

The day before the card arrived, I thought I'd attempt to drive into LA without the GPS, and enjoy some shopping at The Grove and the Farmer's Market. But before I was able to get the chance to put my credit card to good use, I got lost with road works and detours and gave up with frustration and drove back to the hotel. The next day, I attempted the same mission, now equipped with the GPS, I arrived safely, on time and without any problems. (Although it may have been better for my credit card had I not found the shops!)

Without a doubt, a hire car and GPS unit is a must to save time, get around safely and to enjoy a holiday in Los Angeles, California!