Renting a scooter in Southeast Asia is so easy! For only $5 a day you can ride a motorbike through the countryside. Don’t worry if you don’t know how, you can practice driving it in the parking lot!Except I too was one of those fools… Before I came to Southeast Asia, I had these romantic ideas of exploring places on the back of a motorbike. Wind blowing in my hair, rice fields as far as the eye can see, stopping in rural towns along the way for a little break… I know, I know, I think back now and shake my head at that girl with those naive ideas. If she only knew back then what driving is really like in this part of the world… Renting scooters is something that Sam and I went back and forth on for a while. I wanted to ride a scooter around northern Thailand; he kept telling me how dangerous the roads were and how drivers (in bigger vehicles) had little regard for measly scooters on the highway. I, of course, thought he was being overcautious and scoffed at his lack of adventure.

Well, yesterday sealed the deal for me. I’ve been travelling around SE Asia for four months now and I’ve seen my fair share of hazard on wheels, but it was yesterday’s trip from Chiang Mai to the Thai-Burmese border, that really made me see how reckless it would be to ride a scooter along the roads we were travelling on. I was travelling in a 14 person minivan and I basically spent the entire journey holding onto the hand rail in front of me for dear life. Our driver sped uphill, downhill, around curves, onto oncoming traffic, nearly nicked a motorbike, passed trucks and buses as he continued speeding down the wrong side of the road, braked last minute tossing us into the seat in front, nearly nicked another vehicle… I knew I wasn’t overreacting when the laid back German backpacker in our minivan decided it was time to strap on his seat belt, tight. It was four hours of torture there, and four hours of torture back. The signs along the highway which stated ’40 km/hr’ and ‘use low gear’ were invisible in his eyes, as was the yellow line dividing oncoming traffic.

Sure, seeing the countryside by motorbike sounds like a great idea, but the problem is that in a place where drivers don’t follow rules, THEY are putting YOUR lives at risk. You might think riding a scooter looks easy as pie, but what about the other motorists around you? They’re not going to be looking out for you and slowing down just because it’s your first time riding and you want to have a nice holiday. And then there’s the girl I saw a yesterday returning a motorbike at a rental shop in Chiang Mai with the nastiest burns and scrapes ALL OVER HER BODY. She had clearly toppled over and you could tell it was a nasty skid by all the marks on her forearm, elbow, shoulder, calf, and knees. But she’s not the only one. If you’ve spent any time in SE Asia, you’ve seen them too – travellers with bruises, exhaust pipe burns on their legs, bandaged elbows, and even arm casts. Chances are that was a motorbike accident. I’m not trying to scare you into not riding a scooter or motorbike around Southeast Asia, but the reality is that a lot of travellers get hurt every day, so don’t go into it blindly thinking it’ll be like getting on a bicycle.

Riding a motorbike can be trickier than it looks, so do yourself a favour, if you’re really keen on doing the motorbike thing, take a few lessons back at home. That way you’ll at least know how to deal with sharp curves, gravel, wet roads, and you’ll know how to kick the bike away should you fall while riding. used motorcycles for sale in fargo moorheadAlso, wear appropriate clothing – shorts, flip flops and a sleeveless shirt aren’t going to do you any favours.motorcycle tire mounting salt lake city Sure, maybe I am being a bit too ‘safe’ and I’m missing out on having a great time, but at the end of the day, I know I don’t have the skill to ride a scooter or a motorbike on these roads. dv by dolce vita motorcycle boots

Plus getting on a highway where people are driving like it’s NASCAR would be asking for trouble. Have you traveled on a scooter/motorbike around SE Asia? Do you have any tips for people who want to do so? Here's how it works: Anybody can ask a question The best answers are voted up and rise to the topmotorcycle rental oahu hawaii I'm aware of IDP, but I've read that I don't need one as some companies rent the scooters just on the passport. If it's so, what risk do I have renting a scooter when having non-IDP EU driving license (cat. In example when stopped by police, I'm driving illegally? If yes, I'm assuming also that in case of any accident, my travel insurance won’t cover any costs? Or you don't need a driving license when driving a scooter under certain power output? Does it make any difference if I'm on tourist island (such as Langkawi, Phuket, Ko Samui) far from the city?

thailand rental driving-licenses malaysia scooters I've been to Thailand 7 times i the last 5 years, and rented scooters and vehicles many times. I've been stopped by police twice. My experience was my California DL was always accepted when renting a car. I have never been asked for license when renting a scooter, or by police when pulled over. One of those times that I was pulled over, my girlfriends scooter registration was expired. I think I had my passport on me, was given a ticket for $20 or so, and that was that. Most scooter rentals only care that you will not damage or steal there scooter, and your passport is collateral. I've been to Thailand renting a scooter from different hotels, agencies on different islands and they never ask you for driving license when renting a scooter. Renting a scooter is very popular and it costs only around 200-250baht/day. The only trouble is that sometimes they could hold your passport during rental period (See: How to avoid letting a rental business hold my passport in Thailand?).

It should be similar in Malaysia. So it is not necessary to have driving license when renting a scooter. In Thailand: Driving - License Requirements article at Trip Advisor we can read: According to the UN Traffic Act of 1949 and the Thai Traffic Act of 1979, an IDP is not required if you are a tourist/visitor in Thailand as long as your license is in English, has a photo, and your country is a contracting state of the 1949 treaty, which most are. motoring law below) If you are a resident, however, you require aAs a tourist, rental car companies, insurance companies and police will all accept your home license. a bad idea to obtain a legitimately issued INTERNATIONAL DRIVING PERMIT (IDP) before you leave your home country. MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY ACT (Thai Law) Anyone who wishes to drive a motor vehicle on public roads must possess an appropriate driver licence. The driver must carry the driver licence and a photocopy of the registration book and show them to competent officers upon request.

This does not apply to those who are learning to drive a motor vehicle according to the provision of Section 57. If the driver is an alien who doesn't have an immigrant visa, he may drive a motor vehicle with a driver licence specified in the In such a case, he must carry documents specified by the treaty between the Thai government and the government which issued such driver licence, and show them to competent officers upon request. In case there is a treaty between the Thai government and a foreign government regarding mutual acceptance of driver licence, an alien who does not have an immigrant visa may drive a motor vehicle with a driver licence issued by such a foreign government, or an automobile association authorised by such a foreign government. Once you obtain a non-immigrant visa or establish you are a resident (such as enrolling kids in school, buy a car etc,) and are no longer a toursit, you need a Thai drivers licence as your national license and

international driving permit is only legally accepted if you are aSeveral insurance companies have fine print stating that the driver should hold a valid Thai driving licence to be fully covered after a certain amount of time in Thailand. Title 3: Driver's License at Motorcycle Thailand How and why to get your Thai driver's license at Driving in Thailand By law in Thailand you are required to have a drivers license to operate a scooter of any size and by law you are required to have an IDP if your home country license is not fully in English. It doesn't matter where you rent or drive the scooter, the laws are nationwide. If your home country license specifies certain size motorcycles that you are allowed to drive, then you technically should have the correct license / endorsement from home for the vehicle you are renting. These are of course the technicalities, enforcement of the rules is a whole other can of worms. Most stops by police of foreigners on motorcycles tend to end with a "fine" being paid on the spot and then the scooter pilot heading off on his/her merry way.

But the laws do give them more power to arrest or fine, if you don't have the proper license. Check with the folks who issue IDPs in your home country and find out if your license qualifies for scooter endorsement on the IDP. IDPs tend to have a broader definition of class qualifications (ie because my DL allows me to drive up to a 20 passenger van, my IDP has me listed for a full size bus). I have rented a scooter several times in Krabi in the south of Thailand. They don't really care about your license. As a general rule, you can use your EU license abroad for a stay of up to 3 months. That is true in other countries that have more strict laws like Australia. Beyond 3 months, officially you must get a local license. As for Thailand specifically, the country relies very much on tourism, and people are usually very "kind" with tourists. I think the authorities would not be too annoying if you are not fully compliant with whatever laws related to your bike (I.e your light dysfunction or your insurance missing).

As far as I know, there are mostly 2 things you really should comply with in Thailand, it is to not consume drugs and not say/write something about the King. Or you would put yourself in very very serious trouble. In Malaysia, I drove my Honda wave (125cc) for years without insurance nor license. I never had any serious issue. I was driving everyday to any place in Kuala Lumpur, and taking highways. The police would usually not arrest foreigners (I mean white foreigners). I was arrested once by the police on the highway. They were behind and didn't see my face until I stopped the bike. They probably assumed I was a local as there are very very few Europeans driving bikes in Kuala Lumpur. They clearly looked upset to see they arrested a European dude, but had to go through the process. My bike was fully functional and I was wearing a helmet. I just didn't have any license nor insurance with me. I just had a local car driving license which doesn't allow you to drive a 125cc bike (I always thought a car driving license was good enough until that day).