For years, I’ve had dreams of visiting far-off lands to experience car culture around the world. I want to know what loving cars looks like to everyone. Now, my dreams are finally coming true with my first international trip. Next week, I’ll be in the French Riviera to drive an Audi, but I have a feeling I’m going to spend every minute in awe. Yet, I really have no idea what I’m doing, so you get to watch me go through this whole process of opening a new chapter in life.
Ever since I was a kid, I had dreams of boarding a plane, flying to a far-flung place, and having vehicular fun somewhere new. These dreams filled my head after watching countless Top Gear challenges ranging from riding motorbikes through Vietnam to the legendary Sabine Schmitz absolutely hauling a Ford Transit around the Nürburgring. Now, I’m wondering why I didn’t start this journey sooner.
Back in late August, Audi invited us to France to drive a new car. Now, stuff like this would normally be difficult because our team is small. That would be almost a whole week without one of our regular writers. So, if we attend these events, we might send a contributor. But our editors had a brilliant idea. Who didn’t have a passport and who hasn’t ever left America? That would be yours truly. Now I had a reason to speed-run the passport process like this:
Passports Can Be Easy!
Getting the passport was actually easier than I expected. Most of the work was just gathering documents. I needed my birth certificate, my name change court order, my driver’s license, and photocopies of all of those.
One of the things I was worried about was how my gender appeared on my documents. I have not been able to amend my Wisconsin birth certificate yet so that still had the letter “M” on it. But, my driver’s license shows “F” on it. Is that going to cause a problem? The U.S. Department of State makes this pretty easy. You have to fill out an application to get your passport and choosing your gender marker is as easy as checking a box.
I gathered my documents and made a next-day appointment with my local post office. There, they took my picture, collected the fees, and sent off my application.
One of the other scary aspects of the passport application is the processing time. The U.S. Department of State says routine processing takes 6 to 8 weeks. An expedited passport takes 2 to 3 weeks while it’s also possible to get one within 14 days. The processing time does not include the days your application and passport spend in transit. The U.S. Department of State goes as far as to say that it could take two whole weeks before it even begins processing your passport application.
This timing was a bit confusing. At the time, the Audi event was 4 to 5 weeks away. That was too soon for routine processing but also cut it close for expedited processing after delays are factored in. Yet, it was also too far out for urgent processing.
Matt Hardigree suggested choosing the fastest possible option for everything. So, I chose expedited processing and then tossed in the faster one- to two-day shipping. It’s $160 to get your passport book and card, another $60 for expedited processing, plus $21.36 for the fast shipping. I also paid another $50 to the USPS for my picture and for the acceptance fee. Amazingly, I got my passport in just two weeks, and that included a delay due to Labor Day.
The Trip
Right, so I have my passport, now it’s time to fulfill some lifelong dreams.
My test drive for international travel will start at O’Hare next week. Audi gave me a choice of airlines and flights out to Europe. One flight had me going to London before heading to France and another option was going to Amsterdam first. Admittedly, I chose the flights based entirely on aircraft type. I hoped for a Boeing 747 on the transatlantic legs, but none of the flight options offered one. So, I chose the pair of aircraft that sounded the coolest to me. I’ve never flown on a Boeing 787, so that was an easy choice. I also haven’t been in a CRJ-900 in years, so that was my second choice.
So, I’ll be flying into Munich, Germany first, which is pretty awesome because part of my family ancestry traces its roots back to Germany. Then, I’ll hop on the little CRJ-900 and I’ll be off to France!
I was then surprised to see that Audi paid for first-class seats on every aircraft. The United 787 I’ll be departing on has those cool cubicle things with lay-flat seats. As all of you know, I’m a serial cheapskate. There’s no doubt I’ve purchased multiple cars for the price of just one of these flights. I’ve never flown anything better than Economy, so I have no idea how I’m going to react.
Look at what United Polaris is like. I want to be clear that this isn’t an advertisement, I fly with whatever airline has the coolest plane for any given trip. But, to my cheap heart, this is amazing:
Matt and David warned that things aren’t going to be as easy as hopping on a plane and flying over. I should try to have at least some of the local paper currency. David also gave me a sweet wall adaptor that will charge my phone and laptop no matter where I am in the world.
Audi will be putting me up in some ridiculously swanky five-star hotel and weirdly, that’s the part I’m least excited about. It’s an open secret that automakers wine and dine journalists. I mean, Toyota put me up in Hawai’i for a whole week for an event that was realistically just two days. It’s funny the lengths some automakers will go to impress. Still, just look at the place I’m being sent to. It’s called the Le Mas de Pierre:
What I’m really excited about is car spotting. There’s a whole world of cars the United States never got and it’ll even be fun to spot differences between USDM and Euro-market cars. It’s probably a good thing that press events sort of lock you into an ecosystem for the whole trip. If I’m left to wander I’d probably try to figure out how to buy and store a Smart Roadster until it’s old enough to come to America. You know, I might try to do that, anyway.
Of course, this is still a press trip, so I’m going to be able to drive the Audi [REDACTED] around Côte d’Azur for a couple of days. I can’t wait to see what driving on another country’s roads is like. Maybe if Audi releases our leashes for long enough I could also take a swim in the ocean.
[Editor’s Note: Mercedes is going on one of the nicest possible press trips you can go on. It’s the French Freakin’ Riviera! This is like having your first meal out at The French Laundry. There are maybe nicer one-off press trips (perhaps Fancy Kristen could tell us), but as far as places where cars are regularly launched it’s the tops. I hate to lose a writer, but Mercedes is great and deserves a cool experience like this. I can’t wait to read about it. – MH]
To be clear, this would normally be just another press trip, one where I would write a disclaimer about what the automaker paid for. I’ll do that at this event as well, but we’re going to use this trip for more than just driving a new car. We’re going to document what it’s like going on my first-ever international trip.
I’m expecting this to be a stepping stone to something even greater. I have a long list of dreams that I now have the ability to accomplish. I want to take a Smart around the Green Hell, I want to experience Chinese car culture, and I want to ride a motorcycle through some of the greatest vistas the world has to offer. That’s just the beginning of what I want to do outside of our borders. Driving an Audi in France will only be just the first step. So, I hope you enjoy my discovery of what it’s like to leave home.
If you’re thinking of getting a passport, I highly recommend it. I’ve delayed mine for so long thinking getting a passport was going to be hard. As it turns out, getting a passport was super easy, barely an inconvenience. So do it, go out there and have fun with me!
Hooray Mercedes! And yes, EVERYONE GET YOUR PASSPORT.
Tip 1: If Melatonin works for you, bring some. Can’t get it in Europe and you will probably have insomnia.
Tip 2: A good jetlag technique is to stay awake until local bedtime.
Tip 3: Buy sunscreen in Europe. Theirs is much better.
Tip 4: You can hit an ATM for Euros once you arrive, or buy a pack from your local AAA office.
For the tip 4 : you can hit the ATM as soon as you land in Munich. The German Euros are the same Euros as the French Euros…. You can even use them in Italy and Monaco 😉
For tip 1 : you can find melatonin in France in a “pharmacie”.
For tip 2 : going this way, the problem won’t be to stay awake, but to get to sleep early. That’s where the melatonin can be useful.
Really? Good to know. I didn’t see it in the Netherlands, and it was prescription-only in Denmark.
I’m thrilled for you! I was psyched just to get sent to Sturgis on someone else’s dime, including a fitting motorcycle to ride while I was there, when I was writing for one of the popular motorcycle websites. Like Matt said, you’re diving into the deep end! Enjoy!
Have you never even been to Canada!?
Believe it or not, there is an even faster way to get a passport. I have done my last 2 renewals at a passport office. You show up in the morning with a picture and a complete application and you can have it by 4 pm. Typically, you need to show proof of a flight within 2 weeks. My last one was a last minute work trip to South America. I renewed 3 days before my flight. Luckily, I live within an hour of a passport office. There are not many of them.
It’s great that you are having this adventure and you get to drive cars too! Have fun. I’ve flown the 787 to Latin America. Notice how the windows are bigger than older commercial airliners.
The car spotting will be awesome! I spent a couple weeks in Europe in the spring and had way too much fun snapping pics of all the cars. Even the mundane was exciting to me. My wife laughed at me most of the time, rolled her eyes some of the time, and told me to keep walking and put the phone away a couple times towards the end haha.
I was in the UK for 10 days last month and never touched a pound or pence. Everything and everywhere accepted tap-to-pay so I used Google Wallet and my daughter used Apple Pay exclusively. I don’t know if France is similar or not, but one good outcome from the Great Pandemic was weaning people off of germ-ridden paper currency.
Hopefully France is different when it comes to car culture, because this last trip to the UK was disappointing in regards to car culture. Way too many Teslas, BMWs and Mercedes (Benz, not Streeter). Oh, and Minis everywhere. The only cars that stood out were the Ferrari 12Cilindri that drove past the McLaren store front in London with a Senna in the window.
One more piece of advice, google what rideshare/taxi apps are most commonly used at your destination. I know you’ll be driving yourself at least part of the time, but if you venture out without the Audi [REDACTED] (dumb name if you ask me!), you’ll want to be sure you have easy access to a ride if you are somewhere off a bus route.
they have a nicer car landscape in France. Lots of Peugeots, Citroen, Renaults as well as VWs and Opels. Even some euro Fords we don’t see in North America.
What i noticed though (including in the UK), is the increasingly large number of Chinese cars on the streets including the MG EV one of the Uber drivers was driving. Of course they know they have nothing to do with the long gone British Leyland or Rover groups.
Yeah, I did see a lot of the MGs seeming used as Ubers. I have no personal interest in them, however, since they are in no way/shape/form related to the lovable, if flawed, sports cars of yesteryear.
That does remind me that I did see a Lexus LM minivan near The Tower that was apparently being used as a rideshare/livery vehicle. That is one car I’d like to see available in the US.
Most reasonably large businesses (fuel stations, supermarkets, public transport, etc) in France use contactless. I’m not sure about small cafes etc. my last visit was pretty fleeting.
Mind you, if you get the chance, take the Chunnel between France and the UK. Not only is it really quick, you get to drive you car onto a train, and then train goes under the frickin ocean!
ok Mercedes, I’ve flown United Polaris to Munich a bunch of times. A few tips to take advantage of:
1) You get priority access in security lines (if the airport has it)
2) Free full bar service and buffet in the Polaris lounge at the airport
3) remember that the drinks and snacks are unlimited and included on the plane.
4) If you have more than an hour or 2 of layover, take advantage of the Munich business class arrival lounge for more free snacks and drinks because you’ll be very thirsty. They even have rooms to shower and change if you feel so inclined.
I remember the first time I flew business class like this. It felt like I was faking it and I didn’t belong. Like wearing dad’s shoes and tie as a kid. After years of doing it for work, I can say that its hard to go back to coach. (at least until I have to pay for it myself).
Good luck!
A shower on arrival after a red-eye is a great way to start the day.
Hey, so happy for you!
Enjoy the trip!
Getting a passport is TIGHT
Matt: “So, you have new blog for me?”
Mercedes: “Yes sir I do!”
I recall my first international trip – to Japan. The world is a varied and wonderful place and people are the same but different in interesting ways. Enjoy with the wide-eyed enthusiasm that we love about your journalism.
Have fun!
International travel is great. You learn a lot and it really opens your eyes to many things.
Wishing you a great trip ahead!
I’ve never left the U.S. either. Looking forward to reading about your adventure!
787? I’d spend the whole flight playing with the electro-chromatic windows that someone posted about yesterday on your airline window article.
You’re going to love the 787. It’s incredible comfortable and quiet. I got up close to one once and they’re just neat. Almost everything is electric, no bleed air, just high tech everywhere. I know you like your window seats, so peak at the wings during takeoff and landing. They flex so much it’s crazy. The wingtips actually bow to up above the fuselage in flight.
I’m excited to read about the flight. My first four flights (from JFK to Abu Dubai to Bengaluru, India and back) were all on 787s. Because they have a carbon fiber fuselage, internal air pressure is about 6,000 feet versus the normal 8,000 feet. Also, and more importantly, humidity is kept around 20%, which is far more comfortable than most planes with metal fuselages that need to keep the humidity in the single digits to prevent corrosion. The electrochromic windows were also super cool.
Unfortunately the 787 was designed with an 8-abreast seating configuration in mind (3+2+3) with an optional 9 abreast that was intended only to be used for very short, very high traffic flights. Of course every airline got greedy and went for the 9-abreast configuration (3+3+3), which lead to the narrowest seats in economy of any commercial airplane except for a very rarely used A320 configuration. Keep in mind my flight from JFK to Abu Dubai was 11.5 hours and the flight back was 14 hours.
As a result, I was incredibly uncomfortable, which is saying something because I am a very thin person. Of course, flying first/business class, this will not be an issue for you and I suspect the increased cabin pressure and humidity will make the flight downright pleasant.
I specifically bought tickets with Lufthansa so I could fly 747s on my next trip. I’m curious to see how it compares to the 787, but the seats are about an inch wider, which I think will make a significant difference.
I remember when I first got my passport a few years ago. I too was surprised at how easy it was. It took less than an hour out of my day.
Regarding passport renewal times – I was able to do mine online and it took less than two weeks for it to arrive. Amazing.
Mercedes, safe travels and enjoy the experience. Traveling the first time to Europe is a great experience, specially if sponsored by your job lol unlimited food and alcohol along free time to explore the city.
I’m used to most of my flights with the seating equivalent of Batman: The Ride, as I usually go the ultra budget route of Frontier/Allegiant/whatever new budget airline happens to fly from Albany to Raleigh (this year it appears to be something called Avelo). I’m pretty sure first class would break my brain. The few times in my life I’ve been to a place where folks of my tax bracket clearly do not often tread, I always feel like it’s about to be revealed that I’m the “guest of honor” and that I have an hour head start to run and hide while the other arm themselves for a hunt.
But that doesn’t typically happen, so enjoy!
Mercedes, enjoy your trip and you will be in awe when you first land on the continent! While in France, keep your eyes open for the newer offerings from Renault and Peugeot as they are both knocking out some great looking autos. Oh, and the recent Peugeot RCX are lookers as well! There are just so many amazing little cars like the Smart to catch your eye here too. The States are missing out!
Kooky French cars are so much fun! My wife and I went to the ’18 Paris Auto Show and took along some friends who happened to be there at the same time, and spent a ton of time poking around the new cars in the Peugeot, Citroen, Renault, and DS booths. As a whole they were just much more interesting than what we have…wacky colors inside and out, nice fabric trim on the dash, and quirky details.
I’d hoped our rental would be something like that, but we ended up with a bland Kia Picanto…at least it made up for it in operation.
Kooky is ALWAYS more fun. Doh! I forgot to mention DS, Alpine, or Citroen! On rentals and Citroens…
My partner and I got a Citroen C3 rental with the 1.2L 3 cylinder and while it was kind of pedestrian it did look good even though it had some odd styling cues (imagine that… a car from Citroen with odd styling???) and it was a great car to drive around Gdansk for three days. We liked it so much we took the time to check the prices for a new one. Not expensive for a car that perfectly suits it’s purpose as an economy car that seats four and can carry quite a bit of potatoes.
However, with a fully optioned example the price became less attractive and I told my partner that for that price we could get a nice TVR Cerbera that may need a bit of fettling or a 996, or early 997, era 911. Naturally, she countered my suggestion with a detailed cost analysis of how a new car is better in the savings of MOT and road tax and warranty repairs (UK). I explained that while she had brought up some valid points, purchasing a used sports car is better for the environment as we would be using a vehicle that has already been produced with resources from the earth and not exploiting new resources – AND the TVR Cerbera has a flat plane crank engine so it burns more petrol more efficiently and has an excessively loud exhaust system (safety first!), . She told me that my rationalization for a used sports car over a perfectly good economy car. was anything but rational. Commence eyeroll… Women, always missing the finer points of common sense when it comes to automotive purchases!
I can’t say much, I’d have probably argued her side too, lol…I’m a sadly practical car guy. I’m more of a “choose the base engine because it’s cheaper and oh yes, hatchback over a sports car because they’re handy” person. Our third vehicle’s a ’90s truck because it was free and handy.
You mentioned Alpine…they had a big booth there in Paris, too. I crawled around that one for a while; I’d been an instant fan when they were released and was happy to be able to play with one. Fantastic details inside and out and the styling still looks brand new. I’d love to have one if we’re able to move outside the US someday.
We were in the UK this past spring: London, York, and Settle in the Dales. The latter was so achingly pretty and everyone was silly nice. My wife refused to allow me to rent a manual (she figured driving on the other side was enough novelty, shifting with the other hand might put me over the edge) and we were “upgraded” to an MB A180 that was fucking obnoxious. Next time we’ll rent a nice, simple manual shitbox like every other Euro rental we’ve had!
Apparently when you first drive a manual car from the ‘wrong’ side, moving off from a stop is fine, but on the 1>2 change you’ll probably punch the door as your muscle memory takes over.
Just like how I would be reaching into space over my left shoulder to grab a non-existent seatbelt every time I sat down?
You could’ve skipped that 2nd flight and ask Audi to drop a car for you in Munich. This way you could start your 1st eurotrip with an essential Autobahn run.
Yes ha ha YES! You need to drive a Smart Roadster (and curse its goofy transmission while praising its funky looks). I’m still kicking myself for not getting the Forfour I saw on Stuttgart Turo a few years ago, too. Forfour! I know it’s a reworked Mitsu, but c’mon, look at that silly little eggboi.
Eat lots of cheese for me. It’s been way too long since I’ve been overseas, and by way too long, I mean just a couple years. :'(
Alright, so I guess one article you’ll be writing is on the difference between first and business class, domestic and international. When you fly Polaris, United’s international business class offering, remember that some airlines still offer a class above that.
Next, try to get some sleep on the way out. The food out of the US is never that great; the return trip will be better catered (depends on the airline, of course).
Also, you might not be told this, but a business class ticket international from north America (and a business class ticket anywhere else) gives you lounge access. In fact, that CRJ will have a moving curtain to separate the cabins: the seats in front have a slightly higher pitch. Business class in Europe is pretty much priority security (take every priority lounge you can get), lounge, priority boarding, and some service on board. In the US, it’s boarding, a big seat, and a lot of whiskey. So enjoy the Lufthansa business lounge in Munich (but not the Senator Lounge or the First Class Lounge). If there’s time, try to take a shower on arrival after the overnight flight.
France is great. My advice is to start every interaction with someone by smiling and saying “Bonjour”. Walk into a shop? “Bonjour”, getting your passport stamped? “Bonjour”. Pulled over by the cops? “Bonjour Madame”.
It’s not that the French are rude; they just demand to be recognized as human before serving you.
Have a blast!
I don’t know if you plan to drive around France during this trip, but hit me up if you want to visit the French Alps around Grenoble. There are nice roads here!
You would have loved when 747s had a piano and a bar/lounge up in the hump.
Once eastern airlines managed to truly snarl things up and after 3 days in the JFK and LaGuardia airports flew from Newark to SFO in the bar the whole time.
I was then surprised to see that Audi paid for first-class seats on every aircraft.
…
I’ve never flown anything better than Economy, so I have no idea how I’m going to react.
With a fair, unbiased review of course.
Dude. I chose the wrong career!
I hope you have an absolutely fabulous time!