Granted, most tourist attractions spread around their sites so much a car is needed, and that includes Puerto Rico. But drive a rental car THERE? I hope your auto insurance is updated to cover this.

The reasons are: a) many roads are in rougher shape than in the continental US, and if they are not, then they are toll roads and you have to pay. But mainly b) Puerto Ricans consider the “rules of the road” to be suggestions, not laws, and that includes speed limits. As a result, cars, pedestrians, bicycles, and motorbikes are constantly pulling out into your path, even though they may have a stop sign (“PARE”). And heaven forbid you trying to leave a safe space between you and the car ahead of you – it will be filled in. Need to turn left onto a street where the traffic going to the left is a constant stream? Not to worry – just ooze your way out into the lane going to the RIGHT, thus blocking those coming that way, and someone will then let you in going to the left. Waiting in line for 12 cars to get through a stop sign to turn right, where there is a gas station on your right between you and the street you will turn on? Why wait? Just zip on thru the gas station, like I saw about 10 cars and a SCHOOL BUS do behind me, and beat out the cars that had been ahead of you.

To be fair there ARE some advantages of renting a car in Puerto Rico – you can also rent a GPS from the car rental. Matter of fact, unless you bring your own, you had BETTER rent that GPS, or speak Spanish very well! There were several times when the GPS saved us when we had inadvertently strayed from the prescribed path onto one-way urban streets. And for those toll roads, you can also “buy” for $10, the right to speed thru the toll booths as though you had what we call in Florida, the Sun Pass – the rental agency will add those to your bill.