The main way in which road trips are different in foreign countries is that you simply can’t bring the same amount of gear as you would when driving from your own home. It’s too expensive to get it on the plane, so unless you already live in Europe, you’ll need a mindset shift.
Of course, you can drive to several countries from your own American front door. These include Canada, Mexico, and Central or even South America – provided you take major safety precautions and plan for the expense of shipping your car from Panama to Colombia. If this is your plan, you can ignore the following advice.
The main way to think about road-tripping in a country to which you’ve flown is “backpacking with a car.” You still need to fit everything into your backpack, but you can get from A to B in comfort and style.