I'm an American who drove outside the US for the first time. Here are 7 things that surprised me.

• I visited Iceland in June and rented a car to drive myself around.

• It was my first time driving outside the US.

• I was surprised by unpaved roads, traffic circles, and beautiful views right off the highway.

I'd never driven outside the US until this summer, when I rented a car to drive myself around Iceland.

I've visited countries with different driving rules than the US, such as New Zealand and Scotland, but I either used public transportation or was traveling with friends who felt more comfortable taking the wheel.

While researching my trip to Iceland, I found that renting a car is widely regarded as the best way to see the country since there isn't much public transportation. I'm a pretty experienced driver, having gotten my license almost 15 years ago, but I was still surprised by some aspects of driving abroad.

While booking my rental car, I was surprised to find that most of the available cars had manual transmissions.

Most people in Europe learn to drive cars with stick shifts, and the vast majority of cars sold there have manual transmissions. However, I don't know how to drive stick, so I made sure to double check that I was booking a car with automatic transmission.

I made a reservation with Economy Rent A Car through Hotwire, a third-party booking site where I tend to find lower prices. I paid $348.66 for five days.

When I landed in Iceland, I expected to pick up my rental car at the airport, but only a few companies were actually located onsite.

At Iceland's Keflavik International Airport, only four rental car companies have counters in the arrivals terminal: Avis, Budget, Europcar, and Hertz.

The rental company I used, Economy Rent A Car, was located about a 10-minute ride away via a shuttle that only came every 30 minutes, which could be one reason why it was cheaper than its competitors.

While other airports — including airports in the US — have this setup, as a first-time driver out of the country, it was the first time I had experienced it.

I found that unpaved roads are fairly common in Iceland.

There are three types of roads in Iceland: paved roads, gravel roads, and F-1 or mountain roads that are only open for parts of the summer and require four-wheel drive to navigate safely.

According to Frommer's, only about one third of all roads in Iceland are paved.

I found that all of the main streets and highways were paved, but roads leading to many tourist sites such as waterfalls or rural hotels were made of gravel. Because gravel roads can kick up rocks and damage the body or windshield of a car, my rental company recommended gravel protection insurance as part of its platinum insurance package, which cost €31 (about $34) per day.

I also learned that not all unpaved paths are meant to be driven on.

While visiting a black sand beach in Vík, I encountered a group of tourists whose car got stuck in the sand. I tried to help them push the vehicle out of the hole, but it just kept sinking deeper.

There was a one-lane gravel road that led to the beach, but it appeared that this group drove too close to the shore and ended up in the soft sand by mistake. I made a mental note to proceed with caution on unpaved roads and to make sure I had my rental company's phone number for roadside assistance saved in my contacts.

I'm not used to driving around traffic circles, but I learned quickly since they're everywhere in Iceland.

I've seen traffic circles while riding buses in other countries like Scotland and Israel, but I rarely encounter them while driving myself in the US. It took me a few days to feel confident in navigating these two-lane roundabouts, which often replace traffic lights at intersections, but I got the hang of it by the end of my five-day trip.

I was amazed to see such beautiful landscapes and majestic waterfalls located just off the main highway.

While driving two-and-a-half hours from Reykjavík to Vík, I followed Iceland's main highway, Route 1, for most of the trip. As I journeyed further along the south coast, I couldn't believe how so many gorgeous sites were located so close to the highway. Whenever I noticed a waterfall or scenic spot from the road, it was easy to take a quick detour to check it out.

In my experience, views like that are usually the long-awaited reward at the end of a challenging hike.

Compared to driving in New York City, Iceland was a breeze. I don't think I heard a single person honk their horn.

Though I grew up in the Midwest, I've now lived in New York City for over 10 years and have become accustomed to its aggressive driving style. I was surprised to find that even if a driver didn't zoom through a light as soon as it turned green, drivers in Iceland seemed content to wait patiently instead of blasting their horns.

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