The interest in taking domestic holidays, particularly road trips, increased dramatically in the summer of 2022. While outlooks changed during lockdown, this also was in part due to a number of airline providers like British Airways cancelling 10,300 flights from their schedule between August and October, there is something enticing about loading up your car and hitting the road.
And there are some road trip journeys around the world that have become so iconic that holiday seekers could be enticed to travelling to different countries and renting a car like a used Audi A1 to drive the routes and see the sights.
In this article, we’ll list some of the best road trips around the globe that you can fly to and experience what they offer.
Route 66 – United States of America
There aren’t many motorways in the world that have become iconic from the imagery of its road signs, but Route 66 has that place in American popular culture. Beginning in the east in Chicago, Illinois and spanning across the country to finish on the spectacular Santa Monica Pier in Los Angeles, California, the motorway covers eight states, three time zones, and 2,400 miles. It’s even influenced established artists and authors along the way, with John Steinbeck using the road to help create the world of his novel, The Grapes of Wrath.
Each state in America offers unique cultures, sights, and even cuisines to experience, making Route 66 a must-experience for lovers of all things motoring and road trips. There is so much to see, it can take you three weeks to complete, obviously, depending on how many times you stop along the way.
If you’re planning your trip through America’s most famous road, we highly advise you to stop at the Grand Canyon. This national landmark covers 1,904 square miles in total and is larger than Rhode Island, which is its own state. The Canyon is a marvel of a landscape that needs to be witnessed in person to truly experience it.
The Alaska Highway – Canada to Alaska
Staying in North America, 2022 marked the 80th anniversary of beginning the construction of the Alaska Highway, also known as the ALCAN (Alaska-Canada) Highway. The road was originally constructed to connect the mainland United States to Alaska through Canada during World War II, and now the motorway is visited for a week-long tour throughout the two countries.
Spanning 1,387 miles, the sights of pine trees and mountain ranges attract around 300,000 visitors a year who arrive in Dawson Creek, British Columbia, to experience the sights and sounds to end in Delta Junction, Alaska. There are plenty of stops you can make along the way, such as the S.S. Klondike National Historic Site in Whitehorse, where you can learn more about one of the last remaining steam-powered paddlewheelers.
Great Ocean Road – Australia
Looking for a warmer weather road trip than the cold winds of Canada and Alaska? Victoria, Australia’s south coast, offers the Great Ocean Road. Commencing in Torquay, only an hour away from Melbourne, this National Heritage Listed road stretches 240 kilometres and concludes in Allansford.
One thing that prospective road trippers may not be aware of is that it’s one of the world’s largest war memorials. Dedicated to the lives of the Australian soldiers who fought in the First World War, construction began in 1919 after the war had ended, and the Memorial Arch at the eastern-most point of the route is a further tribute to their memory.
There’s plenty on offer while you drive through this route, with one of the most iconic being the 12 Apostles. These giant limestone stacks stand over the coastline, having been formed over millions of years of erosion, and seven of the original still stand after the eighth collapsed in 2005. If you choose to stop at Teddy’s Lookout on your drive, not only do you get to observe the natural beauty of geological occurrences in the Apostles themselves, but you can also drink in the stunning scenes of the ocean stretching over the horizon.
You don’t have to travel around the world to experience a road trip. As cheesy as the adage of it “not being about the destination, but all about the journey”, it’s surprisingly true. A drive from your hometown to a city in the UK you’ve always wanted to visit could be a journey that helps you discover more about yourself than you thought was possible. All you need is a car, some fuel (or charge!), and a general plan. Our only advice, these trips are much better experienced with friends.