5 Best Road Trips in the World

5 Best Road Trips in the World - US National Parks

5 Best Road Trips in the World

Going on a month-long great American road trip right after we quit our jobs in Dubai to travel full-time was an epic way to start our new adventures, and it immediately got us thinking about the other best road trips in the world we can plan next! 

While there are endless trips that could be included in the best road trips in the world, here are our top five, in no particular order, that we'd love to tackle next starting with the one we're on now!

5 Best Road Trips in the World - US West Coast National Parks

We knew that planning a month-long road trip through the US would be a daunting task, so after months of planning and researching, we decided to just focus on the west coast of the US, going through National Parks in Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, Utah and Colorado. 

We have been absolutely shocked at how beautiful the nature in the USA has been and the vast and varied landscapes we've been through. It is fantastic, for Jeff especially, to find reasons to love the USA again :) 

Starting in Oregon we visited Multnomah Falls and Crater Lake, both absolutely stunning - how have we never heard much about these before?! We then drove into Northern California where we went on the greatest trail run of our lives in the Redwoods National Park outside of Crescent City - such an amazing park! 

Continuing through Arizona and camping in the Grand Canyon, Moab and Arches National Park in Utah and Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado will give you an insane, beautiful, stunning and incredible US west coast road trip you'll never forget!

For travelers coming from Dubai, Hertz.ae handles all outbound travel from the UAE and can quickly and easily set you up before you arrive to the US. Join their Gold Plus Rewards program and you can walk straight to the lot, pick your car, and escape with no need to wait in line. 

Duration: 2 weeks to 3 months

Not to Miss: Crater Lake, Redwoods National Park, Malibu, Grand Canyon, Havasupai Falls, Moab, Rocky Mountain National Park

Our Picks: 

- Rental Car/Transportation: Hertz and Uber

- Accommodation: Airbnb ($25 free credit) and Booking.com

- Flights: Skyscanner and Emirates

- Travel Insurance: Allianz Travel Insurance

Looking out at the vast sunrise beauty in Arches National Park, Utah - July 2018

Looking out at the vast sunrise beauty in Arches National Park, Utah - July 2018

 

5 Best Road Trips in the World - Ring Road in Iceland

If you've followed this blog for more than a couple days, you'll know that Iceland is possibly our favorite country on Earth! We've spent time there filming 48 Hours in Iceland Summer and 48 Hours in Iceland Winter video travel guides, and have loved every moment of our time there - however we have never been able to complete the entire Ring Road. 

We're planning another visit to the land of fire and ice and cannot wait to rent a van for a few weeks, live like the hobos we are, and travel around this stunning, stunning country! This is definitely one of the best road trips in the world not to be missed, and to do it quickly before the masses show up even more than they already have. 

The only thing you'll have to decide is winter or summer - we can't tell you which we love more :)

Duration: 2-4 weeks

Not to Miss: Thingvellir National Park, Gullfoss waterfall, Geysir hot spring, Skogafoss, Kirkjubaejarklaustur village, Vatnajokull National Park, East Fjords, Black Sand Beach close to Vic in the south, and Eyjafjordur or Skagafjordur. 

Our Picks: 

- Rental Car/Transportation: Hertz or Blue Car Rental

- Accommodation: Airbnb ($25 free credit) and Booking.com

- Flights: Skyscanner has the cheapest options from WOW and Icelandair 

- Travel Insurance: Allianz Travel Insurance

Sitting on our rental car gazing at the beauty of the Ring Road in Iceland on our way to Olfsvik - June 2016

Sitting on our rental car gazing at the beauty of the Ring Road in Iceland on our way to Olfsvik - June 2016

 

5 Best Road Trips in the World - Cape Town to Durbin

South Africa is an absolutely stunning destination with quite shockingly beautiful scenery, but sadly too few tourists take advantage of all this amazing country has to offer or only stick to very specific tourist areas. While Cape Town is an amazing city with tons to see, driving the Garden Route along the southern coast of the African continent to Durbin, is one of the best road trips in the world no doubt. 

Starting off with a few days in Cape Town by the sea, visiting the amazing Mzoli's in Gugulethu for the best braii you've ever had, and heading out on The Stellenbosch Wine Route, you'll continue along the south coast to the Cape of Good Hope, you can go shark cage diving, see penguins and learn to surf before making it to Durbin. Also, make sure to leave room to escape to the Transkei region for a true escape into rest and relaxation.

Duration: 1-3 weeks

Not to Miss: Knysna Lagoon, Mossel Bay, Garden Route National Park, Cape of Good Hope, Table Mountain National Park, Boulders Beach for penguins. 

Our Picks: 

- Rental Car/Transportation: Hertz and Uber

- Accommodation: Airbnb ($25 free credit) and Booking.com

- Flights: Skyscanner and Emirates direct from Dubai to Cape Town

- Travel Insurance: Allianz Travel Insurance

 

5 Best Road Trips in the World - South Africa Garden Route

5 Best Road Trips in the World - Van Trip Around Australia

Now this is one of the most epic best road trips in the world which has been on our, and most, travelers bucket list for years. For some reason doing a road trip around Australia in a van seems like the most amazing escape we can imagine and we've dreamed of it for a long time - and continue to look for ways to plan it on our trip around the world. 

Starting in Sydney and ending in Perth, your best bet will probably be to buy a car from a site like Gumtree, stuff it with your belongings, the best road trip playlist, a cooler full of goodies and head out on the open road into the Australian outback. 

We have a few dream trips up our sleeve and this one continues to be at the top of our list after seeing how much we fell in love with living out of our car and cooler in the US this month. What's not to love about forgetting all your worries on the Great Ocean Road and seeing things like Mount Eccles National Park, seeing 12 apostles by helicopter, and swimming with dolphins in Queenscliff? The best plan seems to be to buy a solid second hand car, live out of it and adventure for a couple months and then sell it at the end of the journey - sounds good to us - we'v loved living out of a car for the last month!

Duration: 1-2 months

Not to Miss: The 12 Apostles, Gibson Steps, Loch Ard Gorge, London Arch (London Bridge), Walks in Port Campbell National Park, and Bay of Islands.

Our Picks: 

- Buy a Second Hand Car: Gumtree

- Accommodation: Airbnb ($25 free credit) and Booking.com

- Flights: Skyscanner and Emirates direct from Dubai to Sydney

- Travel Insurance: Allianz Travel Insurance

5 Best Road Trips in the World - Australia Great Ocean Road

 

5 Best Road Trips in the World - The Coast of Chile

Chile is a place that has held a special place in our hearts since Jeff spent two months in the country nearly 10 years ago, but we've both dreamed of heading back to drive all the way down the coast from the Atacama, the world's dryest desert, to the stunning views of Patagonia, maybe the most epic nature in the world, and ending in Punto Arenas, the gateway to Antarctica. 

This surely must be in the list of the best road trips in the world as no other has quite the variety of natural landscapes and climates as Chile does. Not the mention the ability to stop and fly out to East Island for the truly adventurous, no matter what nature you love best you're bound to find it on a road trip in Chile. 

Twenty plus years after the end of the Pinochet regime, Chile is enjoying a cultural and artistic revolution with an explosion of young entertainers, artists, musicians and movements which are turning the country into one of the top destinations to visit in South America.

Duration: 2-3 weeks (plus Antarctica if you're awesome enough)

Not to Miss: San Pedro de Atacama, Santiago's bustling city center, Valle de Elqui, visiting the colorful streets of Valparaiso, Torres del Paine park in the South. 

Our Picks: 

- Rental Car/Transportation: Hertz and Uber

- Accommodation: Airbnb ($25 free credit) and Booking.com

- Flights: Skyscanner and Emirates direct from Dubai to Santiago with a stop in Sao Paulo

- Travel Insurance: Allianz Travel Insurance

5 Best Road Trips in the World - Coast of Chile

Planning your own epic road trip? Let us help

 

With this amazing list of the 5 best road trips in the world you surely can't go wrong and with a little bit of travel planning, research, and saving the road trip of a lifetime can be right around the corner! 

Anything we missed? Have a favorite road trip to add to the list? Let us know in the comments below and we'll add it to the updated 2019 version. 

Happy travels!