Are you looking for that sense of freedom you lost one day, not knowing if it was between early starts and traffic jams, on your office desk full of papers, or under bills that are intentionally gathering dust? If you need to get it back, the best place to find that lost freedom is to go on a road trip. Grab the car, the van, the motorhome, the motorcycle, or whatever you prefer and set off to drive along the most brutal scenic roads, through deserts or between volcanoes and jungles.
Road trip destinations outside Europe where driving is addictive
Kilometer by kilometer you will regain that longed-for feeling of freedom. If you like driving, it is clear that a road trip is a type of travel made for you. But if you prefer to be driven, get comfortable in the passenger seat, choose your favorite music, and enjoy the scenery.
I suggest five international road trips to inspire you and make your eagerness to hit the road grow. From the wildest and most adventurous ones like Alaska and the route from Namibia to Botswana, to the relaxed pace of Costa Rica, passing through the surprising Israel but without forgetting the ultimate road trip destination, the West Coast of the United States. I’ll leave you with my 5 best road trips outside of Europe and you choose which road to take.
Alaska by motorhome, the wildest road trip
The last frontier is the ultimate destination for a road trip if adventure and nature are your things. Alaska has all the necessary ingredients for the trip to be a success and become an unforgettable adventure. To its endless scenic roads that compete with each other with spectacular landscapes, are added the nearly endless hours of light thanks to the midnight sun (if you travel in summer) which allow you to keep driving without stopping—and believe me when I say you won’t want to stop.
In Alaska, every straight stretch is a brutal wallpaper and after every curve, a surprise in the form of a glacier, forest, or even a bear crosses your path. In case you had few incentives, I’ll add that it is one of the few places where you can spend the night at almost any roadside pull-off and keep in mind that here the pull-offs are usually, at the very least, viewpoints with luxury views where waking up is not an obligation but a pleasure. What do you think of this lake, for example?
In Alaska, only 10% of the territory is accessible by road, but I assure you that this 10% is pure gold for a road trip. My three-week route through Alaska by motorhome proved it to me. From Anchorage to the Kenai Peninsula, coastal towns like Seward await you. A stretch that allows you to do everything from sailing through fjords, to almost touching Exit Glacier with your fingertips, watching bears fishing for salmon in the Kasilof River or having a beer with the locals in the curious town of Homer.
The route continues on the way to Valdez where you can look out at some of the most impressive glaciers guarded by sea otters and sea lions. And if your spirit of adventure asks for more, dare to venture onto McCarthy Road to reach one of the most remote places in Alaska, the old town of McCarthy, a real journey back in time. Add to that the old Kenicott mine and the experience of feeling the Root Glacier under your feet and the effort of arriving via this battered road will have been worth it.
Go north to Paxon to venture across the Denali Highway, one of the best scenic roads in Alaska that runs between tundra and lakes. On the other side, Denali National Park awaits you, a true gem that you cannot miss and from where, with luck, you can spot the silhouette of the highest mountain in North America, although to venture in as far as possible you must leave your car and take the bus that runs through the interior.
Namibia and Botswana, the most adventurous road trip
If you thought Alaska was perhaps too much adventure for you, wait until you discover one of the most beautiful road trips in Africa. Again, three weeks to devour, in this case, more dirt than asphalt during a self-drive expedition from Namibia to Botswana aboard a powerful 4×4. A 4×4 that also served as accommodation by carrying a tent on the roof. However, this road trip is not suitable for everyone, I warn you.
Now it’s time to learn how to drive through the sand of the oldest desert in the world, the Namib Red Desert where you can get out of the car to contemplate one postcard view after another. This sea of red dunes flirts with a restless Atlantic Ocean whose strength you can contemplate from the window if you drive along Skeleton Road. Give my regards to the colony of sea lions that lives at Cape Cross.
Keep driving until you reach Etosha National Park to do your first safari and go in search of lions with your camera without getting out of the 4×4. When a herd of elephants passes before you, brushing against the car, you will feel the adrenaline of this road trip. Before that, I recommend not missing seeing cheetahs in Otjitotongwe and getting to know a Himba tribe up close.
Cross the Caprivi Strip until you reach Botswana where the driving adventure becomes even more extreme. Get the shovel ready in case your wheels get stuck in the sand of the inhospitable Moremi National Park where you can spend the night surrounded by wild animals with the only protection provided by the car. Get ready to see a hippopotamus prowling next to the car in the middle of the night or even an elephant in Chobe National Park.
Cross the border from Kasane into Zimbabwe to look out at the impressive Victoria Falls. Back in Botswana, leave the car for a while and swap it for a mokoro, a traditional canoe, to travel in slow motion through the Okavango Delta. This river is the only one in the world that does not end in the sea but in a desert, the Kalahari. If you prefer the air, you can scout the delta from a bird’s-eye view from a small plane; I highly recommend it.
End this road trip through Namibia and Botswana in a 4×4 by spending some time with the Bushmen tribe before returning to Windhoek to return your home on wheels, from which you have heard lions roar and in which you have swallowed a lot, a lot of dust.
West Coast, the ultimate road trip
Without a doubt, the West Coast is the quintessential classic destination if you’re thinking about taking a road trip across the United States. And it’s no wonder because the catalog of attractions it offers leaves no one indifferent. The most common route is to travel, mile by mile, the stretch between Los Angeles and San Francisco where most of the must-sees for a West Coast road trip are concentrated. Depending on your time, budget, and interests, it’s up to you to choose where to drive.
This time, there were two weeks to travel the West Coast by motorhome, and the chosen route was from Las Vegas to San Francisco. Very tight considering that a one-year-old baby joined the trip, setting a slower pace. Take note, if you travel with children, a motorhome will be a total success for a road trip.
Long distances but giant rewards that make you forget the hours on the road. To start, Bryce Canyon with its geological grandeur that draws fairy chimneys, giving you a labyrinth of earth and stone that is simply hypnotic. But watch out, because behind it come two other fascinating landscapes molded by water and erosion: Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend.
Step on the gas heading to Monument Valley with its landscapes of the Wild West portrayed endlessly on the big screen frame by frame. And although it seems hard to top, if you keep driving along the West Coast, his majesty the Grand Canyon awaits you, a gigantic rift that promises to drain your camera battery by posing shamelessly for your lens. If your wallet allows it, park the car for a while and hop on a helicopter to see it from the air.
Fill up the tank well because this road trip still has many miles left to flirt with the legendary Route 66 and appear in Sequoia National Park where you’ll trade rugged truckers for gigantic trees. Continue until you enter Yosemite with the idyllic hope of seeing bears. This hope takes a back seat when you admire the brutal landscapes of this park. Start slowing down because you’re reaching San Francisco and it’s time to swap the motorhome for dizzying trams.
Costa Rica, relax and drive
Pura vida, mae. You’ll hear this typical Costa Rican expression endlessly as you drive through this little piece of Central America. People come to small but vast Costa Rica to immerse themselves in the most exuberant nature, in an incredible biodiversity. With a small SUV, I hopped from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean on a road trip where you end up soaking in the relaxed pace of the ‘ticos’ and dreaming of buying a wooden house to watch monkeys, sloths, and toucans cross your garden.
Prepare to get frustrated at times with stretches that don’t even look like roads, but don’t worry, because by the time you reach the peculiar Costa Rican Caribbean it will have passed. To reach the remote village of Tortuguero, which is a must-see, you’ll have to leave the car because it’s hidden among canals, and the reggae vibe of Cahuita will also help you relax.
Continue your road trip through Costa Rica into the interior to jump from volcano to volcano, from Poas to Arenal, and as a bonus track, take a walk among the treetops or glide between them on a zipline in the Santa Elena cloud forest in Monteverde.
On the Atlantic, I invite you to live two unforgettable experiences: watching turtles nest at Playa Grande and falling in love with Manuel Antonio National Park with postcard-perfect beaches where raccoons scavenge while crocodiles watch them.
Israel, let the road surprise you
Surely if you’re thinking about where to go on a road trip, this country isn’t one of the first that comes to mind. Well, you should know that from now on it should be. Israel is a surprising destination and perfect for discovering behind the wheel. Manageable distances, roads in good condition, and many attractions that manage to banish false beliefs, leaving you hooked on this country.
And if you only have one week, as was my case, you have to choose very carefully what to see in Israel because the offer is very wide. The first stop on this road trip was Caesarea with its Roman ruins and then Acre, which hides a Crusader city underground. After that, history awaited in Nazareth and the remote St. George’s Monastery carved into the rock.
Driving along the shores of the Dead Sea, stopping at an authentic oasis in Ein Gedi, facing military history at Masada at dawn, and releasing adrenaline in a 4×4 in the heart of the desert well justify this road trip. Take a little detour to see the acropolis of Avdat, a World Heritage site. A few kilometers later, flirt with vertigo at Mitzpe Ramon looking out over Israel’s grand canyon.
Speed up because you still have two must-sees left to visit on this trip to the Holy Land, two sister cities that are pure contrast. Park the car to stroll through historical Jerusalem and pay attention to listen to its soundtrack and understand traditions such as shabbat. Then, get back in the car and finish this international road trip in Tel Aviv either at the beach or watching the sunset in Jaffa.
These are just 5 international road trip proposals, the ones I’ve done, but obviously, there are many more. I hope to expand the list when I’ve driven through other destinations, in the meantime…
Tell me which road trip outside Europe you would include in this list.
