This coastal trip hugs charming seaside villages and envelops some inimitable wonders of South Africa. Start with Cape Town and go take a look at the scenery from Table Mountain. Stunning! Then drive down along the M65 and then M4 along the coast to Murdock Valley. The drive basically follows the coast all the way to Hermanus. Keep on the M4, then M17, M9, and then take the R44 all the way to Pringle Way, along the Penguin Nature Preserve. And finally, take the R43 to reach Hermanus.

This road trip is great as it will take you all along the coast, drive slow and take the time. Rent a convertible if you can to get the full picture. The scenery is beautiful as you drive along the coast, but also when entering a bit inland, alongside vineyards. The villages are small and nice, and have a seaside atmosphere as you can only find in South Africa. This is honestly a very nice day trip to reach Hermanus, where you can stop, relax, and go whale watching. Or for the more adventurous, go shark cage diving.

Road Trip is your guide to find your perfect road

Patchwork Parkway in Utah
Utah’s Route 143, also known as Patchwork Parkway, connects Heritage Highway 89 and Scenic Byway 12. The route is 51 miles (82 kilometers) and takes about two hours to drive. With historic pioneer communities at either end, you can drive this route once traveled by Native Americans and American Pioneers as they hunted and gathered. The drive features overlooks and pullover areas where visitors can admire various peaks and plateaus, lakes, lava fields and canyons. Route 143 reaches an elevation of 10,567 feet (3,221 meters) at Cedar Breaks National Monument, making it one of the highest paved roads in Utah.

Overseas Highway in the Florida Keys
Driving on the Overseas Highway into the Florida Keys is a unique experience. This highway is a 113-mile (181-kilometer) series of roads and bridges, from the Florida mainland all the way down to our country’s southernmost point — Key West. These bridges are the survivors of Henry Flagler’s Florida East Coast Railway, intended to connect the Keys to the mainland. Construction began in 1905 and finished in 1912. The Knight’s Key Bridge — now called the Seven Mile Bridge for the nearly 7 miles (11.2 kilometers) of water it spans — is breathtaking to traverse. As you drive from Key Largo down to Key West, you can still see remnants of the old railroad bridges. Some of them abruptly end in the middle of the channel, a ghostly reminder of Flagler’s railway dreams.

Pacific Coast Highway in California
This California route is one of the most scenic in the world. Hugging cliffs and coastlines, the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) follows much of the California coast. However, only a 123-mile (198-kilometer) stretch is the official PCH, as designated by the state of California. Also called Highway 1, it takes about five hours to drive the PCH. The road often takes hairpin turns with narrow shoulders and steep drop-offs, so you must be alert at all times. Don’t forget to pull over in safe places to really enjoy the vista. As you drive along the PCH, make time for stops. You’ll pass through Big Sur, with its majestic redwoods. In Monterey Bay, lucky visitors will get a peek at sea otters playing in the water. The PCH also winds through wine country, including Sonoma County.

Going-to-the-Sun Road in Montana
Going-to-the-Sun Road is a 52-mile (84-kilometer) road that bisects Glacier National Park in Montana. The drive is about two hours long if you drive without stopping. It actually crosses the Continental Divide at Logan Pass, which is 6,646 feet (2,025 meters) high. The road passes through just about every landscape in the park — glacial lakes and valleys, alpine tundra and cedar forests. You can see actual glaciers from the road, at Jackson Glacier Overlook. Because the road was specially built to traverse the park, it’s well-populated with places to pull over and admire the view.

San Juan Skyway in Colorado
The San Juan Skyway is a 233-mile (375-kilometer) drive through the San Juan National Forest, Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests in Colorado. It takes about five hours to drive, but allowing one or two days to experience the area is preferred. This “road to the sky” provides views of the San Juan Mountains, quaint towns and ancient Native American pueblo ruins. The drive features steep cliffs, alpine forests, campgrounds and plenty of opportunities for outdoor activities. Any time of year is a good time to drive the San Juan Skyway. It simply depends on what you want to see and do. In the spring, waterfalls crash down the mountains as the snow melts from higher up. The summer brings dazzling displays of wildflowers. And in the fall, the trees put on their own show of bronze and gold leaves. If you love snow and winter sports, drive the Skyway in the winter for spectacular views and great ski resorts.

I was so bored, and it was not even one hour into the drive that I decided to change route. There was a sign to Wilson Lake, a few miles off the interstate, so I drove out of the main road and onto the 232 north. I had plenty of time and could check out this lake. I figured the road would go around with nice bends, and it would or could be fun. The scenery was as desperate as before, flat and uninteresting. However the road curiously became more interesting, for two tiny details. There was no one on the road. And the straight line was bending a bit.

The effect it had on me was just to accelerate. It felt like in a video game when you know the road is easy and you can push. And to be honest, I did push the car – to reasonable limits though – and it felt wonderful. I should not be proud of it, but I want to tell the story because I think these roads that we find everywhere in the US are dangerous. You simply cannot help it, you get the urge to push the accelerator. And I did not even have a sports car, just a normal Ford Mondeo. Imagine if I was driving a Porsche…

So please, people working the roads, be creative either in the road layout, design, or put funny stuff on the roadside so that we won’t either fall asleep or get the urge to get away as far as possible.

The drive is 17 miles long of which 13 miles is a one-way loop, and typical times for the full trip are 2 to 4 hours. 15 mph is the nominal speed limit, and some places are too rocky and bumpy to go any faster, though other sections are quite smooth (with a surface of hard pressed sand), and up to 40 mph is possible. The road can become very busy during summer days, with queues at the major overlooks; early morning is the preferred time to visit as the light is better for photography and there are far fewer people than later in the day.

There is much to see along the Valley Drive, even if many of the views are of the same formations, just at different angles, as some of the narrower buttes look quite different from one side compared to the other. This part of Monument Valley is one of the most impressive large-scale landscapes anywhere in the Southwest, rivaling places like the Grand Canyon or Yosemite for the variety of scenes to photograph. The larger mesas are not so interesting; best are the tall spires and thin buttes, and the contrasting smooth orange sand all around, since most of the park is empty desert, crossed only by a few dry washes and sandy tracks leading to Navajo settlements.

“RoadTrip.name” is your guide to organising your best road trip

The entire area is actually an ancient stone quarry used to build the cathedrals. Stones of Notre Dame in Paris come from there. Then all these corridors have been used by the Germans and the French’s during the wars to stockpile armaments, people, logistics… No less than 8,000 people lived underground. Scary. Now, the area belongs to a 4×4 enthusiast and he has drawn a track in some of the galleries. Don’t venture alone in the galleries, you would not come out.

Driving underground in these galleries is one of the most disturbing and curiously enjoyable experience I have lived. The weird thing is that you can not really see where you are driving, even with your head out of the window. Enjoyable it is when you realize exactly what you have been able to drive over, which is sometimes enormous gaps. I highly recommend this if you are in the area. You can get more info on Tematis.

“RoadTrip.name” is your guide to organising your best road trip

The boat gets you out in Le Palais, a very small and picturesque fishing village. Then the island is yours. There are two main roads in Belle Ile. One in its length (20Km), the other in its width (7Km). Off course, no straight lines here, and that’s what makes it fun. You also have many small roads, even dirt roads, to get you into smaller hamlets. The drive is great, and the scenery is simply fantastic. Belle Ile en Mer combines what Brittany is all about: rugged coast, sandy beaches with crystal clear water, tiny hamlets, a bit of countryside in the heart of the island and sea food. And to top it off, I was driving a toy…

Secma is French constructor. They only produce fun or utility cars that are shaped on the chassis of small French cars like the Peugeot 206. They keep the engine as well and that delivers a stunning light car, with powerful accelerations. Of course it does not go superfast as a GT car, but it is quick enough to give you very good sensations, especially when taking over and turning corners at speed. This car is so excellent that even Bill Clinton and some Hollywood celebrities have purchased it. If ever you get a chance to drive this car, and most of them seem to be rented in Belle Ile en Mer, do not hesitate and get in.

“RoadTrip.name” is your guide to organising your best road trip

But more interesting is the land in the heart of Italy, with its rolling hills and beautiful cypress, the chianti vineyards in the north and the amazing landscapes. What is there to see and visit in Tuscany: the cities of Florence, Arezzo, Siena… you should also find plenty of time to visit vineyards and other olive producers, but more importantly you should find a car that sticks on the road and lets you get plenty of that burning sun!

And for this, we teamed up with Elite Rent a car, the luxury car rental specialist. We have been able to tour the best roads of Tuscany in the Ferrari 599GTB Fiorano. Great looking car, great comfort, great acceleration, great wow effect, all checked! During our trip we have avoided the highways and big roads, driving only on back country roads, and this is where we had the best fun. Of course, we did not use the extreme power of the Ferrari, but still, it was fantastic to press the pedal and feel the acceleration. And driving the winding roads, the Ferrari did its job and stuck to the road all the time. Elite rent such cars for about 3.000 USD/euro for three days – more expensive than your traditional compact but worth every penny!

Worth exploring, the smaller roads around Pisa towards the countryside. Nice smaller towns. The drive from Florence to Siena – driving the back roads – was one of the best. And Siena and simply one of the nicest towns in Italy. Also stunning, the drives from Boccheggiano to Montepescali on the tiny roads. The entire area is filled with rolling hills, valleys, single lane drives, vineyards… It was a fantastic trip and I am truly looking forward to going back to explore a bit more.

“RoadTrip.name” is your guide to organising your best road trip

Driving along this road is simply fantastic. Put on some good music – I have decided to go for the locals – and simply enjoy the ride. The views are quite spectacular, especially as you come along the bigger glacier and then along the coast. From mountains, to plains, crossing rivers and lakes, marsh lands, all sights are enchanting. And this road is great too. One lane in both directions, and that’s it. How would you imagine your freeway with just one lane… People have been a big part of this trip too. Icelandic people are built with something different than the rest of us. Probably this good mix of fire and ice. In the middle of the financial crisis, Iceland has been flushed out of the growing economies, and still, the people are resilient, still open to the world and ready to share their amazing land and experience. Iceland is a very different country and I certainly did not expect this kind of magic. Now I know, I will come back.

“RoadTrip.name” is your guide to organising your best road trip

There are many sites you can visit en route, so ideally take three or four days, a long weekend, to make sure you don’t miss out on anything. You can visit whisky distilleries, trek in Glencoe – stunning – go kayaking or sailing in Fort William, visit the Loch Ness museum in search of the monster, meet many people along the way but also enjoy the loneliness of the drive as you will not cross many people on the roads. Most of all, enjoy the scenery of stunning mountains, snow capped in winter, barren brown from Spring.

The landscape is one of the most beautiful you can find. Wild, natural, perfect. You first stop from Stirling would be Glencoe, which is about two hours away. The scenery is magnificent as the more you approach Glencoe, the more you will drive towards the mountains and deep valleys. Many people come to Glencoe to trek. And it is easy understand why as the mountains are beautiful. Take the time to go hiking and find a place to spend the night. There are just three or four pubs around so it is easy to meet many hikers at the end of the day and share the experience.

After Glencoe, drive towards Fort William and then Fort Augustus. There it is! Probably one of the most famous lakes in the world, the Loch Ness. It is so long you can see the end of it. Tucked between mountains, the lake is superb, deep blue, and the road is winding along its coast. Drive to Urquart Casltle, which at the middle of the lake. The road leading to the Castle from From Augustus is really fun to drive with a stunning view over the loch. Rest at Urquart and visit the ruins of the castle. You will also benefit from another view of the Loch Ness. Close by is the Loch Ness museum where you can learn a lot about the lake and of course, the monster.

Then drive north towards the tip of Scotland. The scenery slowly changes, the mountains get browner, the land more barren. You cross fewer cars from this point on. We will drive up north on the A835 up to a certain point when we turn left into the A832. This road leads to Ullapool via the coast. It offers a new perspective on Scotland, with crystal clear waters, sandy beaches. Once in a while we cross a tiny village of four houses and its pub. People here are deep into nature. The drive is simply fantastic with a mix of coast, mountains, marshes, small lakes… and then you reach Ullapool. This small city is ok, but it opens on a nice bay. The pub right on the coast is the ideal place to drink a pint and relax from the journey. When we got there it was actually 10pm and still light. The sun sets about 11pm here; it is the same latitude as Stockholm. It feels a bit strange but it perfects this amazing drive.

“RoadTrip.name” is your guide to organising your best road trip

We are renting for a week, based on a price mid July. Our first pick is the Ford Mustang convertible. Nice car, lots of style, and to go at 560 USD for a week. Ideal to cruise the strip and enjoy the desert dust. Then I have to say the other cool car is the Lincoln Navigator, at 990 USD for a week. A bit expensive. The problem we think is that there is not really a car on offer that one would like to drive a part from these two. At 390 USD you get a Hyundai Accent – you will probably run faster than the car; a Chevrolet Impala at 486 USD – come on… There are many other cars that would deserve to be rented instead of these wheels.

With Avis, the only choice of convertible is a Sebring, which is ok as it has boot space. But it will cost you about 620 USD for the week. And if you are interested in a SUV, you will get the Chevrolet Tahoe at 840 USD. This is expensive as it is definitely not as sexy as the Navigator with Hertz. The other cars you can rent are the typical round shape – what car is it? – type of thing. With Budget, you can get a Ford Mustang for 426 USD. This is quite a good price. And if you want the SUV to go cruising on dust roads in the desert, the Expedition is available at 550 USD. Budget have tried to bring more choice on the SUV segment and you can also pick up a Jeep Cherokee, a Ford Escape and Explorer.

We could try many other car rental companies, including Alamo, but the facts are often the same, it is difficult to rent a sexy car as the offer is not quite good. The car rental companies will argue that it is always possible to rent a Porsche or other exotic cars, but they are simply not on offer simply on the web. Many car rental companies in Vegas have understood the need for people to drive something that actually has a shape. Hence, you can find many exotic car rental companies. Cars will be expensive, but treat yourself for a day or two to enjoy the ride before turning them back and driving back to your hotel in a Camry…

“RoadTrip.name” is your guide to organising your best road trip