Take a road trip

A road trip is a day, or a week, where the drive is the point: you stop where the view tells you to, eat where the road takes you, and end up somewhere far from where you started. It's better with someone to share the driving, the music and the arguments over the map.

Where to do it

Ring Road, Iceland

Route 1 loops more than 1,300 km around Iceland, past waterfalls, black-sand beaches and glacier lagoons. The south coast from Reykjavik to Vík and Höfn is the classic stretch. Driving off the road is illegal, and winter storms close roads, so check conditions every morning.

Great Ocean Road, Australia

It runs 243 km along Victoria's coast from Torquay to Allansford, built by returned soldiers after the First World War as a memorial to those who died. The Twelve Apostles sea stacks are the highlight. Many drive it in a day from Melbourne, but two days in Australia are kinder.

Highway 1 through Big Sur, United States

California's coast road between Carmel and San Simeon clings to cliffs above the Pacific. Landslides close sections, sometimes for months, so check the state's road reports before you set off in this corner of the United States.

Icefields Parkway, Canada

It runs 232 km between Lake Louise and Jasper, past glaciers, the Columbia Icefield and turquoise lakes. A national park pass is required, and there's no cell coverage along the way in this part of Canada, so download maps before you go.

Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland

A 2,500 km coastal route down Ireland's west, from Donegal to Cork. Nobody does it all at once: pick a section, like Connemara, the Cliffs of Moher or the Dingle Peninsula. Roads are narrow, and you drive on the left.

North Coast 500, United Kingdom

A 516-mile (830 km) loop around the far north of Scotland, starting and ending in Inverness. Much of it is single-track road with passing places: pull in to let others by. It's one of the wildest drives in the United Kingdom, and summer is busy.

Garden Route, South Africa

Along South Africa's southern coast from Mossel Bay toward Storms River, past lagoons, forests, Knysna and Plettenberg Bay. Many start in Cape Town and take a week.

Transfăgărășan, Romania

A mountain road in hairpins over the Făgăraș mountains of Romania, built in the 1970s. The high section usually opens only in summer and early autumn, so check the dates before you plan around it.

How to make it happen

• Drive less than you think. Three to four hours a day leaves time to stop; plan breaks of at least 15 minutes every two hours, as the UK Highway Code advises.
• Check your license. Some countries require an International Driving Permit alongside your license; the rental company and the country's official site will say.
• Know the side of the road. The UK, Ireland, Australia and South Africa drive on the left.
• Fill up early. Remote roads have long gaps between fuel and charging stops.
• Download offline maps for stretches without signal.
• Take a photo at every stop, with location on: breakfast, lunch and the last view of the day.

Globestamp can turn those photos into a short film of the trip, cut to music. For a shorter version, try a day trip or a weekend by the sea.