5 Road Trips Around the World to Take Before You Die
Why limit yourself? You won’t just find amazing road trips within the lower 48 states. Grab some plane tickets, get a rental car and start adventuring with these five road trips – from Vietnam to Italy – to take before you die.
Hai Van Pass, Vietnam
Courtesy *etoile
The Hai Van Pass, a 13-mile (21-kilometer) stretch in Vietnam acts a boundary between the north and south portions of the country. Fortifications built by the French are scattered along the way, and the BBC television show “Top Gear” called it “a deserted ribbon of perfection – one of the best coast roads in the world.”
Seward, AK to Denali National Park
Courtesy Unhindered by Talent
Seward Highway often shows up in lists of great American road trips, and it’s easy to see why. Start out in the small town of Seward (population 3,000) and take in the scenery as you drive 127-miles (204-kilometers) north to Alaska’s largest city, where you can rest up in a variety of Anchorage hotels. That also brings you to the end of Seward Highway, but if you continue north to George Parks Highway, you’ll eventually find your way into Denali National Park. Here you’ll encounter the highest peak in North America: Mount McKinley.
Atlantic Ocean Road, Norway
Courtesy Ernst Vikne
The stunning Atlantic Road is a five 5.2-mile (8.3-kilometer) long stretch of road with low bridges and four panoramic viewpoints. It links islands between the towns of Molde and Kristiansund. British newspaper The Guardian named it the world’s best road trip in 2006, and it’s been a popular road for car advertisements. If you decide to take the road trip in July, you can catch Molde’s famed international jazz festival.
Great Ocean Road, Australia
Courtesy a.meins
If you were to confuse Atlantic Ocean Road with Great Ocean Road, I have a feeling you’d be just fine with either trip. Australia’s 151-mile (243-kilometer) Great Ocean Road runs along its southeastern coast, and acts as the world’s largest war memorial (in dedication to World War I casualties). In fact, the road was built by soldiers returning home between 1919 and 1932. Be sure to make a pit-stop at the Great Ocean Walk and see the 12 Apostles, a magnificent set of rock stacks, up close.
Amalfi Coast, Italy
Courtesy archer10
Find yourself on the Italian coast, along the Tyrrhenian Sea on SS163. You may want to check out the Amalfi Coast when it isn’t tourist season because the narrow roads become incredibly crowded otherwise. It’s one of the most beautiful drives you’ll find in all of Europe – if not the world.
Image credits: All images used under the Creative Commons license.
This post was written by Bryden McGrath, a freelance journalist and photographer, intern, and recent college graduate from Seattle.
Tags: Destinations, road trips, world travel
