The world’s best road trips for 2022

The beauty of a road trip is the journey, not only the destination – allowing you to make your own adventure along the way. Meandering through the countryside is a great way to relax and to find out what it’s really like to live as a local in the destination, whilst travelling at your own pace, on your own terms, provides you with a sense of freedom and flexibility.

So, be it a self-drive supercar trip across Europe, sustainable electric motorcycle drives in Portugal, family friendly road trips in the Highlands of Scotland, or a cruise along America’s famous Route 66, a road trip should be your priority in 2022. Here are some of the best examples from around the world.

Adrenaline Packed Group Supercar Tours with Ultimate Driving Tours

For an adrenaline packed driving adventure, Ultimate Driving Tours’ series of Supercar Tours are the jewel in the crown of luxury travel. With the opportunity to drive the full fleet of the latest release supercar tours, these four-to-six night tours are group trips, providing the perfect opportunity to meet other enthusiasts for the finer things in life, or to book exclusively with a group of friends.

Embark on an incredible gourmet journey and celebrate the legendary guide that brought diving and gastronomy together: Michelin, with Beautiful Cars and Michelin Stars Supercar Tour (9-15 June 2022), featuring France’s most iconic wine regions, or a Swiss Supercar Tour (27 June – 1 July 2022), including alpine roads and stays in the finest Swiss lodges in Lucerne, Geneva and Andermatt, with the opportunity to round the trip off with VIP access to Goodwood Festival of Speed.

For a trip that’s quintessentially Italian, the Supercar Tour d’Italia (3-9 September or 12-18 September 2022) includes the opportunity to drive some of Italy's greats – including Lamborghini and Ferrari – on incredible roads including Top Gear crew’s all-time favourite, Stelvio Pass, as well as phenomenal food and wine, a tour of the Ferrari Museum in Maranello and the opportunity to begin or conclude the tour with a weekend at the legendary Italian Grand Prix.

The Route-e Project: an epic sustainable tour through Portugal 

The Rout-e Project offers five sustainable routes across Portugal including Central Portugal, Lisbon, Alentejo and the Algarve with each route spanning approximately 200 kilometres and taking five days to complete, travelling on 100% high-performance electric motorcycles. This unique project promotes sustainable mobility, slower travel, enhanced connection with nature, culture and local cuisine in each region, whilst maintaining authenticity and social responsibility.

Travellers will be able to enjoy travelling through natural landscapes and striking mountains whilst exploring peaceful villages, stunning vineyards and historical and cultural landmarks. Rout-e is one of the most sustainable ways of getting to know Portugal whilst offering culturally enriching experiences.

The fantastic Finnish road trip 

A classic Finnish road trip will entail driving through dense pine forests, sweeping farmlands and more lakes than you can possibly count. Traversing the rural roads of Finland can also give a greater sense of freedom and will showcase some areas you otherwise might not have seen. 

Enjoy road trip tours such as a journey discovering architectural gems built by world-famous Finnish architect, Alvar Aalto, in the Helsinki and Lakeland regions. You’ll start in the Finnish capital, visit the nearby city of Espoo, then head to Lahti and Jyväskylä in Lakeland.

Alternatively, you can head north to Lapland to experience what’s considered the most beautiful road in Finland. Route 970 hugs the Teno River between the villages of Utsjoki and Karigasniemi and holds the title of most beautiful road in the country. This road was built atop the old footpath between the villages, and it alternates between descending to the river level and ascending on high to reveal stunning valley vistas. 

A family road trip to the Highlands

Newton Lodge, Kylesku Hotel, Royal Marine Hotel, Brora and Royal Golf Hotel, Dornoch are positioned perfectly along the NC500 for a family friendly road trip to the Highlands with Highland Coast Hotels, allowing guests to enjoy the spring months with family whilst taking in the gorgeous surroundings on an action-packed break. 

Begin a road trip that kids will love with a stay at Newton Lodge, a cosy and family-friendly boutique hotel located in the northwest Scottish Highlands, where McKenzie Mountaineering aims to capture the rugged beauty of the Highlands by offering walks all year round. Next, take a trip to Kylesku Hotel, which is a short drive away from Newton Lodge and the next pitstop in a family friendly road trip adventure. 

The Royal Golf Hotel, Dornoch is next on the agenda. This beautiful hotel is located only a little over an hour’s drive from the city of Inverness on the East Coast of the NC500. And for the final leg of the road trip, stay at Royal Marine Hotel, Brora, which reopens in mid-April following a full refurbishment, where the whole family can take part in action-packed activities such as clay shooting and archery.

Causeway Coastal Route, Northern Ireland    

The Causeway Coastal Route is a 120 mile route which travels through picture-perfect villages, ruined castles balanced on cliff edges, and stunning rugged coastline. Starting off in the vibrant city of Belfast with its famed murals, pubs, and the Titanic Museum, travellers then head out along the road all the way to the walled city of Derry-Londonderry which borders Donegal.

Travellers should take three to five days to drink in the varied landscapes, from seashores to mountaintops, with both cities and hamlets to stop off at inbetween. Highlights of the journey include the famous Giant’s Causeway, the spectacular Gobbins cliff path, Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge and the fresh sea food that can be found along the route.

Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way 

South of the border, the Wild Atlantic Way is the longest defined coastal route in the world, offering some of the most show-stopping and enchanting landscapes in Ireland. Either drive end-to-end or dip in and road trip one of the many sections offering something for everyone.

At one end travellers will find the Surf Coast and Donegal, Ireland’s surf capital, in the middle they’ll find the foodie haven and 2020 European capital of culture, Galway, while the opposite end features the Haven Coast and West Cork; a nature-lover’s delight. Here the waters are home to marine wildlife including dolphins, seals, porpoises, minke, and fin humpback whales. In between travellers can take their time to explore off the beaten track adventures that capture the essence of Ireland’s breath-taking nature. 

North America’s most iconic road 

Running between Chicago and Los Angeles, the iconic Route 66 invites travellers from around the world to explore everything from classic Americana to the vast natural landscapes of the country. Whether travellers decide to explore all of Route 66 or just complete a section, the epic trial begins in the unmissable city of Chicago before passing through the heart of the United States.

Route 66 starts in the heart of the city, right by the iconic Art Institute Chicago, a must-visit before setting off on this bucket list road trip. As the largest city in the Midwest, Chicago’s wealth of history, architecture, and art means there are endless things to do on a trip to the Windy City. This summer Chicago is planning an unmissable programme of events to celebrate the Year of Dance, with outdoor festivals, foodie pop ups and shows for everyone. 

The Great Silk Road Adventure: Xi'an to Istanbul with adventure tour operator Wild Frontiers

The Great Silk Road Adventure: Xi'an to Istanbul is an amazing trip that offers a once in a lifetime opportunity for those with sufficient time to travel the entirety of one of the major branches of the Silk Road all the way across Asia from Xi’an in central China to Istanbul in Western Turkey, covering a distance of some 12,000 kilometres and six contrasting countries.

Following in the footsteps of travel luminaries Marco Polo, Ibn Battuta, Hsuan-Tsang and a million ancient Silk Road traders, travellers will take in not only some of the world’s most iconic sights like Xi’an’s Terracotta Army, Samarkand’s Registan Square and Istanbul’s Blue Mosque, but will also cross mountains, deserts and grasslands and meet amongst others the Uighur, Kyrgyz, Uzbek and Turkmen peoples who have made these lands their home.

One of Wild Frontiers’ biggest trips to date and encompassing 48 days, guests can travel this epic continental journey through one of the world’s most engaging and little-known regions.

Or… anywhere!

If you simply can't choose, Ultimate Driving Tours’ Self-Guided Driving Holidays allow guests to pick their preferred dates, destination and supercar from Ultimate Driving Tours’ brand-new fleet, including an Aston Martin DB11 Volante, Ferrari 488 Spider, Audi R8 Spyder, Mercedes AMG GT R, Corvette C8 convertible, a Porsche 911 turbo convertible and more.

Guests can then enjoy cruising a pre-planned five-day driving route featuring scenic roads and incredible hotels along the way, to offer the ultimate road trip adventure.  Destinations include Tuscany, Bavaria & Tyrol, Cote d’Azur & Provence, the Swiss Alps and new for 2022 – Upstate New York and California.