The Burrow
Dec 21, 2023
A road trip with family or friends is a classic recipe for a holiday adventure. You can view beautiful landscapes, see historic sites and famous attractions or hidden gems as you explore with your loved ones.
The thing is, there are so many incredible journeys to take out there, so which one should you choose?
As experts in car insurance and understanding the importance of planning ahead, we decided to take a look at iconic road trips across the world.
Before you pack your bags in the car however, don’t forget to review your insurance needs! For example, if you’re hitting the backroads or going on a long journey, you might need car insurance or roadside assistance to help keep you moving if things go wrong. It’s also worth looking at the road conditions, terrain and weather so you are prepared.
Take a look at our curated selection of holiday road trips from across the world. We compared them based on length, the number of motels and petrol stations, and their popularity on social media.
Here’s what we found.
Route 66 is arguably the most famous road trip in the world. It has been immortalised in books, music and film, and the historic route links Chicago to Santa Monica in Los Angeles. It crosses over eight states in its 3,463km length, and as such there are plenty of motels and petrol stations to rest up and fill up at.
It’s also one of the most famous on social media, with 2,167,194 tagged posts on Instagram about Route 66. There is a lot to see from open country and mountain vistas to classic diners, historic towns, plus natural and man-made landmarks like the Painted Desert or the Cadillac Ranch. Immerse yourself in old-fashioned Americana and prepare for an epic road trip as you head out on Route 66.
Second in our ranking of holiday road trips is Ruta 40 in Argentina. It is the longest road trip on our list at 5,194kms and it pays to be prepared for this epic journey, especially considering that you will transition between paved tarmac and dirt roads across different points and need several fill-ups by journey’s end. Thankfully, there are plenty of motels and petrol stations to get you by.
Ruta 40 takes you through the beautiful, rugged natural wonder of Patagonia. You can see a whole range of landscapes along this massive road trip including deserts, snow-capped mountains, volcanoes, glaciers, windswept canyons, ancient ruins, salt flats and pristine lakes. There is incredible wildlife to see, jaw-dropping geology and ancient cultural history to experience along Argentina’s Ruta 40.
Third on our podium is the route from Pula to Dubrovnik in Croatia. While not as long as Route 66 or Ruta 40, there are still plenty of motels and petrol stations, and the combined popularity of each city on Instagram helps put this road trip in third place.
When you see images of the sights and sounds of these two cities and the road trip between, it isn’t hard to see why it is so popular. Pula and Dubrovnik are gorgeous historical cities to explore, and the route offers stunning views of the Adriatic Sea and beautiful rocky coastline.
The natural wonders continue as you head towards the mountains and take the time to visit the beautiful national parks and several waterfalls like Plitvice Lakes or Skradinksi Buk.
“The thing is, there are so many incredible journeys to take out there, so which one should you choose?”
Road trip | Country | Length (KM) | Refills required | Instagram posts | Motels | Petrol stations | Index score |
| Route 66 | USA | 3,463 | 4.66 | 2,167,194 | 549 | 116 | 7.16 |
| Ruta 40 | Argentina | 5,194 | 6.99 | 262,043 | 610 | 127 | 6.69 |
| Pula to Dubrovnik | Croatia | 713 | 0.96 | 3,891,020 | 121 | 79 | 6.66 |
| Southern Utah National Park Circuit | USA | 764 | 1.03 | 39,485 | 223 | 137 | 5.94 |
| Arosa to Zermatt | Switzerland | 244 | 0.33 | 1,464,317 | 159 | 20 | 5.86 |
| Great Ocean Road | Australia | 550 | 0.74 | 1,470,256 | 108 | 7 | 5.14 |
| Ring Road | Iceland | 1,322 | 1.78 | 15,334 | 169 | 72 | 5.08 |
| The Garden Route | South Africa | 201 | 0.27 | 4,797 | 358 | 34 | 5.02 |
| The Carretera Austral | Chile | 1,240 | 1.67 | 523,376 | 80 | 20 | 5.00 |
| Blue Ridge Parkway | USA | 755 | 1.02 | 690,795 | 40 | 10 | 4.75 |
| Amalfi Drive | Italy | 50 | 0.07 | 4,528 | 74 | 115 | 4.75 |
| Transfăgărășan Highway | Romania | 151 | 0.20 | 168,307 | 114 | 7 | 4.64 |
| North Coast 500 | Scotland | 830 | 1.12 | 164,459 | 19 | 35 | 4.14 |
| Geiranger to Trollstigen | Norway | 145 | 0.20 | 372,239 | 20 | 6 | 4.11 |
| Epirus | Greece | 76 | 0.10 | 254,490 | 62 | 0 | 3.94 |
| Venus Line Nagano | Japan | 76 | 0.10 | 5,541 | 11 | 47 | 3.94 |
| Cabot Trail | Canada | 298 | 0.40 | 110,352 | 22 | 7 | 3.61 |
| Panorama Route | South Africa | 180 | 0.24 | 58,090 | 9 | 1 | 2.83 |
| Great St Bernard Pass | Italy/Switzerland | 230 | 0.31 | 1,202 | 5 | 4 | 2.11 |
If you’re an Australian planning a holiday road trip down the Great Ocean Road, the Nullarbor Crossing or Grand Pacific Drive, then it’s important to check your car insurance before you go.
Compare the Market’s General Manager of General Insurance, Adrian Taylor, notes that having comprehensive cover doesn’t always mean you have Roadside Assistance.
“A common misconception is that comprehensive car insurance includes roadside assistance. However, while some policies may include it, others do not, and you’ll need to buy it separately. Having roadside assistance can really help get you moving again if there is a break down,” says Taylor.
Taylor notes that different levels of cover can each have their own benefits for people planning a road trip.
“Drivers should compare and weigh up the benefits of other kinds of car insurance. For example, comprehensive car insurance can include emergency accommodation or transport if you have an accident and your car is no longer drivable, which can be invaluable if you’re far from home in an unfamiliar place. Third Party Fire and Theft may cover emergency accommodation or transport if your car is stolen while road tripping and you need to extend your motel stay,” Taylor adds.
“Make sure you view the details in the Product Disclosure Statement to know exactly what your policy covers.”
To calculate the rankings, we gathered data from some famous road trips across the world. For each data point, the road trip was given a score out of 10, with 0 being the worst and 10 being the best, in relation to the other road trips. These five scores were then averaged to get a final index score. Those particular data points and how they were scored are listed below.
