A good fly and drive trip gives you structure without taking away freedom. You land, collect the car and follow a route that has been thought through properly, but your days still feel open. Stop when a viewpoint catches your eye, detour into a small town for lunch, or linger somewhere longer because it simply feels right. In the right country, the driving becomes part of the story.
Start in Vancouver, where glass towers sit between mountains and ocean. After a night or two to settle in, drive the Sea to Sky Highway towards Whistler, a route lined with waterfalls and wide coastal views.
From there, head inland towards Jasper and Banff National Parks. The Icefields Parkway between them is often the standout stretch, with glaciers visible from the road, bright turquoise lakes like Lake Louise and Moraine Lake, and regular wildlife sightings. Elk graze near the roadside, and it’s not unusual to spot bears from a safe distance.
You’ll stay in mountain towns where evenings are spent walking to dinner, while days are filled with lake walks, gondola rides and scenic drives that genuinely live up to the photographs.
Begin in San Francisco, crossing the Golden Gate Bridge before joining Highway 1. The road hugs the coastline, with cliffs dropping into the Pacific and long empty stretches where it’s just you and the ocean.
Overnight in places like Monterey or Carmel, where fishing boats line the harbour and seafood restaurants look out over the water. Drive through Big Sur, stopping at coastal viewpoints and redwood groves, then continue south towards Santa Barbara and Los Angeles.
If you want to add a dramatic change of landscape, detour inland to Yosemite National Park, where granite cliffs, waterfalls and giant sequoias feel a world away from the coast.
Fly into northern Italy and begin around Lake Como or Lake Garda. Here, pastel coloured towns sit against still water, backed by mountains. Spend your days walking lakeside promenades, taking short boat trips and enjoying long lunches in small piazzas.
Drive south into Tuscany, where vineyards, olive groves and medieval hilltop towns define the landscape. Places like Siena and San Gimignano are compact enough to explore on foot, with cafés spilling onto stone squares and views stretching across the countryside.
Finish along the Amalfi Coast, where the road curves high above the sea. Towns such as Positano and Amalfi feel almost stacked on top of one another, with steps leading down to the water and restaurants built into the cliffs.
Collect your car in Reykjavik and follow the Ring Road through landscapes that shift hour by hour. In the south, waterfalls such as Seljalandsfoss and Skogafoss crash down beside the road, and black sand beaches stretch out near Vik.
Drive past glaciers in Vatnajökull National Park, where ice fields sit just beyond the roadside, then continue towards geothermal areas where steam rises from the ground and hot springs dot the countryside.
In the north, fjords cut into the coastline and small fishing towns appear between wide open stretches of road. The distances are manageable, but the scenery is constantly dramatic.
This twenty eight night journey is designed for travellers who want to see Australia and New Zealand in depth, following a clear route that links cities, coastlines and standout natural landscapes. Beginning in tropical north Queensland, the trip moves through Australia’s east coast and iconic regions before crossing to New Zealand for alpine scenery, lakes and fjords, finishing in Christchurch.
This ten night journey through KwaZulu Natal is suited to travellers who want to see more of South Africa beyond the main tourist trail. It brings together mountains, battlefields, wildlife and coastline in one well paced trip. With flights from Dublin, a hire car and carefully selected lodges throughout, the route moves easily from the Midlands to the Drakensberg, on to historic sites and safari, before ending by the sea near Durban.
This thirteen night journey brings together the buzz of Japan’s cities and time by the coast in central Vietnam. You move from neon streets and high speed rail to lantern lit evenings and relaxed days near the beach, with a strong balance of food, culture and downtime. Private transfers, well located hotels and key rail and flight connections are all arranged, so each stage runs smoothly while still giving you the freedom to explore on your own.
