Over the past three weeks, searches for ‘road trip’ have gone up by 75.61% and as the world slowly begins to open up their borders again, travelling is back on the cards for most.
Whether you are looking to travel abroad or plan a staycation. Car buying service, Goodbyecar have found the world’s most beautiful road trips by using Instagram data.
Taking a seedlist of 35 road trips and searching for the most popular hashtag associated with the route, here are the top ten most Instagrammed road trips across the world.
Cabot Trail, Canada
Experience the natural beauty of the Cape Breton Highlands as you drive the famous Cabot Trail. This 298 km (186 mi) highway weaves through The Cape Breton Highlands National Park, rewarding travellers with spectacular valley and coastal views all along the way.
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| Photo: Nova Scotia |
Looking for more ways to explore? Hike and camp within the Cape Breton Highlands National Park, play a round of golf at Highlands Links, peruse artisan shops along the trail, or book your spot on a sea kayaking, cycling, or whale watching tour. In the winter months, downhill skiing, cross-country skiing, winter hiking, snowmobiling and more will continue to bring you back to experience adventures around the Cabot Trail.
The Cabot Trail is considered one of the world’s most scenic destinations, with stunning ocean vistas, old-growth forests, prehistoric rock scarred by glaciers, and the mysterious Cape Breton Highlands.
In winter, enjoy snowmobiling on tended trails that link the Trail communities across the Highlands. Cross-country ski on groomed trails at the North Highlands Nordic Centre in Cape North or Ski Tuonela at Goose Cove, downhill ski at Ski Cape Smokey, or snowshoe on countless trails in every Cabot Trail community. Many of the communities along the Trail feature outdoor skating rinks, and you’ll find good ice on still ponds and ocean inlets. Once the bays have frozen solid, there’s even the chance of ice fishing. Everyone can find something to do during the Victoria County Winter ActiveFest in February and March, and you can finish out the spring with la Mi-Carême in Chéticamp.
California’s Highway 1
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| Photo: NYTimes |
California’s coast-hugging Highway 1 is what dream drives are made of. The iconic roadway—which extends for more than 650 miles from Dana Point north to Leggett—offers endless vistas overlooking the Pacific, with plenty of redwood trees and wildlife sightings along the way. The most well-known (and photographed) stretch runs along California’s Central Coast from Santa Barbara to Monterey, passing by the unspoiled coastline of Big Sur.
The longest state route in California, this 655.8-mile highway cuts through gorgeous scenery in the Big Sur region, where it hugs the cliffside and passes several coastal park areas and a redwood forest. Farther north, it takes drivers over San Francisco’s famous Golden Gate Bridge.
The Black Forest, Germany
The 288 kilometre long-distance hiking path from Pforzheim to Basel is one of Germany’s top hiking routes. We have the chance to appreciate the region’s landscape and cuisine from the peaks of the Black Forest.
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| Photo: Culture Trip |
We start in Pforzheim, a city known for its jewellery industry, and head south towards three valleys in the Black Forest: the Enz, Murg and Kinzig Valleys. However, we spend most of our time on the western ridge of the Black Forest rather than in the valleys. There are so many views stretching out over the Rhine Valley towards the Vosges Mountains in France. We hike through vast spruce forests on narrow mountain paths and wide forest roads. We cross historic wooden bridges built over fast-flowing streams. The Black Forest is the drainage divide between the Rhine and the Danube, so the water from one stream flows into the North Sea, while the water from the other stream ends up in the Black Sea. We pass many old boundary stones which once marked out the border between Baden and Württemberg , then we cross a moor and hike along Lake Titisee, a popular destination among tourists. We experience excellent Black Forest hospitality in many places along the trail. We also try Black Forest ham and devour a slice of Black Forest gâteau in a typical Black Forest house. And then we continue along the Westweg Trail, the most beautiful hike in the Black Forest.
The Powder Highway, Canada
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| Photo: Lonely Planet |
The “Powder Highway” is the nickname given to the legendary snow-blessed route along Canada’s 95A, which consists of a 630-mile loop through interior British Columbia’s Kootenay Rockies and connects more than 60 different powder providers. Each Powder Highway ski resort has more than enough terrain and off-mountain activities to occupy you for days on end and many skiers prefer to stay at one resort and tack-on day trips. But, if you revel in the good ol’ days of ski road trips then you may want to experience the rewarding challenge of skiing and staying at every Powder Highway resort.
If you’re up for the full Powder Highway itinerary, you’ll want to set aside at least two weeks of vacation time in order to experience all the resorts, which include Red Mountain, Whitewater, Fernie, Kimberley, Panorama, Kicking Horse, and Revelstoke.
Tasman Peninsula, Tasmania
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| Photo: Traveldailymedia |
The Tasman Peninsula is located in southeast Tasmania just over an hour drive from the capital Hobart. The Tasman Peninsula is easily accessible by the Arthur Highway, a winding 70 kilometre drive through beautiful countryside and bushland. The most popular attraction on the Tasman Peninsula is the Port Arthur Historic Site, which is often on the bucket list for travelers to Tasmania. Whether visiting Port Arthur or not, exploring the Tasman Peninsula is a must-do, as the natural beauty of this region will really leave an impression on you.
With 37,707 posts using the hashtag #tasmanpeninsula, the Tasman Peninsula comes in seventh place. This simple drive won’t fail to amaze you, whilst exploring this route you will be surrounded by beautiful bays and ocean scenery. Known for its drive-by of the famous Port Arthur Historic site, one of Tasmania’s five World Heritage sites!
Ruta 40, Argentina
One of the longest highways in the world, travelling along the Ruta 40 is internationally renowned as a classic road trip. Beginning at the Bolivian border, it runs parallel to the Andes all the way to Rio Gallegos. The below focusses on the Patagonia stretch, at the heart of the route, between Bariloche and El Calafate.
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| Photo: Wikimedia |
Geology & scenery – the scenery is ever changing and surprising. The horizon is so vast in places that all you can see is 180 degrees of sky. Steer briefly off-route and you will enter deep canyons with petrified forests, volcanic craters filled with volcanic plugs, basalt dikes and staggering cliffs.
Archeology – explore the extensive Cueva de las Manos with it’s beautifully preserved hand prints, unveil numerous archaeological secrets, and see the cultural artefacts at the Centro de Interpretatión Histórica in El Calafate.
Birds & wildlife – stretching, more or less, the entire length of Argentina, the route is home to an astonishing wealth of birdlife and wildlife. Look out for guanacos, hairy armadillos, foxes, pumas, condors, caracaras, and the Chilean flamingo.
Culture – despite the low population density, there is a strong local indigenous culture expressed in their strong traditions and plentiful evidence of early pioneers with their farming and the estancias. The distinct influence of the Welsh remains strong in Esquel and Trevelin, where local guides specialise in Welsh history.
Outer Hebrides, Scotland
In fifth place, the Outer Hebrides in Scotland has 187,785 posts with the hashtag #outerhebrides on Instagram. Drive slow along this single track road that runs through this island, one of Britain’s greatest driving experiences. This route is jaw-droppingly beautiful, as you follow windy roads through hills and let the Outer Hebrides entice you with its beauty.
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| Photo: Thedailymedia |
This island paradise of pristine, powder-white beaches and wild Atlantic waves offers breathtaking scenery and unlimited adventures with an abundance of wildlife along with a vibrant Gaelic island culture.
There are plenty of things to do in the Outer Hebrides. From enigmatic ruins and standing stones dating back thousands of years to thrilling outdoor activities along the Hebridean Way and superb food, the isles of Lewis, Harris, North Uist, Benbecula, South Uist, Eriskay and Barra offer truly unforgettable moments.
And in winter, you can experience #winterinthewild with extraordinary scenery, wildlife and stargazing in some of the darkest places in Britain.
Ocean Drive, America
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| Photo: Thedailymedia |
Although South Beach in Miami is teeming with 1930s South Floridian architecture, the best place to get a good look at the rather wacky buildings of the movement, is Ocean Drive. Cross the road to the beach side and walk along the Drive – the row of colourful hotels of all shapes and sizes will jump out at you. The best time to stroll through Ocean Drive is at sundown, when each hotel switches on its neon sign, which the Drive is famous for.
In third place comes Ocean Drive with 1,024,154 uses of the hashtag #oceandrive. Filled with Art Deco hotels, restaurants and bars, many of which have been prominently featured in numerous movies and media. You may want to stop a few times along Ocean Drive, but sit back and soak in the sunshine and vibrant music scene because further down the route are empty picturesque beaches.
Great Ocean Road, Australia
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| Photo: Wikimedia |
In third place comes Ocean Drive with 1,024,154 uses of the hashtag #oceandrive. Filled with Art Deco hotels, restaurants and bars, many of which have been prominently featured in numerous movies and media. You may want to stop a few times along Ocean Drive, but sit back and soak in the sunshine and vibrant music scene because further down the route are empty picturesque beaches.
The spectacular Great Ocean Road hugs the seaside cliffs that snake along the wild and windswept Southern Ocean. The striking vistas along the iconic road evoke awe with craggy cliffs, empty beaches and soaring bluffs flanked by brilliant green countryside. Add epic surf, native wildlife, unforgettable hiking and biking trails and you will find plenty of things to see and do around every corner.
Route 66, America
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| Photo: Getty Images |
U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66), also known as the Will Rogers Highway, the Main Street of America or the Mother Road, was one of the original highways in the U.S. Highway System. US 66 was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The highway, which became one of the most famous roads in the United States, originally ran from Chicago, Illinois, through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona before terminating in Santa Monica in Los Angeles County, California, covering a total of 2,448 miles (3,940 km). It was recognized in popular culture by both the hit song “(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66” and the Route 66 television series, which aired on CBS from 1960 to 1964. In John Steinbeck’s classic American novel, The Grapes of Wrath (1939), the road “Highway 66” symbolized escape and loss.
US 66 served as a primary route for those who migrated west, especially during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, and the road supported the economies of the communities through which it passed. People doing business along the route became prosperous due to the growing popularity of the highway, and those same people later fought to keep the highway alive in the face of the growing threat of being bypassed by the new Interstate Highway System.
