The Journal
Adventures, Guides & Stories
Real guides from real trips — destination breakdowns, packing lists and honest stories from Barbados to Patagonia.
Road Trips
17 posts
road-trips
Driving in New Zealand: Everything You Need to Know
Left-hand drive, one-lane bridges, deceptively long distances between towns — here is everything you need to know before you get behind the wheel in New Zealand.
road-trips
New Zealand Freedom Camping Guide
Freedom camping is one of the best ways to see New Zealand — and one of the most misunderstood by first-time visitors. Here is what it actually means, where it is legal, and how to do it properly.
road-trips
The North Coast 500 and Isle of Skye: A Scotland Road Trip in a Defender
A road trip around Scotland's North Coast 500 and on to the Isle of Skye in a Defender with a rooftop tent — John o' Groats fish and chips, whisky distilleries, Smoo Cave, the Old Man of Storr and Dunvegan Castle.
road-trips
Driving to Torres del Paine — Everything You Need to Know
Most people take the bus to Torres del Paine. We drove — with a three year old, a grandmother and a boot full of camping gear — and the drive itself turned out to be part of the experience.
road-trips
New Zealand South Island Road Trip: Mount Cook to the Catlins
A week through the deep South Island — Milford Sound, Mount Cook, the Nevis Bungy, Dunedin and the wild, largely undiscovered Catlins coastline. The best week of my New Zealand trip.
road-trips
Planning a Trip to Scotland: Scottish Highlands Road Trip
Scotland was a mystery to us until our New Zealand trip fell through and we booked a road trip up to Inverness instead. Here's our full North Coast 500 itinerary, backwards, in a campervan.
road-trips
11 Tips You Must Know Before Driving in Scotland
Ten days, roughly 800 kilometres, a Land Rover Defender with a rooftop tent, and one of the most dramatic road trip routes in the world. Here's everything I learned about driving in Scotland — most of it the hard way.
road-trips
Alaska Highway RV Guide: Whitehorse to Calgary Itinerary
Rugged scenery, freedom camping every day and stunning wildlife at every turn — this is exactly what our Alaska Highway road trip delivered. Here's our full 2-week RV itinerary from Whitehorse to Calgary.
road-trips
First Timers Guide to RV Rentals: What We Learned While Renting an RV through Canada
After our camper van rental in Iceland, we were dying to relive the fun of sleeping in a car and wild camping. This time we opted to head to the Yukon and drive down to Jasper and Banff, and we found
road-trips
Is Iceland's Blue Lagoon Overrated?
We visited Iceland's Blue Lagoon on the last morning of our 12-day road trip. Spectacular setting, expensive, very busy. Here is our honest verdict — and the alternatives that are genuinely better.
road-trips
From Snæfellsnes to Reykjavik: Iceland's West Coast Road Trip
After the Westfjords we boarded the Ferry Baldur to Snæfellsnes for the final leg of our Iceland road trip — Kirkjufell, Hraunfossar and two days in Reykjavik before the Blue Lagoon and home.
road-trips
Iceland's Westfjords: Hot Spring Hunting
The Westfjords are Iceland's most remote region and the least visited. Not many tourists make it out here — which means extraordinary landscapes, wild hot springs and Dynjandi waterfall almost to yourself.