With 160,955 miles of national highway to explore, it's no wonder that road trips are a popular holiday choice for the US. Whether you're looking to explore the National Parks or find the best BBQ spot in the South, there's a perfect journey just waiting for you to take the wheel. Load up your playlist, grab your snacks and buckle up for the adventure of a lifetime.
Best US road trip holidays
Eat your way around the Southern states
Beale Street
Bruce Emmerling
Yes, when you think of food in America, you generally think giant portions, but beyond the huge platefuls there is some genuinely tasty cuisine out there – and perhaps nowhere more distinctive than in the South.
Influenced by a variety of cultures, from West African to European, it has resulted in a delicious melting pot of flavours. Head to Nashville for hot chicken at Hattie B’s, where you can choose your heat level from ‘Southern’ (mild) to ‘Shut the Cluck Up’ (extremely hot).
In Memphis, go to Central BBQ for tender meat prepared with smoky dry rubs, from ribs to pulled pork and beef brisket, and don’t miss a hearty bowl of jambalaya, gumbo or shrimp and grits at the Clarinet Bistreaux in New Orleans.
Try as many of these stops as you can – and more – over Ocean Florida’s 13-day Southern USA multi-centre itinerary, which includes flights and car hire from £2,698pp.
Set off on the Oregon film trail
Oregon coastline
Kenji Sugahara
The state’s dramatic scenery has seen it become a hotbed for film production, and the Oregon Film Trail gives you the opportunity to explore some of its most iconic cinematic locations.
From lush forests and rugged coastlines to vibrant cities and small towns, the trail offers stunning scenery with peeks into pop culture. With more than thirty locations and some of Hollywood’s biggest films – from Academy Award winners like One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest to cult classics like The Goonies – it’s an ideal film-buff-meets-nature-lover holiday.
Twilight fans will be in heaven – look out for stops including Cannon Beach and St Helens – and along the way you’ll encounter fascinating wildlife, including wild sea lions.
An eight-day trip, including flights and car hire, starts from £2,345pp.
Drive across the country on Route 66
Monument Valley
It’s America’s most iconic route, and in 2026, it will be 100 years old. It was one of the USA’s first continuous stretches of paved highway, and served as a major road for those who wanted to migrate west. Starting in Chicago, Illinois, and ending in Los Angeles, California, today around 85% of the road still exists in a drivable condition.
Take the ultimate, 2,520-mile road trip through eight states, where iconic stops will include Springfield, the former home of President Lincoln; St Louis, where you can head to the top of the Gateway Arch; the cowboy town of Amarillo; and the Grand Canyon itself. You’ll finish in Santa Monica, where the original route ended.
The Epic Route 66 Road Trip starts from £4,305pp, including flights, car hire and accommodation.
Drive the Florida Keys
Florida overseas highway
The Keys are the continental United States’ southernmost island chain, connected by the Overseas Highway’s 42 bridges – one almost 7 miles long – over the Atlantic Ocean, Florida Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.
Referred to as the Highway that Goes to Sea, the Overseas Highway is 113 miles long, starting at the Miami–Dade/Monroe County line and ending at Key West. Lying just 90 miles north of Cuba, this 2-by-4-mile island city features the southernmost point in the continental United States.
Along the way you can stop at Key Largo, famous for the 1948 movie of the same name, starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall; Islamorada, known as the sport fishing capital of the world; the Seven Mile Bridge, whose original incarnation was nicknamed the ‘eighth wonder of the world’; and the beautiful beaches of Bahia Honda State Park.
A seven-night trip, including flights and car hire, starts from £1,749pp.
Discover the beauty of Utah
Arches National Park
Utah is home to some of the most spectacular national parks in the western USA. Start a road trip around the state at the epic Grand Canyon, then head to the world-famous Monument Valley, with its distinctive sandstone towers standing tall in the ancient Navajo Territory, a landscape familiar from countless Westerns.
Then make for Utah’s ‘Mighty Five’ parks, each with its own unique geological wonders. Marvel at over 2,000 natural sandstone arches in the aptly named Arches National Park, while Canyonlands offers dramatic desert landscape sculpted by the Colorado River, filled with towering pinnacles and buttes. Zion, Utah’s first national park, sees the Virgin River running through its lush valley, flanked by soaring canyon walls.
You’ll end at Bryce Canyon, where the awe-inspiring spire-shaped rock formations known as hoodoos create a surreal landscape.
A 10-night self-driving experience which includes flights, accommodation and car hire, starts from £1,849pp.
Take the ultimate California road trip
Big Sur coastline
Seen in countless films and TV shows, including in the opening credits of Reese Witherspoon hit, Big Little Lies, California’s Pacific Coast Highway, also known more prosaically as Highway 1, is one of America’s most photogenic routes.
Stretching from San Francisco down to LA, do it in style in a vintage vehicle or sports car, as you travel through Sonoma Valley, Big Sur and Santa Barbara. Stay at the award-winning Post Ranch Inn along the way, which offers incredible views across the ocean, and enjoy wine tasting in Santa Barbara’s tasting rooms.
End your journey in glamorous Beverly Hills, where designer shopping is on your doorstep, with a stay at the elegant Maybourne hotel.
A 13-night Ultimate California trip, including flights, accommodation, luxury car hire, private guides and transfers starts from £8,600pp.
Seek out alien life in Nevada
Driving in Nevada
The truth is out there… somewhere, in the dusty desert of Nevada. Discover its Loneliest Road and the eerie Extraterrestrial Highway on a road trip where you might go for hours without seeing another living soul.
Highway 50 runs from Ocean City, Maryland to Sacramento, California and the stretch between Ely and Lake Tahoe was named by Life magazine as ‘the loneliest Road in America.’ The route’s wide open spaces go on for miles… and miles… and miles.
By the time you get to Highway 375, also known as the Extraterrestrial Highway, you might be grateful just to spot a little green man. The route gets its name from its association with Area 51, a heavily guarded air force base just outside Las Vegas; no one really knows what goes on within… maybe this is your chance to find out.
A 12-night Nevada and the Loneliest Road trip, including flights, accommodation and car hire, starts from £1,925pp.
Explore the Texas Gulf Coast
Texas coastline
Chris Ainsworth
Most people associate Texas with cowboys, massive steaks, and country music. Big cities like Houston and Dallas are a draw, as is quirky, liberal Austin.
But often overlooked is its picturesque, tranquil coastline, which stretches over 350 miles and offers selfie-worthy sand dunes, charming seaside towns, and beautiful beaches.
Start in Galveston, a resort town perfect for families and solo trippers alike, with handsome Victorian architecture and lively attractions like the Pleasure Pier. Further along the coast you’ll encounter the natural wonders of Padre Island National Seashore where you’ll find pristine beaches, abundant wildlife, and the chance to spot sea turtles and their hatcheries in their natural habitat.
Take to the road on Scenic Byway 12
Stretch of Scenic Byway 12
Michael Kunde
No road trip to Utah would be complete without driving down Scenic Byway 12. At 123 miles long, it has everything you need for an incredible journey – the way the road winds through the mighty rocks, the magnificent landscapes en route, and the smooth surface quality of the tarmac.
Designated an All-American Road (only one-third of America’s scenic byways get this distinction) it connects US 89 near Panguitch with SR 24 near Torrey. The route takes you on a journey as you climb into the Dixie National Forest, curve past Grand Staircase-Escalante, and roll alongside the shimmering red rock of Capitol Reef National Park.
Subalpine fir and tall aspen trees decorate the surroundings, and plenty of scenic viewpoints await.
