3 Epic Road Trip Ideas In The UK, Europe & USA

The Expert Says…

Mary Cropper, Travel Expert at luxury tour operator Black Tomato

This trip works exceptionally well for families interested in culture, adventure and relaxation. Boston offers culture and excellent dining, Newport brings Gilded Age glamour and private sailing, Nantucket provides slow island days and secluded beaches, and Maine completes the journey with wild landscapes and relaxed harbour evenings. For families in particular, the hands-on experiences (the Freedom Trail, lobster traps, cycling Nantucket, whale watching) keep younger travellers engaged without losing the adults. It's also a strong choice for anyone who wants the journey itself to be part of the adventure. The self-drive element means you dictate the pace, stop when something catches your eye, and the coastal routing becomes a memorable part of the trip rather than just a means of getting from place to place.

You can't visit New England without immersing yourself in the lobster culture, and we take that further than the lobster roll stands by getting clients out hauling traps off the Maine coast with a working captain. What comes up is what you eat. For children who've never had to think about where food actually comes from, it lands differently. For adults, it's just brilliant fun.

Sailing on an America's Cup racing yacht in Newport is probably the single biggest wow moment on the whole route. Getting out on one of the actual racing yachts, rather than a generic sailing trip, is the kind of thing kids and adults talk about forever. Nothing else on the trip comes close for pure thrill. And if you can drag yourself out of bed before dawn in Maine, the Cadillac Mountain sunrise in Acadia National Park is unlike anything else on the trip. It's the first place in the continental US to catch the sun each morning, and standing on that summit as the light breaks over the Atlantic, with Maine stretching out below you and the islands in the distance – that's the moment. Depending on preference, places like Woodstock, Vermont or Kennebunkport, Maine could add a completely different dimension to the experience too.

There's a wide variety of cars available, from luxury SUVs to convertibles. One of the advantages of travelling with Black Tomato is our premium car delivery service through a specialist rental company, with drop-off and pickup at most hotels or curbside at airports. We're also usually able to guarantee specific models, which national rental companies rarely commit to – they typically offer an ‘or similar’ alternative instead. Often, we work with Mercedes Benz.

Compared to booking your trip solo, we offer a dedicated 24/7 concierge who introduces themselves the day before departure and stays on hand throughout. There are specialist guides who are deeply knowledgeable about the specific regions you're visiting, not generalist tour leaders. And we offer seamless logistics. Availability across New England is competitive, the options are overwhelming, and the details can quickly become a full-time job. Having someone take your vision and handle every moving part, including restaurant and spa reservations, is where the real value lies.

If money is no object, a private float plane or helicopter transfer between Boston and Bar Harbor replaces the coastal drive with a flight low over the islands and Atlantic shoreline that most people never see from that angle. In Newport, exclusive use of a historic mansion for a private dinner is as close to Gilded Age living as you can get. And in Maine, puffin spotting by private charter around the outer islands of Acadia or a guided moose-tracking expedition through inland Maine brings you into the landscape in a way no standard tour can replicate. Not keen on driving? We can arrange a private driver so you can sit back and take in the scenery without a hand on the wheel.

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The Expert Says…

Gareth Brauteseth, Head of Business Development at 62º Nord

The trip unfolds almost like a cinematic journey through Norway. On different days, guests find themselves driving through landscapes associated with James Bond, Harry Potter, Mission: Impossible, HBO’s Succession and Marvel’s Black Widow. The route includes the Atlantic Ocean Road, the extraordinary Romsdal Valley, the dramatic switchbacks of Trollstigen and the Hjørundfjord, which forms the backdrop to part of Black Widow.

What is wonderful is that these are not isolated sightseeing stops. They form the natural rhythm of the week. One day you are driving across bridges that appear to leap between islands in the Atlantic; the next, you are arriving by helicopter to find your Porsche waiting beneath the Troll Wall. Later in the week, you are travelling through Geirangerfjord by ferry or crossing the Hjørundfjord by private boat on the way to dinner. There is a cinematic quality to the entire experience, but it is also very real and very personal. You are not watching the landscape through a window, you’re driving through it.

The best time to take the trip is in May and June, which is a particularly dramatic time in the fjords. The mountaintops are still covered in snow, but the spring melt has begun, so waterfalls are cascading down the mountains on every side. The days are long, the roads are relatively quiet and the contrast between the green valleys, dark fjords and snow-covered peaks is extraordinary.

We tend to see two quite distinct groups. The first is couples looking for a trip that exists at the intersection of luxury, freedom and adventure. These are travellers who want to experience a destination properly and take their luxury travel into their own hands. We show them the way, but we do not patronise them by asking them to follow a guide in convoy. Each couple has their own Porsche and travels independently. They have carefully programmed routes and a host available throughout the journey, but once they are on the road, the experience belongs to them.

That freedom is a very important part of the trip. Guests can stop for a photograph, spend longer over lunch or simply pull over beside a waterfall because it looks beautiful. They feel as though they are exploring independently, while knowing that the entire journey has been carefully designed around them.

The second group is friends and families travelling to mark something important. We receive a great many enquiries around significant birthdays, anniversaries, reunions and father-and-son trips. For many younger guests, it is their first time driving or travelling in a Porsche. For others, it is their first meaningful experience of an electric performance car. To have that first experience against the backdrop of the Norwegian fjords makes it incredibly memorable.

We run the journey in Porsche Taycan Cross Turismos, which are perfectly suited to the landscape: they’re comfortable, exhilarating, understated and electric. Norway has embraced electric mobility more completely than almost anywhere else in the world, with roughly nine out of ten new cars sold here now being electric. We wanted the trip to offer a gentle nod to that transformation and to the way Norwegian society has approached the future of mobility.

The Porsche is the thread that runs through the journey, but we use every means available to reveal the landscape properly. There is also a level of intimate local knowledge that is almost impossible to recreate through online research. We know which road to take, which direction to drive it, which ferry to catch and where to stop. We know when a viewpoint will be quiet, where the best coffee is and which seemingly insignificant turn leads to one of the most spectacular views of the week. That knowledge allows the journey to feel spontaneous, even though a great deal of thought has gone into making it work.

For me, the real luxury is the combination of freedom and having a friend on the ground. We begin with a proper driving briefing that sets the scene for the week: what is possible, how the roads and ferries work, where guests can stop and how they can get the most out of the journey. From that point, they are free to explore independently, knowing that someone who understands the region is always available. Behind that freedom is a great deal of intricate organisation. Airport transfers are arranged, luggage is moved independently, ferries and boats are coordinated, and helicopter flights are connected with the driving routes. The hotels understand the journey guests are undertaking and work with us to make it seamless.

The details go all the way down to washing the cars, charging them each evening and making sure they are ready for the following morning. Guests do not spend their holiday working out charging apps, ferry timetables or how to move their luggage from one side of a fjord to another. Every part of the team understands the intention behind the trip. That creates the feeling that the entire journey is being quietly carried forward around you, without ever becoming over-managed.

Almost anything is possible because we can combine cars, helicopters, boats, guides and private locations. One of the greatest private journeys we created was for a reunion group from California. They wanted to reduce the amount of driving and introduce more flying and cycling into the week.

We incorporated helicopter flights almost every day, either delivering guests to the start of an experience or collecting them from the furthest point of the route. On the Trollstigen day, some members of the group drove while others completed a privately guided cycle up and over Trollstigen, one of the most dramatic cycling routes in Norway. We were then able to reunite the group later in the day and continue the journey together.

We can also slow the journey down by adding nights, allowing guests to explore the islands, coast and deeper reaches of the fjords without feeling they need to keep moving. The ultimate version is not necessarily about adding more luxury in the traditional sense. It is about using the resources available to create an experience that feels entirely personal – seeing the same landscape from the road, the water, the air and the mountaintops.

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The Concept

This 11- or 13-day adventure invites you to explore Scotland’s breathtaking landscapes, vibrant wildlife, and rich heritage through an environmental lens. Upon arrival, guests will be welcomed by a driver-guide and transferred in an electric vehicle to St Andrews, one of Scotland’s most historic destinations. Across the trip, you’ll travel from Killiehuntly Farmhouse in the Cairngorms to the private Isle of Eriska at the mouth of Loch Linnhe in western Scotland, with plenty of stops along the way; explore the striking Nevis Range, where your guide will reveal the conservation efforts shaping the region’s natural beauty; and visit the Glencoe Visitor Centre to uncover the history and ecology of this dramatic landscape. Stays at Gleneagles, The Balmoral, The Fife Arms and Kinloch Lodge on the Isle of Skye.

Trip Highlights:

• Dive into Scotland's coastal ecosystem with a guided journey to the Isle of May national nature reserve.
• Stay at Glenfeshie Estate, a shining example of rewilding in Scotland, and discover the transformative impact of sustainable land management.
• Observe beaver habitats and encounter the majestic Cairngorm reindeer while you explore the national park.
• Visit Kilmartin Glen’s ancient monuments, gaining insight into Scotland’s prehistoric heritage.
• A 4x4 Highland adventure. Complete with a tailored picnic in the wilderness, with bespoke activities that cater to your sense of adventure and relaxation.
• A foraging experience, where you’ll participate in a guided foraging adventure on the Isle of Skye, offering a chance to connect with nature and discover local flora and fauna.

Price: From £11,900pp for 10 nights or £16,500 for 13 nights.

The Expert Says…

Delphine Combes, Destination Manager for Northern Europe at Scott Dunn

Instead of hiring cars for a self-drive road trip, Scott Dunn works with Scotland's best driver-guides, who handle the driving (including the single-track roads) in luxury vehicles while sharing local knowledge en-route. The trip offers access to locals – craftsmen, whiskey distillers, ghillies, foragers, historians and kiltmakers that bring the country to life. One of the best things about these trips is the ease of sitting back and having the luxury of someone else driving, while you take in the scenery.

Just some of the highlights of this trips include participating in a guided foraging adventure and a private chartered boat trip on the Isle of Skye; setting off on a 4x4 Highland adventure with a bespoke picnic in the wilderness; hiking through Glencoe, taking in its dramatic landscapes of towering peaks and deep valleys; enjoying a tour and tasting of the only distillery in Scotland with a Royal Warrant; and exploring the cobbled streets and alleyways of Edinburgh’s historic Old Town with an expert local guide.

One of the other standouts is the places you’ll stay. In Glencoe, we’d recommend Glencoe House Hotel and on the Isle of Skye we adore Kinloch Lodge. In Braemar we’d always recommend The Fife Arms and in Edinburgh Scott Dunn guests can’t go wrong at The Balmoral, a Rocco Forte Hotel, 100 Princes Street, Gleneagles Townhouse or InterContinental Edinburgh The George.

For something bespoke, the team can organise helicopter flight over the Highlands and Skye, a private boat charter with lunch on a private island, where guests can enjoy freshly caught fish from the local fishermen’s morning catch, or, for a group celebration, a private castle rental such as Aldourie.

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