The 8 best destinations for an RV or camper van adventure

24.08.2024 - 07:34 / lonelyplanet.com

Aug 23, 2024 • 7 min read

Whether you’re cruising in a chrome-plated RV or sputtering along in a vintage VW, there’s nothing quite like the thrill of hitting the road in a camper van, where you’re beholden to no timetable and limited only by your ambitions.

Most travelers set their satnavs for the smooth highways of the old dependables – North America, Australia, New Zealand – and with good reason (not least the savings offered on pricey accommodation), but those willing to navigate the potholes of roads less traveled may find richer rewards elsewhere. These are the eight best destinations for an RV trip. 

It was billed as Scotland’s Route 66, but the North Coast 500 is, of course, nothing like its US counterpart. Cutting a course through sodden carpets of heather in the bleakly beautiful Highlands, the 516-mile route joins the dots between crumbling castles, weather-beaten fishing towns and middle-of-nowhere distilleries.

Lined with campsites, the road itself incorporates the meandering mountain pass of Bealach na Bà – the highest highway in Scotland – and swings by John o' Groats, the most northerly point in mainland Britain. Bring your bathers in case the weather behaves: Scotland has some surprisingly beautiful beaches.

Most campers start and end their trip in Inverness – the largest city in the Highlands – to enjoy cozy pubs, a 19th-century cathedral and a lofty castle that bookend the journey nicely.

Where to rent: Highland Coastal Campers, Inverness Campervans
Rental costs: Campers from around £110/US$130 per day

Romanticized by beat writers and Hollywood film directors, the American road trip is practically a sub-genre of its own. From Grapes of Wrath to Vanishing Point, Thelma & Louise to Sideways, the nation’s highways are littered with great plots.

Given the profusion of road movies that have come out of Hollywood, California is an apt place to spin your own 4WD narrative. The Golden State offers a handful of iconic itineraries, from Highway 101 to the dirt tracks of Death Valley, but if you only drive one road, make Route 1, well, the one.

Lined with campsites, this feted highway hugs the rugged Californian coast for 143km between San Simeon and the Carmel Highlands. All plunging cliffs and wave-lashed beaches, it is the longest stretch of undeveloped shoreline in the US.

Where to rent: Escape Camper Vans, Outdoorsy, Jurnii
Rental costs: From around US$55/£45 per day

Like koala bears to eucalyptus trees, road-trippers have long been drawn to Australia’s East Coast, where hedonistic surf towns, colorful coral reefs and paradisiacal beaches provide the pretext for camper van capers.

Buckle up in Sydney, where the booming market in used camper vans should produce a reliable set of wheels for those looking