Get back to adventuring with these stunning road trips, recommended by travel writers

Produced by SilverKris for Avis

If you’re still on the fence about recreational travel, it’s time to leap off. Now that vaccinated travellers can return to Singapore quarantine-free, it’s time for a grand adventure – a road trip!

Road trips offer an exciting balance of freedom and safety. On one hand, you get to drive off the beaten path, be the master of your own schedule and visit local communities with ease. On the other, you avoid jostling with crowds on public transport and domestic flights.

World renowned car rental company Avis stands at the ready, with locations in 165 locations, as well as discounts and KrisFlyer miles for Singapore Airlines flyers. What’s more, the Avis Safety Pledge ensures that your car is thoroughly sterilized before rental, and that safe distancing is ensured at pick-up and drop-off. And if you end up becoming a road-trippping convert, the Avis Preferred membership programme offers pre-prepared paperwork at select locations, so you can head straight to your car without waiting in line.

Need some road trip inspiration? We asked four experienced travel journalists about their favourite road trips. Ranging from a couple hours to a few days, their recommendations cover Unesco sites, wildlife sightings and stunning photo-ops.

Drive time: 2 hours one-way
Highlights: Alpine views, crystal-clear lakes, Unesco bucket lists
Recommended by: Mike MacEacheran

In Switzerland, in the shadow of Europe’s largest mountain range, life-affirming road trips are not in short supply. One favourite is the clean, green E-Grand Tour, the world’s first road trip for electric cars, and a 1,000-mile route that absorbs a dense network of super chargers, Alpine passes and dozens of Unesco sights. Highlights abound, but the most memorable section is the 150-mile loop out of Zurich, taking in the powder-blue lakes of Lucerne and twisted valleys of Andermatt. Drop into the Bürgenstock Resort, where a who’s who of previous guests including Sean Connery helps set the hotel’s mood of golden age nostalgia.

Pit-stops along the way: Stop on the Furka Pass, a short detour from Andermatt, where Connery’s 007 chased Auric Goldfinger in the James Bond classic from 1964.

Pick-up/Drop-off: Avis has several locations in Zurich, including Zurich Airport. If you wish to cover more of the 1,600km E-Grand Tour, Avis offers one-way rentals for a surcharge. Start in Zurich, and drop off your car in major Swiss destinations along the way, such as Bern, Lausanne, Basel and Lugano. Search for Avis car rentals in Zurich.  

Mike MacEacheran is an award-winning, UK-based travel writer, who spends every summer in Switzerland. He has reported travel stories from 115 countries and counting.

Drive time: 3 hours one-way
Highlights: Coastal rainforests, glorious hikes and glass-sponge reefs
Recommended by: Barb Sligl

Highway 99, or the Sea-to-Sky Highway, is one of the world’s most spectacular drives – and my go-to for an easy escape from the city. It skirts shores and twists past peaks for some 150 kilometres from West Vancouver to Whistler, home to a renowned ski resort and mountain-bike park. You’ll drive along emerald stretches of coastal rainforest and rise above waters that sustain rare glass-sponge reefs, now recognized as the UNESCO Átl’ka7tsem/Howe Sound Biosphere Region. To make it a full-day adventure, I stop at the north end of the sound, in Squamish, to hike up the Stawamus Chief, the world’s second-largest granite monolith, for 360-degree views –quite literally from sea to sky.

Pit-stops along the way: Post-hike, refuel in Squamish at food truck Luz Taco and pick up a six-pack of local craft beer next door at A-FRAME Brewing Co., to enjoy later when you’re done driving.

Pick-up/Drop-off: Avis has several locations in and around Vancouver, including Vancouver Airport. Drop your car off back in Vancouver, or opt for a one-way rental that lets you drop-off at the Avis location in Whistler. Search for car rentals in Vancouver.

An award-winning writer, editor and photographer, Barb loves trees, fostering rescue dogs and being a flâneur in her “backyard” of British Columbia. Her Instagram and Twitter handle is @bsscreative.

Drive time: 3 hours one-way
Highlights: Cottage life, coastal walks, seal sightings
Recommended by: Nick Measures

An easy three-hour drive northeast from London, the North Norfolk coast is a great weekend escape for nature fans. I love its quaint hamlets, wide sandy beaches and bleak windswept marshes. Rent a cosy stone cottage in one of the charming villages between Sheringham and Brancaster, and then head out on foot to the Norfolk Coast path to spot the local shorebirds and colonies of common and grey seals.

Pitstops along the way: Just over halfway to Sheringham, stretch your legs on the many trails in Thetford Forest, the UK’s largest man-made lowland forest, or swing by the crumbling ruins of Castle Acres and the well-preserved Priory which dates back to 1090. Wittles Café in the high street does a mean bacon butty.

Pick-up/Drop-off: Avis has several locations at London airports and downtown. You can either drive back to London, or do a one-way rental and drop your car off at the Avis location in Norwich, near the North Norfolk coast. Search for Avis car rentals in London.

Nick Measures is a Singapore-based writer and editor who retains a deep love of the English countryside where he grew up. 

Drive time: 5 hours one-way
Highlights: Water palaces, historic towns, beaches
Recommended by: Jonathan Evans

Any traveller who’s never seen northern Bali will be floored by its natural beauty far-flung from the crowds. I recommend driving eastward from Denpasar, following the coast as it curves north and west, to Singaraja, the former capital. It’s not the quickest route to the north, but it’s the most picturesque. You’ll pass the sleepy beaches of Sanur and Gyanur, before skirting Karangasem regency, which contains the sublime coastal towns of Candidasa – don’t miss the Lotus Lagoon – as well as Amed and Tulamben.

Pit-stops along the way: Between Candidasa and Amed lie two beautiful former palaces that are worth the detour: Taman Ujung, a water palace built in the early 1900s, and the mid-century Tirta Gangga.

Pick-up/Drop-off: Avis has two locations in Denpasar, including at Ngurah Rai International Airport. For a quicker route back from the north, cut straight down through the middle of the island, which shaves driving time by three hours. Search for Avis car rentals in Bali.

Jonathan Evans is a travel and culture journalist/editor who writes about life in South-East Asia. From the UK originally, over the past 15 years, he has lived in Singapore, Bali and Siem Reap, where he is currently based. 

For more information about Avis and promotions on car rentals for Singapore Airlines flyers, please visit the official website.