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Epic Drives of the World
Buckle up for the next installment in our 'Epic' series and the follow-up to
Epic Bike Rides of the World
. Epic Drives of the World, a beautiful hardback, showcases 50 of the greatest road trips on Earth, from classic routes in America, Australia and Europe, to incredible adventures in Asia and Africa.
Organised by continent, each route features a first-hand account, awe-inspiring photographs, illustrated maps and practical advice on when to go, how to get there, where to stay and what to eat. From Hawaii's Hana Highway and Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh Road, to Utah's National Park Circuit and Germany's Black Forest High Road, Epic Drives of the World will inspire any motorist to hit the open road.
African and Middle East drives
The self-drive Safari (Zambia)
Crossing the Kalahari (Botswana)
Passing over the Panorama Route (South Africa)
Marrakesh to Taroudannt (Morocco)
Cruising Clarence Drive (South Africa)
The Americas drives
The Highway to Hana in Hawaii (USA)
The Salar de Uyuni (Bolivia)
The Pacific Coast Highway (USA)
Crossing the Carretera Austral (Chile)
Canada's Icefields Parkway
Asia drives
On the trail of Ho Chi Minh (Vietnam)
Crossing the Kathmandu Loop (Nepal)
Hightailing from Thimphu to Gangtey (Bhutan)
South From top to toe
The road from Srinagar to Manali (India)
Europe drives
Black Forest High Road (Germany)
The Wilds of Abruzzo (Italy)
Croatia's Adriatic coast
Norway's west coast
The Magic Circle (Iceland)
Oceania drives
Southern Alps explorer (New Zealand)
The Great Ocean Road (Australia)
Northland the Bay of Islands (New Zealand)
Following the Captain Cook Highway (Australia)
Alice Springs to Darwin (Australia)
About Lonely Lonely Planet is a leading travel media company and the world's number one travel guidebook brand, providing both inspiring and trustworthy information for every kind of traveller since 1973. Over the past four decades, we've printed over 145 million guidebooks and phrasebooks for 120 languages, and grown a dedicated, passionate global community of travellers. You'll also find our content online, and in mobile apps, video, 14 languages, 12 international magazines, armchair and lifestyle books, ebooks, and more, enabling you to explore every day. Lonely Planet enables the curious to experience the world fully and to truly get to the heart of the places they find themselves, near or far from home.
TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice Awards 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 winner in Favorite Travel Guide category
'Lonely Planet guides are, quite simply, like no other.' - New York Times
'Lonely Planet. It's on everyone's bookshelves; it's in every traveller's hands. It's on mobile phones. It's on the Internet. It's everywhere, and it's telling entire generations of people how to travel the world.' - Fairfax Media (Australia)
02
07
Buckle up for the greatest road trips on Earth. This beautiful hardback showcases 50 iconic routes, from Hawaii's Hana Highway and Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh Road, to Utah's National Park Circuit and Germany's Black Forest High Road. With first-hand accounts, stunning photographs and practical advice, it will inspire all motorists to hit the open road.
08
02
"In 'Epic Drives of the World' (328 pages, $35), Lonely Planet serves up a collection of journeys through geography, geology and cultures of astonishing grandeur, from the Belfast loop to the Captain Cook Highway to Iceland’s Ring Road. Each story is flanked by gorgeous images for inspiration, as well as practical information for those inspired enough to go."
SF Chronicle
20170801
08
02
"The Lonely Planet has put together this gorgeous guide of the best road trips across the world"
Marie Claire
20170801
08
02
"The pit crew at Lonely Planet have put together a terrific new gift book for roadtrip-loving readers...[it] details 50 sensational car trips on six continents. There’s just a single, simplified map offered for each drive (no need to print detailed driving directions anymore), but loads of evocative description and photographs that capture the essence of the adventures."
Passport Magazine
20170801
08
02
"Epic Drives of the World caught my attention. It's a new, beautiful book issued by Lonely Planet, one of the best travel-oriented publishers. What's inside is a collection of 50 journeys, another 200 ideas for great motoring and hundreds of breathtaking photographs from across the globe... For those compiling a travel bucket list or for for those simply interested in other cultures and landscapes, this book is inspiring and well worth the time to peruse stunning photographs and read fascinating stories and facts. And for those eager to hit the road, this book is a wonderful temptation."
News Tribune
20170801
04
01
01
GOODREPRUS
Lonely...
Organised by continent, each route features a first-hand account, awe-inspiring photographs, illustrated maps and practical advice on when to go, how to get there, where to stay and what to eat. From Hawaii's Hana Highway and Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh Road, to Utah's National Park Circuit and Germany's Black Forest High Road, Epic Drives of the World will inspire any motorist to hit the open road.
African and Middle East drives
The self-drive Safari (Zambia)
Crossing the Kalahari (Botswana)
Passing over the Panorama Route (South Africa)
Marrakesh to Taroudannt (Morocco)
Cruising Clarence Drive (South Africa)
The Americas drives
The Highway to Hana in Hawaii (USA)
The Salar de Uyuni (Bolivia)
The Pacific Coast Highway (USA)
Crossing the Carretera Austral (Chile)
Canada's Icefields Parkway
Asia drives
On the trail of Ho Chi Minh (Vietnam)
Crossing the Kathmandu Loop (Nepal)
Hightailing from Thimphu to Gangtey (Bhutan)
South From top to toe
The road from Srinagar to Manali (India)
Europe drives
Black Forest High Road (Germany)
The Wilds of Abruzzo (Italy)
Croatia's Adriatic coast
Norway's west coast
The Magic Circle (Iceland)
Oceania drives
Southern Alps explorer (New Zealand)
The Great Ocean Road (Australia)
Northland the Bay of Islands (New Zealand)
Following the Captain Cook Highway (Australia)
Alice Springs to Darwin (Australia)
About Lonely Lonely Planet is a leading travel media company and the world's number one travel guidebook brand, providing both inspiring and trustworthy information for every kind of traveller since 1973. Over the past four decades, we've printed over 145 million guidebooks and phrasebooks for 120 languages, and grown a dedicated, passionate global community of travellers. You'll also find our content online, and in mobile apps, video, 14 languages, 12 international magazines, armchair and lifestyle books, ebooks, and more, enabling you to explore every day. Lonely Planet enables the curious to experience the world fully and to truly get to the heart of the places they find themselves, near or far from home.
TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice Awards 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 winner in Favorite Travel Guide category
'Lonely Planet guides are, quite simply, like no other.' - New York Times
'Lonely Planet. It's on everyone's bookshelves; it's in every traveller's hands. It's on mobile phones. It's on the Internet. It's everywhere, and it's telling entire generations of people how to travel the world.' - Fairfax Media (Australia)
02
07
Buckle up for the greatest road trips on Earth. This beautiful hardback showcases 50 iconic routes, from Hawaii's Hana Highway and Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh Road, to Utah's National Park Circuit and Germany's Black Forest High Road. With first-hand accounts, stunning photographs and practical advice, it will inspire all motorists to hit the open road.
08
02
"In 'Epic Drives of the World' (328 pages, $35), Lonely Planet serves up a collection of journeys through geography, geology and cultures of astonishing grandeur, from the Belfast loop to the Captain Cook Highway to Iceland’s Ring Road. Each story is flanked by gorgeous images for inspiration, as well as practical information for those inspired enough to go."
SF Chronicle
20170801
08
02
"The Lonely Planet has put together this gorgeous guide of the best road trips across the world"
Marie Claire
20170801
08
02
"The pit crew at Lonely Planet have put together a terrific new gift book for roadtrip-loving readers...[it] details 50 sensational car trips on six continents. There’s just a single, simplified map offered for each drive (no need to print detailed driving directions anymore), but loads of evocative description and photographs that capture the essence of the adventures."
Passport Magazine
20170801
08
02
"Epic Drives of the World caught my attention. It's a new, beautiful book issued by Lonely Planet, one of the best travel-oriented publishers. What's inside is a collection of 50 journeys, another 200 ideas for great motoring and hundreds of breathtaking photographs from across the globe... For those compiling a travel bucket list or for for those simply interested in other cultures and landscapes, this book is inspiring and well worth the time to peruse stunning photographs and read fascinating stories and facts. And for those eager to hit the road, this book is a wonderful temptation."
News Tribune
20170801
04
01
01
GOODREPRUS
Lonely...
328 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 2017
135 people are currently reading
643 people want to read
About the author
Lonely Planet
3,670 books892 followersOUR STORY
A beat-up old car, a few dollars in the pocket and a sense of adventure. In 1972 that’s all Tony and Maureen Wheeler needed for the trip of a lifetime – across Europe and Asia overland to Australia. It took several months, and at the end – broke but inspired – they sat at their kitchen table writing and stapling together their first travel guide, Across Asia on the Cheap. Within a week they’d sold 1500 copies and Lonely Planet was born. One hundred million guidebooks later, Lonely Planet is the world’s leading travel guide publisher with content to almost every destination on the planet.
A beat-up old car, a few dollars in the pocket and a sense of adventure. In 1972 that’s all Tony and Maureen Wheeler needed for the trip of a lifetime – across Europe and Asia overland to Australia. It took several months, and at the end – broke but inspired – they sat at their kitchen table writing and stapling together their first travel guide, Across Asia on the Cheap. Within a week they’d sold 1500 copies and Lonely Planet was born. One hundred million guidebooks later, Lonely Planet is the world’s leading travel guide publisher with content to almost every destination on the planet.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
October 3, 2017
Beautiful photography fills the pages throughout. It feels like a picture book with little text. It spurs on wanderlust and serves as a springboard to explore and do more research. The drives that were chosen all seem to be the right ones and mostly the obvious ones with some new drives and new discoveries. My copy came from the library and it is one that should be owned if one is serious about exploring, but it truly is just a jumping off point, it doesn't have enough details to actually plan a trip. Check it out and start dreaming of your next vacation.
January 2, 2023
Prachtig boek! Nu al zin om er dit jaar wat vanuit te gaan proberen
February 1, 2018
There are some great ideas for trips, but so many of these writers were just incredibly insufferable. Beyond that, most of the short "tips" revolved around alcohol, as though a trip just isn't worth it without getting piss drunk during and after.
June 8, 2021
Some really interesting road trips! Will definitely be trying a few of them out.
March 15, 2019
Lots of great drives around the world, some more practical than others, good pictures and descriptions - while the main drives are organized by region of the world, the "secondary" options are similarly organized only sometimes.
June 1, 2022
I've been making my way through the various different road trips and all I want to do is hop in the van and go! Great book to inspire but don't rely too much for in depth information, do your own research... or go get lost in the world!
November 5, 2017
Awesome book. Not much depth but great teaser and wonderful pictures. kept pickinig it up to look through.
November 27, 2017
Armchair travel. Enjoyable. I especially liked the beautiful illustrations.
February 8, 2018
Good photos but the written entries are quite uneven in quality. It’s really a coffee table book suitable for browsing but not for serious travel planning.
March 5, 2018
Took notes, but didn't plot out plans yet.
January 4, 2019
Gorgeous!
June 23, 2022
Great book, lovely pictures and short articles about featured drives. Would love to visit these places!
July 18, 2022
Fun to flip through for armchair travel.
September 28, 2022
This was fun to look through but for actual trip planning I think the NatGeo book that’s comparable was more helpful than this lonely planet version.
November 19, 2022
Gorgeous photos, formatting, graphics, and just the right amount of text to keep me engaged. Let's go for a ride!
September 3, 2023
3/5 stars
not the most enjoyable travel book
not the most enjoyable travel book
July 18, 2024
This book made me hungry for my next adventure
July 26, 2024
Inspired my nonexistent wanderlust!
October 13, 2024
Super inspired to plan my bucket list runs!
September 6, 2024
Incredible guide with stunning pictures and all the info you may need.
August 11, 2023
An absolutely lovely book with fantastic photography. It has given me such wanderlust and many ideas for my next adventures.
November 3, 2019
Naast de bekende en handige reisgidsen in zakformaat, heeft Lonely Planet ook een mooie collectie aan naslagwerken en inspirerende vakantieboeken. Mythische autotochten in de wereld is een van deze prachtige hardcovers die de lezer voorziet van leuke en nuttige informatie en gaat vooral in op autovakanties.
Het biedt voor ieder wat wils en beperkt zich niet tot een bepaald deel van de wereld. Zo zijn er routes uitgestippeld die dichtbij huis liggen, terwijl je voor anderen eerst een halve wereldreis moet overhebben. De 50 tips zijn allemaal op dezelfde manier verwoord: het bevat een persoonlijk verhaal van een ervaringsdeskundige, praktische informatie zoals de beste reistijd en de afstand van het traject en interessante feitjes. Dit wordt bijgestaan door een pracht aan kleurenfoto's. Ze weten te inspireren en zorgen ervoor dat je het liefst meteen na het lezen je koffer pakt en ergens een camper of een heerlijk ouderwets VW-busje huurt om aan je eerste roadtrip te beginnen. Er wordt onderscheid gemaakt in moeilijkheidsgraden, die zich beperken tussen groen (makkelijk), blauw (moeilijk) en rood (mythisch). Deze zijn gemakkelijk terug te vinden in de inhoudsopgave.
De persoonlijke teksten van de verschillende schrijvers zorgen voor een huiselijke sfeer. Alsof het een kampvuurverhaal betreft. Geen opsomming van feiten, maar persoonlijke ervaringen. Doordat het door verschillende mensen is geschreven, zal niet elke schrijfstijl even veel indruk maken, maar een ding is zeker: ze weten elk te overtuigen op hun eigen manier.
Mythische autotochten in de wereld is niet alleen een prachtig naslagwerk, maar ook een fijne raadgevende reisgids. Hoewel het boek op autotochten focust, kun je de routes met verschillende voertuigen nemen. Het zijn slechts voorbeelden en absoluut geen verplichtingen. Het is vooral een aanrader voor degenen die graag een avontuur per auto beleven of mensen die daarover na zitten te denken. Maar ook de natuurliefhebber zal niet teleurgesteld worden in dit boek door de pracht aan foto's dat het biedt. Een klein puntje van kritiek is echter dat het boek geen inwendig boekenlint bevat. Dat zou het boek helemaal afgemaakt hebben.
Het biedt voor ieder wat wils en beperkt zich niet tot een bepaald deel van de wereld. Zo zijn er routes uitgestippeld die dichtbij huis liggen, terwijl je voor anderen eerst een halve wereldreis moet overhebben. De 50 tips zijn allemaal op dezelfde manier verwoord: het bevat een persoonlijk verhaal van een ervaringsdeskundige, praktische informatie zoals de beste reistijd en de afstand van het traject en interessante feitjes. Dit wordt bijgestaan door een pracht aan kleurenfoto's. Ze weten te inspireren en zorgen ervoor dat je het liefst meteen na het lezen je koffer pakt en ergens een camper of een heerlijk ouderwets VW-busje huurt om aan je eerste roadtrip te beginnen. Er wordt onderscheid gemaakt in moeilijkheidsgraden, die zich beperken tussen groen (makkelijk), blauw (moeilijk) en rood (mythisch). Deze zijn gemakkelijk terug te vinden in de inhoudsopgave.
De persoonlijke teksten van de verschillende schrijvers zorgen voor een huiselijke sfeer. Alsof het een kampvuurverhaal betreft. Geen opsomming van feiten, maar persoonlijke ervaringen. Doordat het door verschillende mensen is geschreven, zal niet elke schrijfstijl even veel indruk maken, maar een ding is zeker: ze weten elk te overtuigen op hun eigen manier.
Mythische autotochten in de wereld is niet alleen een prachtig naslagwerk, maar ook een fijne raadgevende reisgids. Hoewel het boek op autotochten focust, kun je de routes met verschillende voertuigen nemen. Het zijn slechts voorbeelden en absoluut geen verplichtingen. Het is vooral een aanrader voor degenen die graag een avontuur per auto beleven of mensen die daarover na zitten te denken. Maar ook de natuurliefhebber zal niet teleurgesteld worden in dit boek door de pracht aan foto's dat het biedt. Een klein puntje van kritiek is echter dat het boek geen inwendig boekenlint bevat. Dat zou het boek helemaal afgemaakt hebben.
July 29, 2020
After finishing Epic Rides of the World, I had to see what was in this book. Turns out, quite a few of the bike rides are also considered worthy of car-trip status. As with Epic Rides, I enjoyed the descriptions of the more adventurous routes through countries the State Department considers unsafe... and found more than one scenic route I'd like to take through more pastoral places.
The nice thing about this book, like Epic Rides, is that there is so much variety. Rides range from 15 to over 1000 miles and cover all kinds of themes. Both the books in this series would make good gifts or fit well in a waiting-room for their appeal to a wide ranges of people.
The nice thing about this book, like Epic Rides, is that there is so much variety. Rides range from 15 to over 1000 miles and cover all kinds of themes. Both the books in this series would make good gifts or fit well in a waiting-room for their appeal to a wide ranges of people.
January 15, 2023
A great coffee table, arm chair travel kind of book!
There were road trips from all the continents & in particular, road trips that I would love to go on here in North America.
Nice photos & interesting tidbits of information!
I will definitely borrow it again just to refresh my memory when we are planning to travel again!
There were road trips from all the continents & in particular, road trips that I would love to go on here in North America.
Nice photos & interesting tidbits of information!
I will definitely borrow it again just to refresh my memory when we are planning to travel again!
May 9, 2025
I can neither drive a car nor leave the United States right now, so this book offered a little bit of wish fulfilment.
I'll probably just check out a couple of these routes on my flight simulator instead.
I'll probably just check out a couple of these routes on my flight simulator instead.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews