A mid-July run down the Pacific Coast Highway with two teenagers works best with early departures, predictable beach time, and cheap, clean rooms. Plan seven days and roughly 1,500 miles, mostly on US‑101 and CA‑1, in a well‑maintained Honda Odyssey with a roof box and boogie boards. Set two-hour afternoon beach windows around low tide, pad mornings for traffic, and keep nightly costs near $120–160 before tax. Because it’s wildfire season, build in detours and daily checks of WSDOT, ODOT TripCheck, and Caltrans QuickMap, plus AirNow for smoke, so the coast stays fun, not frantic.
A late-October loop across New Zealand’s South Island puts a small self-contained diesel camper on alpine passes, rain-soaked coast, and long one-lane bridges. The route links Christchurch to Arthur’s Pass, the West Coast glaciers, Haast Pass to Wānaka, then Lindis Pass into the Mackenzie Basin before closing the circle via Lake Tekapo. Spring brings lambs in paddocks and fresh snow dusting the ranges, with showers that can turn streams into torrents. The miles are manageable—about 1,300 to 1,500 kilometers in eight days—but the rhythm is governed by single-lane etiquette, weather margins, and knowing when to pull over and let faster traffic by.
October turns the Blue Ridge into a slow-motion parade, and the Parkway’s 45 mph limit makes it official. This loop starts and ends in Roanoke, Virginia, threading classic overlooks and trailheads while ducking into small towns for hot coffee and quick plates. It works by leaning into the pace: dawn departures, short stops, and off-parkway fuel and food. Over two days and about 360 miles, it hits Mabry Mill, Doughton Park, Grandfather Mountain country, and Floyd, balancing leaf-peeper traffic with timing and turnouts. The colors are the draw; the decisions—where to pause, where to pass, and where to eat—make it stick.
This gravel tour traces Namibia’s Skeleton Coast from Swakopmund to Terrace Bay and inland via the conservancies of Damaraland. It emphasizes tire deflation/inflation routines for salt and gravel surfaces, awareness of wildlife corridors around the Uniab and Hoanib Rivers, and strategies for the dense coastal fog driven by the Benguela Current. Expect long, empty stretches with no fuel, strict park rules, and changing surfaces that reward measured speeds and good margins. Plan for a mid-winter window (June–August) when temperatures are cool and fog is frequent, and build a self-sufficient kit: compressor, two spares, recovery boards, and printed permits and bookings.