What’s more freeing than packing up a car, grabbing some friends (or in my case a significant other), and hitting the open road? It is the America (or Icelandic, or Canadian, or Croatian) dream! Throughout our travels, we have traversed some great landscapes. Here are some of our favorite (and at least one not-so-favorite) drives.

The Adriatic Highway, stretching along Croatia’s Dalmatian Cost, through Bosnia and Herzegovina, and into Montenegro, is a must-see for any road trip enthusiast. While not for the faint of heart (get used to hairpin turns, switchbacks, and hundred-foot drops) the vistas from the road are more than worth the white knuckles. In addition to views to write home about, the highway is dotted along the Croatian cost with adorable and quaint villages. Stopping along the route for a quick bite to eat, an ice cold Karlovacko Limun Radler, or simply to stretch your legs and take in the sites is definitely recommended.

While not as popular as its neighbor, Highway 1 in California, the stretch of US 101 that snakes its way up along the Oregon coastline is just as breathtaking, if not more. Even though we were welcomed to the Pacific Coastline with Oregon’s emblematic doom and gloom-y weather, driving along cliff sides and rocky beaches, even in the rainy weather, was a great experience. Like many other roads on this list, make sure to leave yourself time to stop in some of the small towns along the way, paying special attention to the small town of Newport, home of the great Rogue Brewing Company.

If you are on the travel up-and-up, you’ve undoubtedly seen and heard your fair share about this northern Atlantic island. Iceland has been the haute travel locale for at least a few years now, even to the point that it has become overcrowded, and dare I say, even passé. However, if you are willing to brave the public ridicule of being “behind the times” on travel trends, Iceland’s Ring Road is definitely worth a visit. Make no mistake, even though it can technically be completed in under a day, you will need to give yourself at least a week to see all there is to see around this circular road. In the four days we drove the road, we covered less than a quarter of it. When you need to stop every few minutes to stare in awe at another gorgeous waterfall, cliff, or alien landscape, short drives tend to stretch longer than expected.

We went into this drive not expecting much — just a way to get from A to B (A being Phoenix-Scottsdale and B being Flagstaff/Grand Canyon). However, this stretch of I-17 ended up being more than we bargained for, mostly due to the route’s proximity to Sedona (which admittedly is a slight detour, but one I would recommend).

Well, enough of the positives. Let’s talk about some negatives. When I think of “bad drives” one on thing comes to mind (other than my nightmarish daily commute) and that is the dreaded ON-401. We have taken this stretch of highway between Windsor and Toronto on two separate occasions; once to Toronto itself and again en route to Montreal. When driving through the area around Toronto, this highway certainly earns its reputation as North America’s Busiest Road. If you find yourself with the poor luck of hitting this stretch around rush hour, all I can say is good luck, you better get comfortable. While this road has made a victim of many unexpected travelers, the end result makes the trek more than worth it (I think?). Both Toronto and Montreal are beautiful cities that should be visited if you have a chance, but maybe consider flying in or taking the less-stressful Via Rail (which affords the added bonus of allowing you to enjoy a nice beer on the journey).

Our Best (and Worst) Road Trips

Eric Swartout