Iconic roads

Some itineraries are so legendary that they are reason enough to travel. Long journeys across a country, or sometimes even a continent. Sail up the Nile and follow the course of Egypt’s great history, drift down the Mekong to experience the Laotian art of living, travel along the Silk Road, retracing the paths of ancient caravan routes. The road is nostalgic and mythical. And then there is the road in the literal sense, stretching its long ribbons of asphalt from stopover towns to vast landscapes, winding through cracked lands or skirting the coast. The 4,000 km (2,485 miles) of Route 66, the Pacific Coast Highway from San Francisco to Los Angeles, the Blues Highway from Chicago to New Orleans: the United States embody the ultimate land for an initiatory road trip. Read more