European scenic drives

10 Top European Scenic Drives

Published October 30, 2017 | By Clark Norton

Today’s guest infographic comes from PortableAdvisor.com, a website devoted to RV travel and the “portable lifestyle.” It’s run by an Irish-American named Rick Rose and his wife Sandy, who have lived life on the road for eight months of each year since 2012.

I can vouch for some of these incredibly scenic highways from personal experience; others remain to be explored, but it’s a terrific list to keep in mind for your next European vacation(s).

The infographic is packed with useful info such as mileage, driving difficulty, seasonal closures, sights en route, and various practical tips.

Here’s the intro and infographic courtesy of PortableAdvisor:

With the rise of budget airlines in Europe, the popularity of driving around the continent has waned. As a result, some of the continent’s most breathtaking locations go unseen as visitors simply fly from one capital city to the next without taking in… Continue reading →

Posted in automobile travel, Baby boomer travel, Bucket Lists, rental cars, transportation | Tagged Amalfi Coast Italy, Col de la Bonnette France, European scenic drives, French Riviera, Hahntennjoch Austria, Jurassic Coast England, PortableAdvisor.com, Ring of Kerry Ireland, Ring Road Iceland, Romantic Road Germany, Transfagarasan Romania, Trollstigen Norway | Leave a comment

Ready for a European Road Trip? Try These Planners

Published February 5, 2016 | By Clark Norton

You can expect to see scenery like this if you follow Auto Europe’s new Road Trips in Norway itinerary planner. Photo from Visit Norway.

Several years ago, my son, Grael, and I set out on a driving expedition from Paris to Spain. We had no planned itinerary — just followed our whims for a week — in our Auto Europe rental car, which I had reserved online here in the U.S..

We spent an enjoyable overnight in Toulouse, France, motored through the ravishing Pyrenees mountains between France and Spain, continued through the small mountainous nation of Andorra into northern Spain, drove south to Barcelona for a few days, then west to Basque country, and, when it started to rain there, headed north and ended up in Brittany in northwest France, where we ate crepes and walked by the seaside before returning to Paris via Mont St.… Continue reading →

Posted in automobile travel, Baby boomer travel, Europe | Tagged Auto Europe, Europe car rentals, European rental cars, European road trip planners, European scenic drives, Norway scenic drives | 2 Comments

According to government and private surveys:

Leading-edge baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1955) and seniors account for four out of every five dollars spent on luxury travel today.
Roughly half the consumer spending money in the U.S.--more than $2 trillion--is in the hands of leading-edge baby boomers and seniors.
Baby boomers (born 1946-1964) travel more than any other age group.
When asked what they would most like to spend their money on, baby boomers answered “travel” more than any other category, including improving their health or finances.