Our competition winner and some road trip ideas

Our recent Road Trip competition came to a very happy end when Kent-based Jenni Tutt scooped the big prize of an £80 Auto Europe car hire voucher, which she intends to use this summer.

We asked who you would like to take on a road trip and why, with comments posted on the Auto Europe Facebook page.

Jenni - whose winning entry was ‘Shaun Michael Tutt, because he's an amazing baby daddy to our boy, who is 3 weeks old’ - can’t believe her luck because very few people can resist a road trip, especially in summer when the air is delightfully warm, the days are long and time seemingly stands still as you soak up the vistas through the car window as you speed effortlessly towards your destination.

There’s much to consider before booking your road trip with Auto Europe, bearing in mind that you’ll be on the road for several days, perhaps weeks.

It’s important to pack enough clothing and anticipate what kind of eventualities might arise during the trip. Make sure you plan your route properly and prepare for the journey by taking enough travel gadgets and accessories with you, not forgetting that the kids will need to be entertained for the entire duration of the trip. By reading our Top 10 Road Trip Tips you can plan your perfect holiday on the road. 

You can choose from hundreds of amazing road trips to be enjoyed all over the world, including many in Europe, particularly around the Iberian Peninsula.

Spain is the perfect place for a four-wheel adventure - especially in an Auto Europe car hire - most notably the beautiful Asturias province situated along the country’s spectacular northern coastline. 

Basing yourself in the historic city of Oviedo, for instance, allows you quick and easy access to the bordering regions of Galicia, Cantabria, Castile and León, with plenty of road-trip options in-between.

With its collage of pretty fishing villages and lush green river valleys, the Asturias region of northern Spain features some incredible scenery, such as Picos de Europa (Peaks of Europe) where large numbers of wild bears and wolves roam free among the imposing limestone peaks. It’s also home to one of the world’s deepest caves - Torca del Cerro - which reaches a depth of about 5,000 feet. Oviedo is also on the ancient pilgrim’s route running east to west across the Asturias to Lugo in Galicia before heading south to Santiago de Compostela where the shrine of St James is located.

For a more traditional-cum-trendy road-trip experience, it’s hard to ignore the famous Route 66 that slices across North America between Chicago and Santa Monica in California.

Covering almost 2,500 miles, the road had already been open nine years when Nat King Cole immortalised it in his popular 1946 song entitled (Get Your Kicks on) Route 66. It has since been a magnet for road-trippers from all over the world.

Top of many a person’s bucket list, Route 66 offers a nostalgic portrayal of America’s deep-rooted past, with countless remnants of disused petrol stations, shanty restaurants, barbecue pits, truck stops and rundown motels providing drivers with a fascinating backdrop as they cruise across no less than eight US states.

Equally pleasurable is a memorable drive through the Highlands of Scotland, a spectacular journey that promises mile after mile of lofty, craggy peaks and sweeping glens shrouded in an eerie fog. The region's capital, Inverness, is a good base from which to explore the area, including the world-famous Loch Ness.

Dotted with majestic mountain ranges, mist-covered lochs and ancient forests, the Highlands offer a truly exhilarating road-trip experience with head-spinning vistas at every hairpin turn. Scotland is famous for its magnificent vistas comprising snow-capped peaks and rolling moorlands as far as the eye can see, perfect terrain for an extended road trip in an Auto Europe car hire!

And last but certainly not least, road-trippers in Australia shouldn’t miss the chance to travel along the Great Ocean Road, a 180-mile roller-coaster of a ride through some of the world’s most jaw-dropping scenery along the country’s magnificent southern coastline.

Passing old whaling towns, prime surfing beaches and large swathes of protected rain forest en route, this long coastal super highway is one of the great road-trip journeys of the world.

And as you cruise along the Great Ocean Road, keep an eye out for the Twelve Apostles, an imposing group of limestone pillars, some of which are 180 feet high. They are the geological highlight of a long stretch of coast known to locals as the Shipwreck Coast due to the hundreds of ships lost during the country’s colonisation in the 1800s.

Have a great trip!