There is nothing like some great photos to inspire a Road Trip.
We have done many (many) road trips. Little local ones. Bigger local ones. Holidays dedicated to them. USA, Canada, New Zealand. As a result, I have an extensive library of photographs.
Here are a few of my favourites, in no particular order, and why. None of these photos came about by me setting off and looking for ‘that shot’. They were all taken while on an actual road trip, sometimes with a 4 or 5 year old in tow!
They genuinely are, shots from the roadside! Enjoy.
1. Bixby Bridge – Pacific Coast Highway
This was taken during our 2019 USA Road Trip. Part of it was traveling down the Pacific Coast Highway from San Francisco to Los Angelas.
I took a shutter smashing number of photos, but this is one of my favourites. Don’t be surprised if you see more from this Pacific Coast Highway road trip!
2. North Island – New Zealand
We had an amazing 2 week Road Trip around New Zealand back in 2012 for our honeymoon. I took hundreds of photos.
I like this one in particular as the road just dips off into the distance. Not really knowing what is around the corner.
And that, in my opinion, is the best bit about a road trip. Exploring the unknown and not know exactly what is around the next bend!
3. On the 395 from Lone Pine to Yosemite
In 2013, we took an amazing holiday, which included a drive 302 miles in one day, from Lone Pine to Yosemite. I snapped away, and caught lots of photos to inspire a Road Trip. We started in Arizona, and finished in LA and saw lots on the way.
I love the open road of this one. The mountains and blue skies just make it one of the perfect photos to inspire a road trip.
4. Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan – New York
Now, New York isn’t a typical road trip destination. It is more of a place you go to enjoy the buzz of the big city either before or after your road trip. Best when you don’t have a car and do not have to pay the extortionate parking prices all big cities bring.
That said, these light trails and the Manhattan skyline, may just inspire you to hit the road, and go on the hunt for a similar scene!
5. Pacific Coast Highway, San Simeon – California
A gorgeous sunset on one of the best roads in the world. Add the moody clouds and the way the sunset is reflecting off them, and this is fast becoming one of my favourite photos to inspire a Road Trip.
We stopped in a motel near here during our 2019 California Road Trip. A small beachside resort, with little to do but watch the sea, the sun and enjoy dinner and drinks. Perfect!
6. Death Valley National Park, enroute to Lone Pine
We had just left Death Valley, and was heading to Yosemite with a stop at Lone Pine on the way. We were heading West, so chasing the sunset, and saw the mountains in the distance on fire with the warm evening sunshine bouncing off them and the clouds.
The roads were quiet, so at the first opportunity, we pulled over and took this snap. This is such a ‘Road Trip’ photo in my eyes, and epitomises everything a road trip can be.
7. Florida Route 1, taken as we were heading away from Key West
I tend to do most of the driving on our Road Trips, so to be in the passenger seat on this occasion was a good opportunity for me. We were leaving Key West during our 2016 Road Trip, and I glanced in the mirror. The sun just edging out from behind the cloud and the tinted windows on the hire car gave this photo a real warm evening feel.
Being Florida it was a very pleasant evening, despite being November time. This one makes me long for those warm summer nights! We don’t get them that often here in the UK!
8. Icefields Parkway, Banff National Park, BC – Canada
In 2017 we took an amazing Canadian Road Trip from Calgary to Vancouver.Â
This included driving the Icefields Parkway from Banff to Jasper. This again, is one of the best drives in the world. If you are a Road Trip fan, and you love driving, stunning vistas, natural beauty all around you, and photography, then you have to take this trip.
There are not many places to stay between Banff and Jasper, you will have a sensory overload on the day you drive it! You have been warned……
9. Los Angelas Light Trails – California
Now, the city of Los Angelas isn’t really know for being great for road trips. The city is sprawling, and the traffic can be brutal.
Again, this is probably a spot where you’d want to spend time at the end of your road trip. Relaxing on one off the many beaches, and seeing the city at your leisure. But, if you like, slow, twisty drives, then Mulholland Drive could be for you. There is a very small car park, at the Jerome C Daniel overlook where you can get a shot like this.
The camera was just perched atop a wall, but held there long enough for the 20 second shot to capture the light trails.
So there it is, my photos to inspire a Road Trip
These are a few of my favourite photos that I have taken while being on a Road Trip. I hope you have enjoyed them as much as I enjoyed taking them. I hope it inspires you to get out and take the road trip you have always dreamed of!
Feel free to let me know where your favourite road trip is.
Thanks for stopping by, Rich
