In the authors’ words

Havana to Viñales: “Overhead, neighbors call to one another as they hang out washing in colorful strings from balconies; others gather on doorsteps to shoot the breeze, as often as not with fat Cuban cigars dangling from their fingers. I wind my way through the Old Town, carefully avoiding street-sellers with their handcarts filled with peanuts or flowers or bread, and I tap my fingers on the wheel in time with the bursts of salsa music that float in through the windows.”

The Great Ocean Road: “After Lorne, an Australian beachside town that attracts a lot of weekending urbanites, the driving experience begins in earnest. The road follows every twist, turn, rise and fall of the shore. Where it passes through patches of eucalyptus forest, look out for koalas in the crook of a gum tree’s branches. One thing is certain: passengers will enjoy the views out to sea more than the drivers, who will need to keep their eyes on the road.”

Canada’s Icefields Parkway: “Craggy peaks spike the skyline to east and west, and beyond lies wild backcountry barely changed since the days when Stoney, Kootenay and Blackfeet tribes called this land home. Lakes sparkle electric blue. Then there are the glaciers that gave the road its name: more than 100, glinting like gems in the mountainside.”

Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way: “Vibrant, bohemian Galway soon gives way to the limestone fields of the Burren, the precipitous Cliffs of Moher, and the reels and jigs that are a feature of Doolin’s pubs. The driving is easy; the challenge is not getting waylaid along the way. I make my way to places I’ve only ever heard of on the shipping forecast, where colorful lighthouses pilot ships to safety.”