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LoveMyTrips Independent travel inspiration. Self-drive journeys, hidden gems and the road less travelled.

If you've always assumed an autumn road trip in North America means New England in October, here's the thing nobody tell...
12/09/2026

If you've always assumed an autumn road trip in North America means New England in October, here's the thing nobody tells you: that's the most expensive fortnight of the year for that region, and the colour keeps moving south for another eight weeks afterwards.

The Blue Ridge Parkway peaks in late October. Wisconsin and the Pacific Northwest never see the surge pricing at all. The Texas Hill Country is at its best in November, when flights are among the cheapest of the year. And if your dates run into the last week of October, you get Halloween thrown in, which America treats like a national holiday.

My new guide covers all of it: where to go, when, how to build a route around two or three good bases rather than a new hotel every night, the winter-tyre rules that start in October, crossing the US–Canada border in a hire car, and why "fall" is actually a piece of Tudor English we abandoned and they kept.

Link in the comments. 🍁

Al Capone had his own private booth at a Chicago jazz club, complete with an escape tunnel behind the bar. A few blocks ...
29/08/2026

Al Capone had his own private booth at a Chicago jazz club, complete with an escape tunnel behind the bar. A few blocks away, John Dillinger was shot outside a cinema that's still showing films today. In Indianapolis, bullet holes from a Prohibition-era shootout are still in the walls of the state's oldest bar. In Louisville, the Seelbach hid a card room used by Capone — and inspired F. Scott Fitzgerald's Great Gatsby. Nearby, Waverly Hills Sanatorium tells a sadder, real story behind the ghost stories. It all ends in Cincinnati, once home turf to the real "King of the Bootleggers."

Yellowstone can turn a 30-minute drive into a whole morning — a bison herd crosses the road, a geyser holds you longer t...
08/08/2026

Yellowstone can turn a 30-minute drive into a whole morning — a bison herd crosses the road, a geyser holds you longer than planned, and suddenly the timetable's gone out the window. Pair it with the crisp peaks and glacial lakes of Grand Teton next door, and you've got one of the great American road trips.

We'd allow seven days for a first visit: two among the Tetons, four exploring Yellowstone's geysers, canyons and wildlife valleys, with the drive between them treated as part of the holiday rather than a chore.

How many days do you actually need, where to base yourself each night, and the full seven-day route — link in the comments 👇

A day trip to Lisbon by car... and the car park that nearly broke us! 🇵🇹We parked at Gare do Oriente (driving into centr...
01/08/2026

A day trip to Lisbon by car... and the car park that nearly broke us! 🇵🇹

We parked at Gare do Oriente (driving into central Lisbon just didn't look like fun), hopped on the Metro, and had a genuinely lovely wander through the city — hills, backstreets, vintage shops, and a proper obsession with sardine tins courtesy of our 10-year-old.

Lisbon didn't win us over immediately, if we're honest. A bit grubby near the harbour, hawkers on every corner. But the further we walked, the more it grew on us — like a well-worn blanket you didn't know you needed.

And then there was the small matter of getting the car back out of the car park... let's just say it involved a stubborn 2 euro coin, a cash machine dash, and a bit of chaos. 😅

Full story on the blog — link in the comments 👇

We've all been there. An Airbnb host cancels on you mid-afternoon and suddenly you need somewhere to sleep that evening....
31/07/2026

We've all been there. An Airbnb host cancels on you mid-afternoon and suddenly you need somewhere to sleep that evening.

We were crossing back into France from Spain, northern Pyrenees, no plan B. A quick search on Booking.com and Ferme Ithurburia appeared. We almost scrolled past it.

We're very glad we didn't.

A century-old Basque farmhouse on the Route Napoléon, four kilometres from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. Mountain views, comfortable family rooms, a great continental breakfast, and traditional Basque table d'hôtes dinners served every evening. The kind of place you'd have planned months in advance if you'd known it existed.

Sometimes the best finds are the ones you weren't looking for. 5 out of 5 from us — no hesitation.

🔗 Full review and booking link in the first comment.

Driving from the UK to Italy is one of those trips that rewards the effort.Yes, the French toll roads can feel eye-water...
31/07/2026

Driving from the UK to Italy is one of those trips that rewards the effort.

Yes, the French toll roads can feel eye-watering when you first add them up. But having done this route a few times now, they genuinely earn their money — clear roads, consistent progress, and some surprisingly decent rest stops that aren't all giant motorway service stations.

Via Basel for the lakes. Through the French Alps if you're heading to Florence or Tuscany. Or take the slow road through Germany and Austria and turn the journey into part of the holiday.

We've put together a proper guide — routes, real costs, the ZTL zones that catch everyone out at least once, and two itineraries for 10 and 14 days.

🔗 Link in the first comment

Fátima has a way of stopping you in your tracks, whatever you believe.I stood in the vast esplanade in front of the Basi...
16/07/2026

Fátima has a way of stopping you in your tracks, whatever you believe.
I stood in the vast esplanade in front of the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, watching pilgrims walk the last stretch on their knees — a promise kept, a prayer answered, a grief carried. It's humbling to witness, even as an outsider looking in.
The story goes back to 1916, when three shepherd children — Lúcia, Francisco and Jacinta — first reported visions of an angel in the fields outside town. Those early visions prepared them, so the story goes, for what came next: starting in May 1917, they reported the apparitions of the Virgin Mary that Fátima is famous for today. Six appearances between May and October, and pilgrims have been coming ever since — most heavily around the 13th of each month during that same window.
There are two basilicas to see — the neo-classical original, and the striking modern Basilica of the Holy Trinity, which can hold thousands. But for me, the most moving spot was the Capelinha, the small chapel marking where the apparitions are said to have taken place. Candles burn there day and night, year-round.
Whether you come for faith, for history, or simple curiosity, Fátima leaves a mark. Have you been?
📍 Fátima, Portugal

Happy 4th of July! 🎆 There's something about this time of year that makes an American road trip feel extra special — sma...
04/07/2026

Happy 4th of July! 🎆 There's something about this time of year that makes an American road trip feel extra special — small towns decked out in red, white and blue, main street parades, and fireworks lighting up the sky from a spot you picked yourself.
If you've ever dreamed of a self-drive across the States, now's a great time to start planning. Drop a comment and tell us — what's the one American road trip you'd love to do?

Happy Canada Day! 🍁Canada has given us some of our favourite travel memories — driving the Icefields Parkway with the Ro...
01/07/2026

Happy Canada Day! 🍁
Canada has given us some of our favourite travel memories — driving the Icefields Parkway with the Rockies filling every window, whale watching off Vancouver Island, and discovering that Québec genuinely feels like stepping into France without the flight. It's a country that keeps surprising you, no matter how many times you go back.
If Canada's on your list, drop your dream destination in the comments — we'd love to hear where you're dreaming of heading. 🍁🏔️🌊

Bourbon with ice? Or just ice? 🥃🧊
26/06/2026

Bourbon with ice? Or just ice? 🥃🧊

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