South Africa ranks as a top road trip destination worldwide

Posted by Jordyn Johnson on 3 November 2022

Auto Trader, UK’s largest automotive marketplace, has revealed the top trending destinations and routes for a road trip on TikTok. With 11.2 billion views of #roadtrip videos alone on the platform, TikTok is a popular place to get road trip inspiration from. They analysed the viewing numbers of hundreds of road trip-related hashtags and ranked the most watched locations and routes for a driving holiday worldwide.

South Africa ranked 19th in the global charts, with over 275,000 views clocked up of videos posted by TikTok-ers. Popular locations on TikTok to see on a #SouthAfricaroadtrip include St. Blaize cliffs (part of a 13.5km hiking trail), Table Mountain, and Mossel Bay – home to the longest over-the-ocean zipline in the world.

The ultimate South African road trip for 2021

The Top Trending Road Trips on TikTok Revealed

  • The United States is the most watched destination for a road trip on TikTok with over 48 million views
  • Scotland, Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand are in the top five most-watched road trip destinations on TikTok
  • Route 66 is the world’s most-watched road trip, followed by California’s Big Sur and Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way
Have some fun in Mossel Bay

The USA topped the charts with over 48 million views under the hashtags #usaroadtrip and #americanroadtrip. The state with the most road trip views on TikTok is California, followed by Utah, and Texas.

Scotland took 2nd place with over 11 million views. Their road trip TikTok videos showcase the country’s most famous route, the NC500. Canada is the third most-watched destination with over 8 million TikTok views under the hashtags #canadaroadtrip and #canadianroadtrip.

The Top 25 Trending Countries for a Road Trip on TikTok

Rank

Country

# of Views

1

United States of America

48.4 million

2

Scotland

11.1 million

3

Canada

7.9 million

4

Ireland

6.8 million

5

New Zealand

5.9 million

6

Iceland

5.6 million

7

Romania

4.7 million

8

Norway

3.9 million

9

Australia

3.1 million

10

Namibia

2.4 million

11

Italy

2.2 million

12

Mexico

1.6 million

13

Saudi Arabia

1.6 million

14

France

1.2 million

15

Sri Lanka

511,476

16

Spain

422,000

17

Brazil

285,398

18

Wales

285,398

19

South Africa

275,408

20

Malaysia

232,400

21

Sweden

214,400

22

Thailand

196,900

23

Nigeria

141,491

24

Japan

139,300

25

India

101,800


Route 66 is the most watched road trip on TikTok

With over 162 million views, Route 66 is revealed to be the most-watched road trip on TikTok. The second most popular specific route on TikTok is also in the USA, California’s Big Sur. Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way is the third most watched road trip on TikTok (63.8 million views), with breath-taking videos of the incredible Irish landscape.

When it comes to specific road trips, North America dominates the leaderboard, with 10 of the top 25 road trips hailing from the continent, while trips like Iceland’s Golden Circle (24.4 million views) and Ireland’s Causeway Coastal Route (1.1 million views) mean Europe follows behind as the second-best continent to drive around.

The World’s 25 Most Watched Road Trips on TikTok

Rank

Road Trip

Country

# of Views

1

Route 66

USA

162.8 million

2

Big Sur

USA

101.3 million

3

Wild Atlantic Way

Ireland

63.8 million

4

North Coast 500

Scotland

51.8 million

5

Great Ocean Road

Australia

48.6 million

6

The Carretera Austral

Chile

40 million

7

Ruta 40

Argentina

33.7 million

8

Golden Circle

Iceland

24.4 million

9

Going-To-The-Sun Road

USA

19.5 million

10

Blue Ridge Parkway

USA

17.7 million

11

Pacific Coast Highway

Australia

15.1 million

12

The Karakoram Highway

Pakistan to China

13.6 million

13

Hai Van Pass

Vietnam

7.7 million

14

Overseas Highway

USA

5.3 million

15

Jebel Hafeet

United Arab Emirates

3.4 million

16

Icefields Parkway

Canada

3.2 million

17

The Dalton Highway

USA

2.5 million

18

Cabot Trail

Canada

2.3 million

19

Gibb River Road

Australia

2.3 million

20

The Alcan Highway

Canada – Alaska

1.5 million

21

The Pan-American Highway

Argentina – Alaska

1.3 million

22

Causeway Coastal Route

Ireland

1.1 million

23

Chapman’s Peak Drive

South Africa

576,900

24

Route 62

South Africa

459,000

25

Transfagarasan Road

Romania

436,300

 

  • Route 66 – United States of America
    Passing through eight states and taking drivers on a 2,000-mile journey is Route 66. Iconic for being the inspiration behind Jack Kerouac’s book ‘On the Road’ which also inspired the hit TV series ‘Route 66’, this epic drive showcases a number of America’s famous landmarks.
  • Big Sur – United States of America
    The rugged mountainscape of Big Sur truly deserves its spot in the top three most watched road trips on TikTok, with the 90-mile coastal road twisting and turning through an impressive section of California’s Highway 1. Drivers will enjoy redwood forests, spectacular coastal views, and numerous opportunities to stop for a refreshing hike and swim.
  • Wild Atlantic Way – Ireland
    This Irish road trip is the longest in the country, stretching for 2500km and starting in Cork before winding its way along the coast to finish up in Donegal. The incredibly scenic route shows off nine different counties, three provinces, the country’s tallest peak, a Dark Sky Reserve, and thirty unspoilt islands, making it a trip packed full of adventure.
Six road trip games to play with your family

Erin Baker, Editorial Director from Auto Trader, commented on the findings:

‘Originally the home of lip-syncing and viral dance trends, in recent months research has shown that the video-sharing platform TikTok has become the go-to search engine – specifically for younger generations. With that said, it’s no surprise that people are using the app to research and plan their road trips, all while getting first-hand advice from other road users and holidaymakers before they set off.

We weren’t surprised to see the USA and Scotland ranking so highly, with both countries offering spectacular landscapes that truly are best seen from a car, but we were incredibly happy to see such a wide range of road trips from around the globe rank highly too. Whether you decide to venture out closer to home on your own wheels or rent a car abroad, make sure you’re as prepared as possible to ensure that you won’t run into any engine difficulties – particularly in the middle of some of the more remote destinations!’

For those looking to trade in their current wheels to buy something more suited to long-distance road trips, visit autotrader.co.uk

Pictures: Getaway gallery

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