There to go next: The 5 best Camping Destinations Worldwide
JuliaUpdated at: 01/20/2026
Reading time: 6 minutes
When people in the US book a motorhome through CamperDays, the same five long-haul journeys consistently emerge as the most popular. Our data reveals where travellers seek the best camping holiday destinations, and the stories that come back prove why these routes keep drawing people in. Australia, with its endless coast roads. Canada’s mountain passes. The open skies of the American West. New Zealand’s winding trails. Namibia’s wild desert drives. Each offers a fresh answer to the question of where to go camping, and each gives you a reason to visit. We’ll show you where each trip starts. How many days to plan, and the best time of year to visit.
1. Australian East Coast
Route: Sydney to Brisbane, or loop back to Sydney (14-21 days)
Best time to visit: September to November, or March to May
This route is all about variety. One morning you’re walking a headland trail, the next you’re swimming in clear surf, and by evening you might be parked up near a lighthouse. The road never feels the same for long.
Sydney is one of the best camping holiday destinations, giving you the big-city start, with harbour walks and beaches close by. As you head north, you meet smaller towns built around surf breaks and fishing piers. Byron Bay has a slower rhythm that pulls people in, while Noosa adds boardwalk cafés and calm river inlets.
National parks break up the coastline with hikes and waterfalls, which are perfect for Instagram pictures. We recommend taking your time with shorter drives and spending at least a full day at each place. It’s the kind of trip where the journey feels as good as the stops. You set your own schedule, and the coast rewards you with something different every few hours on the road. If you are wondering where to go camping, definitely consider the Australian East Coast.
2. Canada: Vancouver to the Rockies
Route: Start in Vancouver. Finish in Banff or Jasper. Return the camper to Vancouver, or use a
planned Calgary drop with a provider that offers it. (12–18 days)
Best time to visit: June to September
Harbour mornings set the tone in Vancouver as you drive up the Sea-to-Sky Highway toward Whistler. Bays give way to cedar forest and high viewpoints. Beyond the passes, the road opens into glacier valleys that lead you toward Lake Louise and Moraine Lake. Water sits bright and cold. Boardwalks creak under your boots at dawn.
A camper gives you the best access. Stay near trailheads in provincial or national park campgrounds. Brew coffee in the alpine air and walk to the water for golden hour. Leave one spare day in your plan, which you can always swap for a hike or drive if the weather turns.
Banff and Jasper campsites always book up early in the summer season. We recommend mixing up the popular sites with smaller provincial parks for quieter evenings.
3. USA: California and the National Parks
Route: Los Angeles to San Francisco, return loop or one-way (14–21 days)
Best time to visit: April to June or September to October
California rewards slow travel. The Pacific coast opens the journey with cliffs and surf that crash right against the road. Stop often, because Highway 1 is as much about pulling over as it is about driving. Inland, the scenery changes fast. One route takes you into Yosemite, where rivers cut deep valleys and granite walls rise higher than you expect. Another leads into Sequoia, with trees so wide that standing beside them makes you feel small.
Campers give you an edge as you don’t need to rush back to a hotel; you can stay near the trailheads and wake close to the start of a hike. Sunrise feels different when you watch it inside the park gates rather than at the entrance queue. Even the shorter drives between stops feel easier when you don’t need to pack and unpack each night.
Like most routes in this article, you need to give yourself two spare days and use them to walk an extra day on a trail, or to stretch a stop you didn’t want to leave. Parks like Yosemite, and Joshua Tree often require advance bookings, so be sure to check the rules before you go.
What stands out here isn’t one single sight but the contrast. The coast hums with surf, the mountains cool down in granite shade, and the desert opens wide to the stars. It feels like three trips packed into one.
4. New Zealand: North to South in one go
Route: Auckland to Christchurch (most travellers return to the same depot; confirm one-way availability
and fees) (18–24 days)
Best time to travel: November to March (great for UK/IE travellers looking for motorhome winter
destinations)
There is so much to see in New Zealand. The North Island has loads of geothermal pools and volcanic plateaus. Waitomo glows with tiny lights in dark caverns. Around Tongariro, the views stretch across old lava fields and clean alpine ridges.
Cross the Cook Strait and the tone changes. The South Island trades steam for ice-blue water and long valleys. Kaikōura brings coastal wildlife. Around Lake Tekapo and Pukaki, the lakes sit still enough to mirror the sky. Push on to Queenstown and Te Anau, then into Fiordland where narrow roads end at sheer rock and deep water. Milford and Doubtful Sound feel remote even on a calm day.
Route hint - If you must return the vehicle to the pick-up city, plan a loop and allow time for the return ferry. If a one-way hire is available, check the surcharge before you lock it in.
Booking nudge - Reserve the ferry early. Popular holiday parks near Fiordland and the lakes also fill fast in peak weeks.
Small details to love - Sulphur steam at dawn, lupins by the water, kea calls in the passes, and night skies that feel close enough to touch.
5. Namibia: Desert horizons and wildlife days
Route: Loop from Windhoek through Sossusvlei, Swakopmund, Damaraland, and Etosha (12–16 days)
Best time to travel: May to October
Leave Windhoek, and the tarmac quickly turns to gravel. Head south and you’ll reach Sossusvlei, where the dunes rise high and the sand shifts colour with the sun. It’s worth climbing one at first light to see the desert roll out in silence.
From there, the road bends west to Swakopmund. The cool Atlantic air hits after days of dry heat, and the old coastal town makes a good pause before you turn inland again. The drive through Damaraland feels tougher, with wide gravel plains and rocky passes, but the views carry you on.
Etosha sits at the top of the loop. The salt pan glows white, and the camps inside the park give you the
rare chance to stay close to the action without long transfers. Nights end with fires, and the sky here feels brighter than anywhere else on the trip.
The roads demand focus, fuel stops matter, and the distances are big. But every long stretch rewards
you with scenery that feels impossible to find twice.
Do you have any feedback on the article, questions about booking a motorhome, or are you looking for tips? Then feel free to write to us here. We will get back to you as soon as possible.
