Levison Wood

Explorer and the first person to walk the length of the Nile
“Years ago, I drove an ambulance across the deserts of Jordan, from the capital Amman in the north, to Aqaba in the south. I stopped off for a restorative float in the Dead Sea, visited the sprawling Nabatean city of Petra, rumbled across Wadi Rum – home to nomadic Bedouin tribes – and saw majestic sandstone rock formations, then meandered to the border. I’d love to do it again.” 

Car of choice: Land Rover
Song: Lawrence of Arabia soundtrack

See Woods on his UK stage tour, Journeys through the Badlands and Beyond, until November 26. 

Delve into Jordan

Laura Bingham

Adventurer who cycled the length of South America
“The Florida Keys, on the southern tip of Florida past Miami, is one of the most idyllic, beautiful places to experience. It has a really modern feel and crystal waters, but to go from that to South Carolina, where I saw a UFO welcome centre, was odd, to say the least. In South Carolina I was welcomed into a trailer, and offered homemade moonshine and devilled eggs. The Keys and South Carolina are such contrasting parts of the USA, which is what makes the drive so magical.”

Car of choice: Mustang convertible
Song: Summer of 69, Bryan Adams

Discover the USA

Charley Boorman

TV presenter and motorcyclist who rode with Ewan McGregor from London to New York via Europe and Asia, and Scotland to Cape Town
“My favourite place to ride on tarmac is Tasmania, from the capital Hobart to the harbour-side village of Strahan on the edge of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. The 240km of country road takes you through forest and mountains, and there is not one straight bit along the entire route. It’s full of epic hairpin bends – the last tight one swings you to the left and then the road drops you into the centre of town.”

Bike of choice: Triumph Tiger 1200 
Song: Mr Writer, Stereophonics

Explore Tasmania via Sydney with BA partner Qantas 

Lois Pryce

Travel writer and motorcyclist who rode the length of Africa and the US
“For cowboy fantasists and wannabe desert racers, Mexico’s Baja peninsula offers the ultimate road trip. Highway One runs the length of Baja, 1,000 miles from Tijuana at the US frontier to its southern tip, with ferries to the mainland. Away from the highway, a maze of sandy dirt tracks winds through vast cactus forests, over rugged mountains, and ultimately to the calm turquoise waters of the Sea of Cortez, where beach shacks serve up fish tacos and margaritas to thirsty desert travellers.” 

Car of choice: 1977 Chevrolet K5 Blazer Chalet 
Song: Seashores of Old Mexico, Willie Nelson

Hit the open road in Mexico

Felicity Aston MBE

First woman to ski alone across Antarctica and Eurasia, author of Chasing Winter: A Journey to the Pole of Cold
“Our bright red Land Rover Defender stood out brilliantly as we travelled from the shores of the Atlantic in the far north of Norway across Finland and the vastness of Russia to the tiny village of Omyakon in the far northeast corner of Siberia. We were greeted by temperatures just over -60°C (most probably three times as cold as the inside of your home freezer). It was so cold we couldn’t risk turning off the engine, not even overnight, and we were able to use a 2,000km ice highway on the surface of the frozen Lena River.” 

Car of choice: Land Rover Defender
Song: Eagle Brother, Mari Boine

Book a fly-drive holiday in the Arctic Circle

Liz Bonnin

Biochemist, wild animal biologist and TV presenter
“A few years ago my sister and I took a road trip across New Zealand’s South Island, where we saw everything from tropical rainforests and rugged coastlines to arid plains that stretched as far as the eye could see. Reaching Mount Cook National Park, with its snow-capped peaks and dramatic sprawling glaciers, we were treated to an impossibly beautiful spectacle of milky-turquoise glacial lakes against a pristine white mountainous backdrop. The South Island is a feast for the soul.” 

Car of choice: Toyota Prius Hybrid
Song: At the River, Groove Armada

Book flights to Christchurch with BA partners Cathay Pacific and Qantas