Unless you're a latterday Jack Kerouac and happy to sleep in your convertible, advance planning is vital if you're going to drive in North America. Here are some of the best guides to the wide open spaces.
Fly-drive deals
Links to a useful list of UK agents that organise fly-drive deals in the US, if you prefer to book a package.
US National Parks Service
Helpful maps and tips on where to park and the best times and seasons to appreciate Yellowstone, Yosemite and dozens of others (including the Women's Rights National Park). You can also reserve a campsite pitch.
Rand McNally Road Trip Guide
Type in your starting point and destination, or indicate that you want to make a round trip, and Rand McNally will suggest a route and attractions along the way. Entries are well written with pertinent warnings about rattlesnakes and other hazards.
Bedandbreakfast.com
Booking a motel or Best Western hotel in the US or Canada is easy. But who wants to sleep in a concrete shed on the edge of a highway? Far better to stay in a homely bed and breakfast and eat home-made muffins for breakfast. Plenty of them are listed here.
Roadside America
Fans of kitsch Americana will appreciate this state-by-state guide to "weird" roadside installations. They include Tennessee's Dolly Parton statue, the Nashville Parthenon and Albert, the World's Largest Talking Bull -the by-product of Operation T-Bone, a local beef promotion.
America's Scenic Byways
"What Makes An All-American Byway?" asks the site. It's a "route to the heart and soul of America", apparently, and comparable to a British beauty spot. Trite as all this sounds, the routes make exceptional drives and the photography here is highly seductive.
California driving tours
Nothing too sophisticated here: just a printable brochure describing 24 intelligently researched driving tours.
Fodors.com
Fodors publishes many of its regional US guides online, aimed at the better funded, mature traveller.
Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism
Although it's a useful site - with many suggested itineraries and places to stay - Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism is somewhat spoilt by its penchant for bear and moose hunting. But visitors also come to fish, ski, whale watch and see the first North American city, St John's. A car is usually necessary to reach the more remote areas.
Travel British Columbia
At the other end of Canada, BC's site suggests six driving itineraries and runs an online booking accommodation service.
