The United States has long been a firm favourite among roadtrippers, but that may be changing. Popular American routes are being booked significantly less this year, while other destinations are gaining ground. The latest booking figures from car rental specialist Sunny Cars show that Canada remains particularly popular, while Italy is also increasingly attracting Belgian travellers looking for a one-way road trip.
Three Canadian routes in the top 10
Canada remains a clear favourite for Belgian travellers taking a road trip by rental car. Calgary to Vancouver is the most-booked one-way route, while the reverse journey ranks third. The Toronto to Montreal route has also climbed from ninth to sixth place. Canada therefore accounts for no fewer than three of the top 10 most popular routes.
The United States is moving in the opposite direction. Although San Francisco to Los Angeles and Las Vegas to Los Angeles still feature among the ten most popular routes, both are being booked significantly less often than last year. San Francisco to Los Angeles has been hit particularly hard, with bookings down 35%, highlighting the broader decline in American road trips.
Italy on the rise as a one-way destination
Within Europe, Italy stands out. The Catania to Palermo route is being booked 7% more often than last year and has climbed from 13th to seventh place. The reverse route also makes the top 10, giving Sicily two entries this year. One-way car rental is particularly suited to this type of trip, as travellers do not have to return to their starting point and can combine more destinations during the same holiday.
The growth is not limited to Sicily. One-way road trips on mainland Italy are also clearly on the rise, with more bookings from cities including Bari and Naples. Italy is therefore gaining ground among Belgian travellers who want to explore several cities and regions by rental car.
The 10 most-booked one-way road trips
- Calgary – Vancouver, Canada.
- Port Elizabeth – Cape Town, South Africa.
- Vancouver – Calgary, Canada.
- Johannesburg – Durban, South Africa ↑.
- San Francisco – Los Angeles, United States ↓.
- Toronto – Montreal, Canada ↑.
- Catania – Palermo, Italy ↑.
- Porto – Lisbon, Portugal ↑?
- Las Vegas – Los Angeles, United States ↓.
- Palermo – Catania, Italy ↑
Travellers increasingly cross borders
For some roadtrippers, the journey does not stop at the national border. Portugal stands out in particular: the number of cross-border road trips between Portugal and Spain has increased by 23%. Combinations such as South Africa and Eswatini, and Croatia and Montenegro, are also popular with Belgian travellers who want to discover several countries during a single holiday.
Check the rules before crossing a border
Anyone planning to combine several countries in a rental car should check the rules governing cross-border travel. These vary depending on the destination and rental company. Not every rental car may cross a national border, meaning that permission must always be requested in advance.
Sunny Cars allows cross-border driving in many destinations. When crossing the border is permitted and has been requested in advance, travellers remain fully covered in the other country under the terms of their booking. Unlimited mileage is also included as standard, making longer routes possible without additional mileage charges.
“As a car rental specialist, we see that for many travellers, the rental car is no longer simply a practical means of transport at their destination, but increasingly helps determine what the holiday looks like. We also notice this in the questions we receive every day. Particularly when it comes to one-way rentals and cross-border travel, travellers want to know exactly what is possible and which conditions apply before they set off. By providing them with the right information, they can make the most of the freedom a road trip offers. And if questions do arise during the journey, our 24/7 customer service is always there to help,” says Suzanne Al, Managing Director Netherlands, Belgium, and France at Sunny Cars.
About Sunny Cars
Sunny Cars was founded in Germany in 1991 and has grown into one of Europe’s largest car rental specialists. The company offers customers a wide range of all-inclusive rental cars at more than 8,000 destinations in over 120 countries worldwide. Sunny Cars works exclusively with local partners that meet its high quality and service requirements.
The independent specialist operates in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Luxembourg, and Switzerland. Sunny Cars is a preferred partner of almost all travel agencies in Belgium and has been named the best car rental company several times by the Belgian, Dutch and Swiss travel industries.
Some tourism statistics
- Switzerland breaks tourism records with almost 44 million overnight stays in 2025.
- Belgium tourism reaches new heights as record visitor numbers underline the country’s growing appeal.
- France welcomes 102 million visitors and earns €77.5 billion from tourism in record-breaking 2025.
- BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS | Tortola at the centre of a record tourism boom.
- DOMINICAN REPUBLIC | 11.6 million international visitors in 2025.
- Aruba consolidates its position as a tourism powerhouse.
- United Kingdom tourism races past 45 million visitors as cross-Channel travel with Belgium grows.
- ITALY | More than 185 million visitors as tourism surges 7.1% in record year 2025.
- 8.7 billion rail trips in Europe in 2024 as Switzerland leads and Belgium’s data remain unavailable.
- NORWAY | Tourism breaks record with 40.6 million guest nights in 2025.
- NETHERLANDS | Rising international visitor numbers, domestic travel showed signs of stagnation in 2025.
- Taiwan tourism rebounds, Belgian market recovers, but cost pressures and geopolitical risks shape outlook.
- CURAÇAO | Tourism records for 2025, with 11,500 travellers from Belgium.
- International tourism to the United States continues to slide in 2026.
- Morocco records historic tourism year with 19.8 million visitors in 2025.
- Flanders continues to grow as a tourist destination with over 15 million visitors in 2025.
- Greece sets new tourism records in 2025 with nearly 38 million visitors.
- Thailand happy with Belgian visitor numbers and welcomes Tomorrowland festival.
- Belgian travel stats to the United States continued to decline throughout 2025.
- Is Greece too popular? 2024 tourism statistics raise overtourism concerns.
- TRAIN TRAVEL | European Union records 429 billion passenger-kilometres in 2023 but domestic travel still dominates.
- 5 million passengers flew from and to Brussels Airport in summer 2025.
- BELGIUM | Flemish museums attracted more than 4.8 million visitors in 2023.
- Belgium sees modest tourism growth in 2024, led by Flanders and Brussels.
- Travel in 2024: Spain, France, USA, China, Mexico lose ground and Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, UAE to grow market share.
- France, Spain, USA, China and Italy most visited countries in the world, Belgium 41st.
- France welcomed 100 million international visitors in 2024.
- Turkey welcomed 62 million international tourists who together spent $61 billion in 2024.
- SPAIN | 94 million international visitors and €108.7 billion tourism income in 2024.
- UN WORLD TOURISM BAROMETER | International tourism recovers pre-pandemic levels in 2024.
- Outside the EU, Europeans mostly travel to Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom.
- Intra-European travel mostly for fun and / or family.
- Europeans visit other European countries over 7 nights on average.
