If you were in London last weekend it would have been hard to miss the roar of V8 engines as the ill-fated Gumball rally got under way. But you don’t have to be a millionaire or own a Ferrari to enjoy the simple pleasures of loading up your car, turning up the stereo and heading out on an adventure with a gang of friends.

As every road-movie fan knows, however, these expeditions can be anything but predictable. Happily the web can help ensure your trip is a success. Online you can plot your perfect drive and choose your ideal vehicle. You can also find the essential survival kit, and a guide to creating the most essential of accompaniments: the road trip mood music.

CHOOSING YOUR ROUTE

If America is the mother of all road movies, Route 66 is the mother of all roads. Its legendary status is maintained by sites such as historic66.com, where maps describe every fork in the 2,448-mile road and the forums brim with news of where to go and when (spring or autumn).

Despite the mythology, Route 66 is not the world’s most beautiful drive. That vote goes to the route from Keylong to Leh, northern India, according to www.drivearoundtheworld. com, a site that lists the best road trip routes as voted for by a variety of contributors who have done them. Lonely Planet’s website outlines a superb selection, too (www.lonelyplanet.com/ theme/roadtrips), and you needn’t start in another time zone to enjoy a classic journey. Why not retrace the Paris to Dakar rally (www.dakar.com).

For a truly epic journey, don’t forget Australia, where the Eyre Highway has only one rule – “go straight for 2,700km [1,678 miles] and keep going straight”. The journey from Adelaide to Perth is roughly as far as from London to Moscow, though there’s much less water and no international borders.

Norway’s Atlantic Road, which borders the ocean, also competes for world-class status – especially in the autumn when it is pounded by storms, making for a thrilling ride as you compete for roadspace with the surf (www.norway.org/travel/ travelarticles/atlanticroad.htm).

For domestic routes, www.sabre-roads.org.uk is the most comprehensive bend-by-bend guide to every A-road in the UK.

GETTING STARTED

If you are driving abroad you should check the licence requirements and driving laws (see the AA guide at tinyurl.com/223lyf). Some countries, such as Bulgaria, also require an international driving permit. These last for 12 months and can be obtained for a small fee from various motoring organisations and some post offices.

If you are thinking about hiring a car for your trip, then think carefully. About.com lists its 10 best road trip cars at tinyurl.com/2ybzzq. The capacious Toyota Sienna 4x4 (a US-only model) comes top.

Once you’ve chosen the drive of your dreams, head to Travel Supermarket (tinyurl.com/ywnp8j) to find the best foreign deal. For example, it will cost £144 to hire a Chevrolet Equinox for one week from Los Angeles airport.

Nationalcar.com also offers a wide range of American cars, from Cadillacs to Chryslers, which you can collect from locations across the US. And if you dream of riding across America on two wheels, then why not hire a bike from www.eaglerider.com? A Harley-Davidson Fat Boy costs £375 for a week.

CRUCIAL KIT

For journeys to remote areas you will need a satellite phone. There is an overview at www.exploroz.com, and you can buy an Iridium 9505A at www.everestgear.com for £733. Satphones claim to be the only global network offering 100% coverage. In less remote areas you can keep your normal mobile (and other battery-powered gadgets) running with a Freeloader solar charger, £26.50 from www.ethicalsuperstore.com.

GPS may feel like cheating but will ensure you won’t get lost. TomTom (www.tomtom.com), for instance, provides maps of Australia and the TomTom Go 910 has door-to-door maps of Europe, the US and Canada on hard disk or see InGear’s recent guide at tinyurl.com/29fhmb.

Before you go, you should prepare for the worst by brushing up on your car maintenance knowledge. There is an excellent beginner’s guide with pictures at the car enthusiast site samarins.com. An emergency breakdown and touring kit from the AA costs £40 and includes the usual (hazard warning triangle), the easily forgotten (headlamp beam converters, which are compulsory in Europe) and the hope-you-never-need-it emergency glass hammer.

CREATING THE MOOD MUSIC

The tank is full, the roof is down, the bumper is heading into the sunset – all you need is the music. Mix tapes are so 20th century and MP3 players offer far greater versatility.

The easiest way to use your MP3 player with your car stereo is with a Griffin iTrip Auto Universal, which plugs into any music player and enables you to play back through the car’s FM radio (£21, www.macheaven.co.uk).

Next, you need to pick your tunes. Again the web can help. Check out www.fiql.com, which contains lists of songs for every occasion: songs for hitting the Pacific Coast Highway; the best songs to sing out loud to; and the 40 best driving songs.

And lest your enthusiasm for the trip flags, Amazon lists the best road movies at tinyurl.com/ypthqa .