Which comes first, the road or the vehicle? Will your trip be about scenery or about the pure pleasure of being behind the wheel?

The world is full of great roads. They’ll take you along picturesque coastlines, winding up through high mountains and between idyllic towns and villages. Often a functional rental car will suffice; the main joy of the journey is the unfolding view.

But in some exclusive locations, the success of the trip can hinge on choosing an appropriate car. Is it better to drive through France’s Côte d’Azur anonymously in a Toyota or in a head-turning Ferrari?

The upscale rental company Europe Luxury Car Hire has offices in several European countries, including Monaco, the spiritual home of the supercar. From $800–1,700 per day, you can rent a Ferrari or Lamborghini. The high roads around Monaco offer spectacular driving, but why rent an expensive car if you’re not going to make the most of being seen in it? Monaco has the most glamorous traffic jams in the world. So put the top down, rev the engine and savor the attention from passersby as you inch your way around the streets of Monte Carlo.

Iceland offers the other extreme of matching a vehicle to an environment. The rugged, volcanic interior represents some of the least vehicle-friendly terrain on Earth. You certainly need an SUV, but not just any SUV. It must be modified to cope with snow and ice, rocks and raging rivers.

The Nissan Patrol Arctic features reinforced suspension, higher ground clearance, a toughened drive system and a roof-mounted snorkel exhaust. This highly specialized vehicle is available for rent from Geysir Car Rental from $275 per day or $1,780 for a week. In contrast to most rental companies, who specify that their vehicles can only be driven on paved roads, Geysir expects you to tackle the remotest, roughest tracks.

All too often when we pick up a rental car, we set off as soon as we complete the paperwork and have the keys in hand. And yet, in unfamiliar countries, in strange vehicles, it is essential to spend some time preparing for the local conditions and getting to know the vehicle. If you’re going to drive a stick shift vehicle in left-hand traffic, it’s worth plotting a route that won’t plunge you directly into a downtown rush hour.

Driving on the “wrong” side of the road is the most obvious adjustment traveling drivers might have to make. Countries that drive on the left include the United Kingdom, Ireland, most of South and East Africa, much of the Caribbean, India, Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand and Japan.

Other local driving laws are less apparent, though ignorance is not accepted as an excuse. Visiting drivers are required to know, for instance, that in France it is mandatory to carry in the vehicle two roadside warning triangles, a breathalyzer kit, spare headlight bulbs, a fire extinguisher and a high-visibility jacket. In Spain, it is illegal for drivers who wear prescription eyeglasses not to have a spare pair with them. In Thailand, it is an offense to drive without a shirt on. In Sweden, it is compulsory to drive with your headlights on, even in daylight. And in Saudi Arabia, if you are a woman, you are not allowed to drive at all.

The U.S. Department of State provides advice for Americans driving overseas on its website. Adhering to local laws is just one consideration. More importantly, the website points out hundreds of American citizens are killed or injured on foreign roads each year. Road conditions are often hazardous, and driving standards can be below the level you are used to.

South Africa is one place in which the rewards of self-driving compensate for the risks. Although the country has one of the highest rates of carjacking, rental vehicles are seldom targeted. The high accident rate is more indiscriminate (208 fatalities per 100,000 vehicles, compared to 15 per 100,000 in the United States), with alcohol often a contributory factor. It is advisable to avoid driving at night and to minimize journeys on the weekends.

Cedarberg African Travel provides a range of self-drive options in South Africa. The biggest draw for self-drivers is the famous 140-mile Garden Route along the south coast, from Mossel Bay to Plettenberg Bay. The scenery is spectacular, with lagoons, white-sand beaches, ancient forests and tracts of countryside carpeted in wildflowers. The area’s popularity with tourists ensures there is no shortage of things to do and places to eat and stay along the way.

A giraffe stands on a road in Kruger Park, South Africa. © UROS RAVBAR | Dreamstime.com

For all its beauty, some visitors may be disappointed that the Garden Route does not meet their preconceptions of Africa. It is lush and temperate, and many of the towns and villages feel distinctly European. For a stronger flavor of Africa, drive east across the Highveld from Johannesburg to Kruger National Park, an area of protected wilderness the size of New Jersey. Here drivers must cope with a new danger: wild animals. Kruger’s elephants have been known to turn vehicles over, so visitors should always approach with caution and be prepared to make a quick getaway if an elephant charges.

Animals also present a hazard for self-drivers in Australia. Kangaroos often bound into the path of passing vehicles, sometimes crashing straight through the windshield. That aside, much of Australia offers a relatively easy driving environment, with excellent roads on the main routes and relatively sparse traffic outside of the cities.

The Twelve Apostles on the Great Ocean Road, Victoria, Australia © BO LI | Dreamstime.com

One of the driving highlights is the Great Ocean Road, a 150-mile coastal route in the southern state of Victoria. The most famous landmark, a collection of offshore limestone stacks known as the Twelve Apostles, is steadily being whittled away by the power of the Southern Ocean. Following the most recent collapse in 2005, only eight of the stacks remain standing.

A view along the Great Ocean Road © JF123 | Dreamstime.com

Drivers face a much tougher challenge on the 2,000-mile Savannah Way, which crosses the Outback of northern Australia, coast to coast from Cairns to Broome — a journey that shouldn’t be approached lightly. With appropriate preparation and a suitable SUV, one of the world’s greatest driving adventures takes you along remote roads on which you will often drive for hours without seeing any other vehicles. Alternatively, opt for an escorted tour on the eastern section of the Savannah Way, from Cairns to Normanton, with local company Wilderness Challenge.

South America offers a wide spectrum of self-drive options, from expeditions through the deserts and mountains of Chile and Argentina (the backdrop for the world’s toughest vehicle race, the Dakar Rally) to a sedate meander through Chile’s beautiful Lake District. Chile Discover covers all options with its self-drive itineraries.

Brazil is less amenable to self-drive tours. In cities such as Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, only über-confident drivers should consider renting a vehicle. The traffic is often exceptionally heavy, and the local driving style tends to be aggressive. One exception is the wine region of Rio Grande do Sul around the southern city of Porto Alegre. Brazil Ecojourneys offers a three-day self-drive tour based in a rural hotel and visiting local wineries.

In Europe, one of the most daunting aspects of self-driving is the prospect of having to find your way through the medieval streets of ancient cities, often while battling unrelenting traffic. Fortunately, most rental cars now come with a GPS navigator, helping to unravel the impenetrable mysteries of European one-way systems.

Autotours Europe offers self-drive tours throughout the continent, with itineraries based in a single country (for example, an eight-day tour of Portugal) or the option to cross through several countries (for instance, a 15-day tour visiting Amsterdam, Berlin, Prague and Vienna). If you prefer undemanding roads, you can confine yourself to the Low Countries (Holland, Belgium and Luxembourg), driving through flat, open countryside. By contrast, a tour of Austria and Switzerland will take you through the Alps, on switchback roads traversing snow-covered mountain passes.

A view of the Quiraing Mountains, Scottish Highlands © Martin Molcan

Perhaps the ultimate European driving destination is the Scottish Highlands. The roads are generally quiet, wending through bracken-covered hills from one glassy loch to the next. You can stay overnight in castles and take advantage of the superb fly-fishing in crystalline mountain streams. All you need to lift the trip to perfection is a fitting car.

The Scotland-based tour company McKinlay Kidd can help you with that. They offer a range of itineraries with cars to match. You can cross the country in a Mini Cooper; visit a succession of 5-star hotels in a Ferrari 360 Spider; or take a tour of locations from James Bond movies in an Aston Martin DB9, overnighting on a private island.

Motor vehicles are not simply a mode of transport. They can be so much more. In the right vehicle, in the right place, nothing can beat the thrill of getting into the driver’s seat, starting the engine and hitting the open road.