Space travel fascinates almost everyone, making a visit to the Kennedy Space Center at NASA’s Cape Canaveral a must, especially since it’s right on your way. It’s only an hour’s drive from Orlando. Although your sat nav will tell you to take Highway 528, we recommend the more varied Highway 50. The visitor centre features the entire history of rockets, including the space shuttle Atlantis. Buses take guests to the impressive launch pad. With a bit of luck, an impressive space shuttle will be there preparing for its next trip into space. After a three-hour drive down the Atlantic coast on I-95, you’ll reach Miami.

After a hearty breakfast with views of the subtropical wilderness of the Everglades, it’s time to tackle the last leg of your trip. The fastest route is I-75 via Naples and Sarasota to St. Petersburg. Although very touristy, Naples wins points with its beach, proximity to the Everglades, a historic centre with a 300-metre-long fishing pier, as well as many shops, galleries and cafés. If you need a break after all the tourists, leave Naples on I-75 and drive along Highway 17 to Arcadia for an authentic American small town feeling. This short detour will only take you half an hour but will show you an American town that looks like it could be a series or film set. Arcadia has a population of just over 57,053 (as of 2020), a well-kept main street just like in every second episode of “Knight Rider”, a court house like the one in “Back to the Future”, a Walmart, and all the well-known fast food chains. Typical American small-town drab – probably boring for the locals, but for you, it’s like walking through a movie set.