India has been ranked among the top 10 countries for cross-country travel in an index of 118 countries by vacation homes aggregator Holidu. The index was compiled by taking into account a variety of factors deemed important for anyone planning a road trip, including attractions like the UNESCO World Heritage sites, wildlife, natural assets, range of landscapes, the number of cosmopolitan cities, as well as logistical factors including the quality of roads, gas prices and average holiday rental prices.

India features at No. 10 on the list that is led by the United States, Mexico and Canada and Malaysia (in that order). India is ahead of the countries like France, Germany, Japan, Turkey and Spain.

The cross-country travel index has assessed countries on the basis of the attractions they are home to, their land size, the number of known vertebrate species, ranking of natural assets like beaches and parks, number of rainforests/jungles, mountains, deserts, beaches, glaciers, forests and the number of ‘Best Cities’ in the top 100 ranking.

Key features that pushed India ahead of the traditionally popular tourist destinations were its 40 UNESCO World Heritage sites, close to 1,900 species of animals and at least two cities, Mumbai and Delhi, which are regarded as among the top 100 metros to live in the world. The index also accounted for the quality of roads in India, the prices of fuel and also pegged the average weekly rentals for cross country travel in India at under USD 174 per week.