Tom Brady Reveals the No. 1 Trip on His Travel List Once He Actually Retires

All Tom Brady wants to do is hit the open road. He just has to wait until he actually retires first. But don't feel too bad for him, as he'll have a truly iconic car waiting for him to go on his dream road trip once he does.

In May, Brady was announced as the new frontman for Hertz, alongside a series of hysterical ads poking fun at his blink-and-you-missed-it retirement. But alongside those ads came some other news: Hertz was investing in some new cars. Some cool new cars at that.

"Obviously Hertz is a great brand," Brady told Travel + Leisure. "But I think their progressive nature about how they've wanted to change their fleet over to EVs and environmentally friendly vehicles…was the thing that really drew me to them."

Indeed, in 2021 Hertz ordered 100,000 Teslas, which the company says will be in use by the end of this year. And, in 2022, it doubled down on its efforts by ordering an additional 65,000 electric vehicles over five years from Swedish EV maker Polestar.

But that's not all. In May, Hertz announced a new partnership with Shelby American that will bring about a three-year custom car partnership, kicking off with the exclusive 2022 Shelby edition Ford Mustangs. The collection, Hertz said in a statement, includes Mustang Shelby GT500-H fastbacks modified with 900 horsepower and Ford Shelby Mustang GT-H fastbacks and convertibles, each created specifically for the brand. And Brady really isn't sure which one he's into more — the EVs or the Shelby.

"I'm really a mood person, whether it's music, cars, whatever. I feel like it's all about where you're at. Most of the time, I'm going to choose the EV, I'm going to go with the Tesla," he said. "But if there's a Shelby there and I'm out there, and it's a nice warm day. I mean, that's tough to beat. If I'm out there, in Malibu or somewhere like that, that would be perfect for a Shelby."

And really, that iconic road trip is all Brady is after — one day. When he's really, really done with football.

"I think when I'm done playing — I know I've said that for a long time now, I think people are getting tired of me saying that when I'm done playing," Brady said with a laugh, "I really want to explore all parts of our country. I've spent so much time outside of our country when we traveled to South America, Europe, and quite a bit of Asia, but you know, driving through our country and driving through the Grand Canyon area, through Utah, Montana, and Colorado in the summer would be amazing."

As for his ultimate road trip snacks, you can bet the author of "The TB12 Method" isn't chowing down on Combos like the rest of us. He does, however, have one snack that is both delicious and ideal for a center console on a long trip: Unreal Candy.

"Unreal candy is a good one," he said, drawing in a serious breath. "I love that."

No matter your road trip snack, Brady just wants everyone to be able to get out and see the world again via plane, train, or one of his favorite Hertz automobiles again too.

"I do love travel. There's so much more out there that you don't know than what you do know. Every time you go somewhere, you learn so much about a culture. You learn so much about a different place, and everything adds to your life," he said. "I love meeting different people along the way and understanding a little bit about what they go through, and their lifestyle, but also have a great appreciation for always coming home too."

Brady longingly adds that he wants to do one more thing with his future travels through the U.S. We bet it may be on your list too: "I've always wanted to drive a motorcycle. I've never really done that just for safety reasons, but one of these days I'm going to get out there and try."