The aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a surge in road trips in the United States. According to a report, more people traveled in 2021 than in 2019. This surge has been primarily attributed to the need for more travelers to access more cost-effective and comfortable travel options. Therefore, more people are beginning to acknowledge the advantages of road trips and travel.
Air and sea travelers are often restricted to interactions within the plane or ship. However, road trips allow travelers to interact with local communities and experience geographical landscapes and natural wonders while traveling.
Consequently, road trips allow travelers to experience or discover remote and satellite cities and towns they might have never heard of. These places are usually more exciting to experience because they are often less prone to congestion by tourists.
While most big cities in the United States often boast of state-of-the-art museums and cultural institutions that are attractions to many from across the world, smaller towns and cities often provide more unique experiences. Smaller and remote towns encountered during road trips are often replete with the rarest type of museums. For instance, The Spam Museum in Minnesota is dedicated to documenting and exhibiting the Spam food brand. North Carolina also has the Asheville Pinball Museum.
Road trips also help travelers save money. Having more people on a road trip could mean that the cost of travel is evenly shared among the travelers. For instance, the cost of expenses like gas and rental cars can be evenly shared among travelers.
Similarly, travelers can bring food and have picnics along the road during road trips. On the other hand, they could decide to stop by at affordable or ‘mom and pop’ type restaurants to grab a bite. This helps reduce traveling costs compared to being stuck with overpriced snacks or food at airports.
Road trips often save travelers the stress of going through bureaucratic processes like unnecessarily waiting at the airports. Flying in the United States usually involves long queues, security checks, flight delays, and other bureaucracies. On a road trip, one is not bogged down with bureaucracies, and they can hop into the car any time they feel.
Some travelers take their homes with them in a trailer during road trips. These trailers sometimes stop in recreational vehicle (RV) parks during the journey, giving travelers a serene sense of home.
Road trips often avail travelers the opportunity to bond. Travelers can spend time playing games, conversing, listening to music collectively, and creating fun memories. Deciding to go on a road trip often involves detaching themselves from the monotony of everyday life. The open road usually allows travelers to make spontaneous decisions during the journey.
