A family road trip is one of the Six Kinds of Trips Everyone Should Experience, but whether it’s with family, old friends, or with a significant other, there are some universal truths about the Great American Roadtrip that every roadtripper knows.
My Favorite Travel Booking Sites for 2026
These are my favorite companies that I use on my own travels.
Protect Your Trip via Safety Wing
Find the best city tours, day tours, bus tours, & skip-the-line tickets on GetYourGuide and Viator.
For road trips and independent travel, rent a car through Discover Cars.
For packing and travel essentials order via Amazon.
For travel guidebooks to have with you during your trip, I always pick one or two from Rick Steves and Lonely Planet.
- It is possible to find an episode of Law & Order (or one of it’s spinoffs) simply by flipping through channels in any American hotel room. Also, Olivia Benson does not age.
- The Kum & Go (found in Iowa and Missouri) is the single greatest gas station name.
- Wawa and Sheetz (found in the Mid-Atlantic) tie for best gas station experience.
- A visit to a Cracker Barrel in real life is a cry for help. A visit mid-roadtrip is a delight, and every minute in the gift shop should be savored. Can I interest you in some hard candy and a rocking chair?
- The way a person smells after being in a car for twelve hours can not be replicated through other means.
- A day driving through western Kansas is the least exciting US landscape. Cornfield and Texacos as far as the eye can see.
- Toll roads in Canada take credit cards. The USA needs to catch up.
- Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park in Virginia is breathtaking. Other gorgeous highways include the Overseas Highway in the Florida Keys and the Pacific Coast Highway in California.
- A well-stocked cooler is man’s best friend.
- Everyone in the family can enjoy a David Sedaris audiobook for entertainment in cases where no one can agree to a playlist. May I suggest starting with Me Talk Pretty One Day? Also If You are Engulfed in Flames is just as delightful.
- It will start raining when you are an hour away from your destination and really have to go to the restroom.
Disagree? Got any more? Share below!
