The Great American Road Trip is not a piece of star-spangled nostalgia. In fact, current trends show that road trips are the preferred travel transportation of the future. New and near-future technologies are making ground travel more sustainable, affordable and fun than other popular forms of transportation. Millennials, families and retirees alike are finding a sweet reunion with this hallmark Americana experience and bringing about an apparent road trip revolution. According to MMGY Global’s 2017–18 Portrait of American Travelers study, 39% of U.S. leisure travel in 2016 included a road trip, up 17 points from 2015.
Best Western Hotels & Resorts has been a perennial supporter of the road trip, since its roadside roots to today’s Best Western, which features 13 brands and more than 2,100 locations in North American alone. Comfortable, stylish rooms and clever amenities make road travel even more convenient and green. Here are a few reasons why road trips are back in the trendy limelight:
Today’s travelers are find more inspiration from their social feeds than from any other source and it has transformed the way we travel. With DSLR and iPhone cameras in hand, travel influencers with millions-large audiences post from all corners of the earth, peddling wanderlust for well-known and undiscovered destinations alike. Followers then make a sort of pilgrimage to the photogenic landmark to avoid a fear of missing out and elevate their own Instagram feed with a piece of travel magic. Road trips are an essential piece for the traveling Instagrammer, considering that the open road and its many detours make for better photos than any airport terminal.
In almost every case, highways are more frugal than jetways. Especially with the advent of hybrid vehicles and fully electric cars, rising gas prices become less of a barrier than experts anticipated over the last decade. Even air travel’s decreasing ticket prices rarely come close to the low costs associated with a few hours on the road. When time isn’t a huge factor, road trips are cheaper for leisure and business travelers.
Decades into the digital age, people are seeking hands-on, face-to-face moments as an escape the modern reality. While air travel can get you there faster, road trips offer respite from our compartmentalized, virtually-enhanced everyday lifestyles. Today’s leisure traveler is finding comfort in the analog. Road trips are opportunities to stop in small towns and witness natural wonders on their way to the final destination.
This is perhaps the most obvious example of a new technology that is revolutionizing long distance car travel. Whereas combustion engines have gulped gasoline and diesel for much of the last century, electric car owners are finding road trips to be quite liberating. Battery ranges are rising and charging stations are popping up all over the map. In fact, some Best Western properties include reserved parking spots with chargers for travelers arriving in electric vehicles. In addition to the cost-saving and green enhancements electric cars provide, passengers for some electric cars find safety technologies fill the spaces where gas engines once sat.
In terms of fuel efficiency, commercial airlines and passenger cars are vastly different. During an average 10-hour flight, a Boeing 747 guzzles close to 36,000 gallons of fuel. Divide that enormous number by a maximum of 500+ passengers and you’ll see that a typical commercial flight is going about 100 miles per gallon per person. Sounds great, except that many hybrid vehicles carrying four people achieve twice that efficiency. On top of that, jet fuel creates a shocking amount of warming, pollutant gases.
It’s about the journey, not just the destination, right? Air travel jumps right over the best part of many road trips. When you’re on the road, each pit stop provides financial support for local economies. Many small towns and remote cities depend on this income to grow and thrive. Need an example? Just look at Historic Route 66. Following the parallel implementation of an interstate, once-booming cities along the 66 dwindled into obscurity. Road trips sustain local cultures.
Best Western Hotels & Resorts is proud to support the American tradition of road trips. Plan your stay in thousands of destinations along the way and at your final destination. Additionally, Best Western supports green travel of all kinds. From transportation to sustainable on-site practices, global practices strive to preserve the landmarks and environments that draw travelers every day. See more about Best Western green initiatives.