The American road trip is a powerful idea.

But Americans often choose speed over the journey.

Cheap airfare makes flying easy.

Drivers usually stick to interstates.

They rush past small towns.

They say they like these towns.

Historian Susan Rugh studies this.

She says the family road trip peaked after World War II.

It peaked before the 1970s oil crisis.

More families joined the middle class.

Many had paid vacation for the first time.

Car ownership grew quickly.

The government also invested in highways.

This made long drives more comfortable.

Many veterans wanted to show their children something.

They had fought to preserve it.

Washington, D.C. became a popular destination.

Families also visited historic sites and battlefields.

Attendance at national parks rose by more than 650%.

This happened between 1946 and 1966.

Rugh writes that these trips strengthened family bonds.

They taught children to be citizens.

But the open road did not mean freedom for everyone.

Black families faced segregated facilities.

This happened even outside the South.

Professor Allen Pietrobon says their experience was not carefree.

A gas station might refuse to serve them.

Some national parks still discriminated.

They had separate campgrounds for Black families.

Guidebooks like the Green Book listed friendly places.

These places would welcome Black travelers.

Rugh writes that these obstacles built support.

They helped build support for the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

Entrepreneurs built motels, restaurants, and roadside attractions.

They served these travelers.

Route 66 turned 100 this year.

It was one famous example.

The interstate system later pulled traffic away.

Many small towns disappeared.

Richard Ratay says Americans traded unexpected discoveries.

They traded them for speed and convenience.

Still, experts say travelers can take older highways.

They can find those experiences again.