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The great American road trip, driven — and undermined — by the car that created it

The great American road trip, driven — and undermined — by the car that created it

B2🇪🇸 Español🇺🇸 English

September 14th, 2026

The great American road trip, driven — and undermined — by the car that created it

B2
Please note: This article has been simplified for language learning purposes. Some context and nuance from the original text may have been modified or removed.

🇺🇸 English

The road trip is a symbol of American culture.

El viaje por carretera es un símbolo de la cultura estadounidense.

It brings to mind huge cars and stops at the "world's largest" of anything.

Evoca autos enormes y paradas en el "más grande del mundo" de cualquier cosa.

Jack Kerouac made it famous in "On the Road," and movies made fun of it.

Jack Kerouac lo inmortalizó en "On the Road" y el cine lo satirizó.

It means hours of driving that should be boring, but are not.

Consiste en horas de conducción que deberían ser aburridas, pero no lo son.

Americans like the idea of the road trip, but they usually choose the fastest route.

A los estadounidenses les gusta la idea del viaje por carretera, pero suelen elegir la ruta más rápida.

Cheap airfares and the interstates let people travel without making detours.

Las tarifas aéreas baratas y las interestatales permiten viajar sin desviarse.

This way, small towns get overlooked.

Así se pasan por alto los pequeños pueblos.

Historian Susan Rugh argues that the golden age was between World War II and the oil crisis of the 1970s.

La historiadora Susan Rugh sostiene que la época dorada fue entre la Segunda Guerra Mundial y la crisis del petróleo de los años setenta.

More families had paid vacations, and the government invested in highways.

Más familias tenían vacaciones pagadas y el gobierno invertía en carreteras.

The open road was not freedom for everyone.

La carretera abierta no era libertad para todos.

Black families faced segregated facilities, even outside the South.

Las familias negras enfrentaban instalaciones segregadas, incluso fuera del Sur.

Professor Allen Pietrobon says the experience was completely different.

El profesor Allen Pietrobon dice que la experiencia era totalmente diferente.

There were guides like the Green Book for Black travelers.

Existían guías como el Green Book para viajeros negros.

According to Rugh, these difficulties helped pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Según Rugh, estas dificultades ayudaron a aprobar la Ley de Derechos Civiles de 1964.

Route 66, which turned 100 years old, was a victim of progress.

La Ruta 66, que cumplió 100 años, fue víctima del progreso.

The interstates redirected traffic, and many businesses closed.

Las interestatales desviaron el tráfico y muchos negocios cerraron.

Richard Ratay says that today we trade unexpected discoveries for speed and convenience.

Richard Ratay dice que hoy cambiamos los descubrimientos inesperados por velocidad y conveniencia.

Rugh recommends taking old roads like the Lincoln Highway.

Rugh recomienda tomar carreteras antiguas como la Lincoln Highway.

Pietrobon points out that in travel stories, the destination hardly matters.

Pietrobon señala que en los relatos de viaje el destino casi no importa.

September 14th, 2026

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