Why 2026 is the Best Year to Take a Family Road Trip
Family Road Trip Benefits That Money Can't Buy
“In life, it’s not where you go, it’s who you travel with.”
Rachel, Sophie, & Ellie loaded up in the back of a rental minivan with our cooler, luggage, & comfort items. Ready for a family road trip!
Updated April 19, 2026
Family vacations can feel expensive, overwhelming, and sometimes just out of reach. But what if the best trip of your life didn't require plane tickets, pricey resorts, or months of meticulous planning?
Enter: The Timeless American Road Trip.
For generations, families packed into station wagons, snack bags in hand, and hit the open road. No Wi-Fi. No streaming. No phones. Just winding highways, roadside surprises, and the kind of uninterrupted time together that today's fast-paced world rarely allows.
You may think your kids have outgrown the family road trip, but it’s never too late to connect with each other and discover new things together. And in 2026, there has never been a better reason to do it.
The Case for the Classic American Road Trip
Long drives are one of the best ways to enjoy quality time during the journey, not just at the destination. Whether you're venturing to iconic places like Las Vegas or sunny San Diego, or simply making the long drive to visit family in another state, a road trip reminds your kids that the best time together doesn't need to happen somewhere fancy.
Here's why a road trip makes sense this year, maybe more than ever.
Economic Realities of Family Travel in 2026
Let's be honest about what families are facing this summer:
Restaurants are running about 4% more expensive than last year.
Hotels are up 1–3% nationally, with spikes in major markets.
Groceries have climbed roughly 2–3%.
Air fares have increased by ~15% over the last year.
And gas (we'll get to gas) is the wildcard.
For a family of four or more, those numbers add up quickly. But road trips still give families something no other form of travel can: complete control over where the money goes.
When you road trip, you bring the cooler. You buy groceries. You decide whether tonight is a hotel, a campground, or a friend's pullout couch. That flexibility is the budget superpower of the road trip, and no spike at the pump takes it away.
Click on photo to enlarge and see descriptions.
Gas Price Impact on Family Travel in 2026
There is no sugarcoating it: gas prices have surged more than 30% since late February, pushing the national average above $4 a gallon for the first time since 2022, driven largely by Middle East supply disruptions.
The EIA's April 2026 Short-Term Energy Outlook projects prices easing back toward $3.70 per gallon later this year as the situation stabilizes, so peak gas prices may be largely behind us by July and August.
Even if it isn't, a road trip still beats flying for a family of three or more. Higher fuel costs are passed along in airfare, on top of baggage fees, ground transportation, airport parking, and the time cost of air travel that nobody puts in their vacation budget, but everyone feels. When you drive, you control the pace and the route. You bring your own food. You stop when you want.
Money-Saving Tips for Gas in 2026:
Use GasBuddy to track prices along your route and fill up strategically.
Plan shorter driving days to reduce total fuel consumption.
Stay a bit longer in fewer places rather than covering maximum miles.
Build a realistic fuel budget from the start rather than assuming last year's prices.
The road trip still delivers more value per memory than almost any other way to travel, even in a pricier fuel environment.
REAL ID
REAL ID enforcement went into effect on May 7, 2025. According to DHS, about 40% of the country’s driver’s license and state ID holders have not yet secured a REAL ID. If anyone in your family still hasn't sorted out the paperwork to fly domestically, a road trip is a brilliant workaround.
Your current driver's license remains perfectly valid for road tripping, and the DMV lines have shortened considerably since the initial enforcement rush. Enjoy your road trip this summer and get the REAL ID handled in the off-season when things are calmer.
| Cost category | Road trip |
Flying |
Edge |
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7 Family Road Trip Benefits That Money Can't Buy
Budget Travel Without Sacrificing Experience
With a family road trip, you set the pace and the budget. There are many ways to make it more affordable than a standard vacation. You can visit family and friends along the way, saving on hotel nights and enjoying bonding time with extended family.
Insider Tip: To show your appreciation for the free accommodations, contribute to grocery costs and buy a meal (or a few) for those you're staying with.
If you stay in hotels, get something back for it. Hotel loyalty programs rack up points every time you book with the same brand, and those points become free nights later. It is like the hotel paying you to come back.
As a family, we are obsessed with IHG brands (Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, etc.). We have probably stayed at 50+ IHG properties around the world, and here is why they work so well for families:
Most properties have a pool and a gym.
Complimentary breakfast at Holiday Inn Express means one less meal to stress about.
Rooms are spacious enough that everyone has room to breathe.
They are everywhere, so you are never scrambling to find a place.
Their points program is also genuinely good. Compared to other hotel brands, you earn free nights fairly quickly, which means future trips essentially pay for themselves.
Insider Tip: If you want to maximize points, consider their credit card! It gives you elite status and significantly more value per stay.
Rather than a hotel, consider an Airbnb. Making some of your own meals saves real money, and having multiple rooms after a long day in the car is a genuine sanity saver. After hours of driving together, a little privacy goes a long way.
Camping is another wonderful and economical option for many families. If your crew loves the outdoors and is not bothered by a more primitive setup, check campgrounds along your route. Many offer swimming, volleyball, and water activities. You can cook hot dogs and marshmallows over the campfire, making dinner preparation part of the whole experience. You do not even need your own tent or RV. Many campgrounds and state parks rent small cabins.
Educational Experiences
The first time we took a long journey with our girls, we discovered so much! Rachel was a rising 4th grader, and Sophie was about to start Kindergarten when we set out on a three-week round-trip journey from Raleigh to San Diego. Our friends with young children thought we were crazy to embark on such a huge road trip with them at that age. We learned so much on that trip with our girls. They surprised us with their resiliency, creativity, patience, and humor.
From reading maps to managing moods and solving problems together, the family road trip teaches resilience, curiosity, and patience. They showed us their knowledge of geography as we traveled through mesas, mountains, deserts, and plains. They learned history at National Parks, and they learned problem-solving and resilience when our trip took unexpected twists and detours.
Almost a decade later, we still talk about how much fun we had on that first cross-country trip. We firmly believe our full-time travel adventures were born from that maiden voyage!
A Route 66 road trip adds a particularly rich educational layer. Families can visit National Parks along the corridor, explore Native American cultural sites, walk through Route 66 museums, and see firsthand how American history unfolded across eight very different states.
Convenience
Packing up the family car (or a rental) means bringing all your favorite essentials along for the ride. Your favorite pillow, a cozy blanket, comfortable clothes, snacks, and a fully stocked cooler all have a place. Unlike flying, where luggage goes into an overhead bin or a cargo hold, road tripping means everything is within reach whenever you need it.
Need a snack or a book from your bag? Easy access. Want to work on that knitting project you just started? Pack your needles and go. Road tripping gives your whole family the flexibility you simply cannot get from public transportation.
Insider Tip: Pack your family's favorite board or card game and pull it out at a picnic table during a rest-stop lunch. It turns a routine break into a memory.
Freedom & Flexibility
Road tripping puts you in complete control of your agenda. Want to start early or sleep in? Your call. Feeling sleepy? Take a nap. Since comfort items are right there with you (headphones, a good book, even your latest knitting project), there’s plenty to keep the boredom at bay.
Want to take a spontaneous detour to a weird museum or an interactive roadside exhibit? Do it. We loved our stop at the Roswell International UFO Museum. And "The Thing" in eastern Arizona? Those billboards pulled us in, and we have zero regrets.
Road trips let you travel at your own pace. Follow your curiosity and enjoy every mile. That last-minute detour could end up being the highlight of the whole summer.
We had the most amazing view of the stars & the Milky Way at Buffalo Park in Flagstaff, Arizona!
The Value of Time Together
I have heard it said that we only have 18 summers with our kids, so we need to make the most of them. Since our 28-year-old is traveling the world full-time with us, I can confidently say that I do not necessarily subscribe to the notion that our time as parents is limited to the first 18 years. I strongly believe that prioritizing family time is one of the best investments we can make as parents.
Some of my best and most heartfelt conversations with my kids have happened on the road. Often, teens tend to open up more when you are sitting in the car together. There’s something about sharing a car ride that just invites good conversation. These moments, off-screen and on the move, are what road trips are made for. A family road trip could be one of the best things you could do for your relationship with your kids.
I also have fond memories of caravanning with my grandparents. Our family of 5 would set out in our suburban, hauling our 16-foot camper behind us. My mom’s folks would follow behind us with their camper as well. Once we settled into our campsites, I had complete access to my grandparents, stopping by for breakfast (the only place I ever remember eating Honeycomb cereal), and roasting marshmallows in the fire under the moonlit sky. Fifty years later, and I am so thankful for those moments together.
When was the last time you had uninterrupted hours with your entire family? No screens, no schedules? Road trips create space for connection through conversations, music, shared snacks, and the simple act of being together.
The Journey Becomes the Destination
Road trips make space for spontaneity, like pulling over to see the world's largest pistachio or taking a last-second exit to downtown St. Louis to see the Gateway Arch up close. You can pivot plans, chase the weather, or follow a last-minute deal.
On Route 66, especially, the roadside stops are half the point. Blue Whale of Catoosa in Oklahoma. Cadillac Ranch in Texas (another stop we highly recommend). The Wigwam Motel in Arizona. These are not just photo opportunities. They are the stories your family will tell for decades.
A quick sunset stop at Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, Texas.
Infinite Options
You could take a different road trip every week for the rest of your life and still never run out of options. From National Parks to outdoor adventures, theme parks to small-town hidden gems, the U.S. is genuinely inexhaustible.
And if you are open to international road travel, the world opens even wider. Beyond the U.S., we have road tripped in France, Ireland, England, Wales, and Germany. Every trip only adds more destinations to the bucket list.
From dreaming to doing. We are here for every step!
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Route 66 Turns 100: The Road Trip of the Century
Route 66 was already a beloved American institution by the time my grandparents were hitching up their camper. This year, U.S. Route 66 celebrates its centennial. Established on November 11, 1926, the Mother Road stretches 2,400 miles from Chicago, Illinois, to Santa Monica, California.
Passing through eight states and some of the most iconic American landscapes you can imagine, it’s a stretch of road that deserves a family drive. Hundred-year anniversaries don't come around often, and communities along the entire corridor are marking the milestone with special events, festivals, and exhibits throughout 2026.
Whether you drive a stretch of it or commit to the whole thing, this is the year to put Route 66 on your family's radar. Think roadside diners, vintage motor courts, wide-open desert highways, and the kind of classic Americana your kids will only find on the open road.
For families who want to experience a piece of American history while making their own, this centennial road trip is genuinely once-in-a-lifetime timing.
Route 66 is always a great, iconic family road-trip option, especially in 2026, as it celebrates its 100th year!
2026 Family Road Trips: Everyone Was There
One day, your kids will not remember the mileage you logged or what souvenirs they got. They will remember the laughter, the goofy roadside stops, the song that became the anthem of the whole trip, and your teenager who actually put the phone down and just talked. The way everyone was actually present for once.
That's what road trips make room for. Not the highlight reel, the real thing. The unscripted hours where the wrong turn becomes the best part of the day. And in a year when every other form of family travel is asking more of your wallet, the open road is asking something different: just show up.
Pack the granola bars and trail mix, embrace every pit stop, and go make something your family will talk about for years. Adventure is waiting just past the driveway.
Where are you headed this summer? Drop it in the comments, we read every single one!
About the Author
Colleen is the storytelling Gen X voice behind Uncommon Family Adventures. She grew up road-tripping and camping across America with her family (and sometimes her grandparents) and came to believe deeply in the power of the open road, eventually passing that love on to her three daughters.
It started with a three-week family road trip from Raleigh to San Diego when her youngest was just about to start kindergarten. Since 2024, she has been traveling full-time with her husband and daughters across more than 15 countries and 4 continents. The road still feels like home!
