The great American road trip, fueled by -- and undercut by -- the automobile that created it

The American road trip has long been an icon of cars, culture, and nostalgia—but modern travel patterns have steadily changed who does it and how. An AP piece in Nashville traces the road trip’s heyday to the decades after World War II, when rising middle-class incomes, expanded highway investment, and increased car ownership helped drive family road trips before the oil crisis era. Historian Susan Rugh notes attendance at national parks surged more than 650% from 1946 to 1966 after major facility upgrades. Today, cheap airfare and interstate speed keep many travelers from the small-town stops that define the myth.