Traveling the US by Car | Carpooling & Vehicle Pooling | spAIRseat

Many people that live in major cities in the USA such as New York, Boston, San Francisco, or Washington D.C., find that they don’t usually need to have a car for their day-to-day lives. In a lot of major cities, especially New York and San Francisco, the public transit system is good enough to allow residents to not own a car. However, for both domestic tourists and international tourists wanting to visit the United States, there is simply no better way to get out and see the “true” America other than by car.

Since there’s a strong American preference towards individual automobiles as opposed to public transit, the USA has an extremely well-developed system of roads and highways. Additionally, when you factor in the sheer size of the USA, the easiest way to get around on your vacation is generally by traveling the US by car.

American Highways

One of the biggest draws to traveling the US by car is its well-developed system of major interstate highways. This means that it’s remarkably easy to cover large distances of land and visit many different places. Even a cross-country road trip from Los Angeles to New York, which is about 3,000 miles, will only take 40 hours of driving. There are a bunch of fantastic major highways all across the USA that are perfect for serving as a pipeline and guide for your road trip, such as:

• Interstate 5: Interstate 5 runs from the Washington-Canada border down to the California-Mexico border. It’s a beautiful, fast drive that takes you through Seattle, Portland, Sacramento, Los Angeles, and San Diego, meaning you’ll get to drive through dense rainforest, past the gigantic cascade volcanoes, before ending up in the desert.
• Interstate 70: Interstate 70 is a major east-west highway that runs from Utah to Maryland. Arguably the most beautiful part of the drive is the Utah and Colorado section, where you get to drive through stunning sandstone canyons, and the rocky mountains. You then get to travel through the often-overlooked American midwest, which many people view as the heartland of America.
• Interstate 80: Interstate 80 is a major highway that travels from Seattle, Washington all the way to Boston, Massachusetts. Not only is it another very well-maintained highway, but it allows you to truly see some beautiful sights along the way, particularly in the Mountain West and the rural East Coast.
• Interstate 10: Another huge east-west highway is the I-10 that runs from Los Angeles to Jacksonville, Florida. If you’re interested in seeing more of the southern United States, making a road trip out of this highway is a fantastic way to do so.

The highways we’ve listed are just a couple of examples of how expansive and well-developed America’s cross-country road system is. This large and extensive network of highways and other roads opens up the door to a bunch of different road trips that will allow you to see America’s best cities, while also getting out into the countryside and experiencing a totally different side of the United States.

Major Stops

There truly are so many different possible destinations and sights that are worth seeing in the US, but we’ve compiled a list of our few favorites. These stops are generally difficult to get to unless you have a car, making them perfect destinations if you’re traveling the US by car. Our personal favorites are many national parks that are difficult or expensive to get to without the use of a car and are truly showcase amazing natural beauty.

• Zion National Park
• Mount Rushmore
• Yellowstone National Park
• Yosemite National Park
• Aspen or Vail, Colorado
• Flagstaff, Arizona, and the surrounding landscape
• Anywhere along the Georgia, South Carolina, or North Carolina Coast
• Lake of the Ozarks
• Mount Hood, Oregon
• The rural Northeast (Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, etc.)

Car vs. Air Travel

Although traveling by air is obviously quicker, there are many other benefits of traveling the US by car.

One huge benefit is that you won’t have the hassle of dealing with airport security!

For instance, you will be able to tailor your vacation more towards your exact goals, such as getting to stop and see the famous American national parks. There are way more roads than airports in the USA, so you’ll be able to reach places you otherwise wouldn’t be able to go to.

Additionally, you’ll get to see a different side of the United States that you don’t get simply by being in major cities with large airports and a bunch of different tourists.

Rural America truly is night-and-day from the major cities that tourists tend to stay in, and getting out of the cities allows you to get to know the multi-faceted culture of the United States.

Price: Generally, it’ll be cheaper to rent a car and drive versus flying. This is especially true if there are multiple other travelers so you can split the car rental, gas, and other expenses like hotel rooms or food if you’re going on a long road trip.

Finally, there’s something romantic and exciting about traveling around by car. You get to roll the windows down and have the wind run through your hair, stop and explore unknown places, and you’ll get to observe micro-ecosystems that you simply won’t see from 30,000 feet up in the air. Traveling the US by car is a more human, emotional, enriching experience that you simply need to experience.

spAIRseat: A Community of Travelers

If all this talk about traveling the US by car has gotten you in the mood for a long road trip, you should consider carpooling with spAIRseat.

Whether you’re a driver looking for company or a rider that doesn’t have a car but wants to explore, spAIRseat is the perfect way to carpool with others that have long trips ahead of them.

spAIRseat is a community for drivers of all vehicles to offer seats to help cut down on expenses.

Here’s how it works: Simply sign up, make a profile, and then connect with riders or drivers for specific journeys.

If you’d like to read more about us, click here.

Sign up today!