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Gas prices have surged across the country this year, and the only thing scarier for travelers might be the prospect of being at the mercy of airlines during vacation. Is it any wonder that a new survey finds road trips still reign supreme, with many travelers willing to spend more than 10 hours behind the wheel this summer? After all, what’s 10 hours in a car compared to being stuck in airport limbo? (Or your entire airline disappearing?)
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According to a report from AAA, a record 72.2 million Americans are expected to travel over the Fourth of July holiday, with about 61.4 million of them driving. And that doesn’t look likely to change anytime soon.
A survey from Turo found that 51 percent of Americans planning summer travel expect to take a road trip, while nearly half of those travelers anticipate spending more than 10 hours on the road. Thus, “Are we there yet?” amid backseat squabbles lives on for at least another generation.
The survey, which polled 2,005 Americans, makes clear that travelers still value the freedom to make detours, blast their own playlists and pull over whenever they spot a sign for a two-headed snake or a slice of homemade pie. Flexibility and traveling on your own schedule rank among the biggest reasons people continue to choose road trips over other forms of transportation, though it’s hard not to believe that avoiding travel with strangers doesn’t also rank right up there.
The report also looked beyond summer 2026 to our increasingly automated future, finding that Americans remain cautious about handing over the wheel entirely. While companies continue to push autonomous driving technology and Waymo continues its driverless ascent, 22 percent of the surveyed travelers prefer having a human in the driver’s seat for trips longer than seven hours.
The findings arrive as the U.S. celebrates its 250th anniversary, helping fuel what travel experts expect to be one of the busiest Independence Day travel periods on record. Even with higher fuel prices than last summer, road travel continues to dwarf flying, accounting for roughly 85 percent of holiday travelers.
None of this will come as a surprise to anyone who’s ever watched the miles disappear somewhere between a Buc-ee’s and a questionable roadside attraction, all set to the backdrop of the inevitable argument over when it’s time for a bathroom break. Cars may evolve, but families traveling together remain a constant.