Overview
RoadTripUSA celebrates the quintessentially American travel experience - driving across vast landscapes, national parks, small towns, and iconic highways. The hashtag surged during COVID-19 as domestic road trips replaced international travel.
Iconic Routes
Most hashtagged road trip routes:
- Pacific Coast Highway (California SR 1)
- Route 66 (Chicago to Los Angeles)
- Blue Ridge Parkway (Appalachian Mountains)
- Utah’s Mighty Five national parks circuit
- Alaska Highway
- Florida Keys Overseas Highway
- Great River Road (Mississippi River)
National Parks Boom
The hashtag overlapped heavily with #NationalParks and #FindYourPark. Instagram drove unprecedented visitation to parks, creating both increased awareness and overtourism challenges at popular sites (Zion, Yosemite, Glacier, Yellowstone).
Vehicle Culture
Content featured:
- Vintage VW camper vans
- Converted Sprinter vans (#VanLife overlap)
- RV/motorhome travel
- Classic cars on historic routes
- Motorcycles (particularly Harley-Davidson Route 66 trips)
COVID-19 Impact
Summer 2020-2021: Domestic road trips surged as international travel halted. RV rentals sold out months in advance. National parks implemented reservation systems due to overwhelming demand.
Instagram Moments
Popular photo opportunities included:
- Horseshoe Bend, Arizona
- Monument Valley
- Antelope Canyon
- White Sands, New Mexico
- Arches National Park
- Glacier National Park’s Going-to-the-Sun Road
Sources
- National Park Service Visitation Statistics: https://www.nps.gov/
- AAA Road Trip Report 2022: https://www.aaa.com/