“I saw in their eyes something I was to see over and over in every part of the nation—a burning desire to go, to move, to get underway…”
John Steinbeck’s “Travels with Charley: In Search of America”
John Steinbeck drove the road in a GMC truck with a modern camper shell on top 65 years ago in an effort to reconnect with America. This journey was the inspiration for the best-selling book “Travels with Charley: In Search of America.”
Steinbeck made the observation that “Nearly every American hungers to move.”
Thanks in part to Trump’s economic policies and a more optimistic view of the future, the United States is once again on the move.
A record number of Americans may travel for Memorial Day this year, the most in 20 years. Between May 22 and May 26, 45.1 million individuals will travel at least 50 miles from home, according to AAA.
Paula Twidale, Senior Vice President of AAA Travel, observes that “we’re projecting an additional one million travelers this holiday weekend compared to 2019,” meaning that the number of travelers will surpass pre-pandemic levels and that a very busy summer travel season is likely to follow.
While on the road, Americans are rejoicing in the Trump economy and the independence it has brought them.
Gas price cuts are only the beginning.
“The average cost of a gallon of regular gasoline hovered around $3.13 nationwide, according to AAA, down from $3.59 a gallon on Memorial Day in 2024,” according to AWN.
Those figures may have looked quite different if the Biden or Harris tickets had won last November. Energy costs were the sole result of the Biden administration’s crusade against domestic energy, which included the former president’s clumsy handling of gas prices. Indeed, that was the whole point: the Democrats intend to raise energy costs in order to compel Americans to buy electric cars and embrace the type of “low-carbon” lifestyle that they consistently avoid.
Last November, Americans sent a strong message about the Democrats’ “expect less” agenda by overwhelmingly electing President Donald Trump to the White House in a modern-day landslide.
And it’s not limited to energy costs. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics inflation data for April was announced on Tuesday. The Trump economy surprised everyone by producing the lowest inflation rate since Joe Biden’s first month in office, which was a major accomplishment.
After the avian flu pandemic in 2024, egg costs spiked in the years leading up to the election. The precipitous spike in prices made them a focal point of the campaign. Democrats tried to pin the high costs that persisted following the election on Trump.
But, the price of eggs is really going down right now. They fell by 12.4% on average in April, the worst monthly decline since 1984.
As a result, despite the relentless media narrative, more Americans will eat omelets on their summer vacation to celebrate their sense of hope for the future.
“High cost-of-living is the leading dampener on travel plans with nearly three in five Americans (59%) saying it made them cut back,” said the results of a YouGov.com survey from 2024 that revealed how the Biden economy was affecting family vacations. According to the study company, a similar percentage of Americans feel their financial situation has altered, making it impossible for them to travel (38%).
But Americans are traveling again, and this time they’re optimistic.
The significance of the wide road to Americans was not lost on Steinbeck.
No two journeys are the same; each one is unique. And no amount of preparation, security, enforcement, or pressure will help. “After years of struggle, we discover that a trip takes us, rather than the other way around,” he wrote.
In their hearts, Americans know they truly belong on the road, so they’re getting back on it.