Road Tripping Across America Can Heal National and Family Disconnection
Source: Evita Duffy-Alfonso. "Why I Joined The Duffy Family 'Great American Road Trip'." August 21, 2026. thefederalist.com
The Gist
The author argues that America's biggest problem right now is a crisis of identity and division, and that the best cure is literally getting out and driving across the country to see it firsthand—meeting people, visiting small towns, and experiencing shared spaces. She frames her family's TV road trip project as a way to reconnect both with the nation and with each other, using her own childhood road trip memories and Steinbeck's classic travel narrative as supporting examples.
Conclusion
Americans should travel the country firsthand (as exemplified by the Duffy family's road trip) because doing so helps restore a sense of national identity, appreciation, and family connection at a time when both are fractured.
Premises
- America is currently experiencing an 'identity crisis,' with many young Americans uncertain whether the country is still worth loving, due to narratives emphasizing historical shame and division (e.g., 2020 unrest, statue removals, pandemic mandates).
- Understanding and loving America requires direct experience rather than mediated impressions from screens or cable news commentary.
- Historical precedent (e.g., Steinbeck's 'Travels With Charley') shows that traveling across the country firsthand—meeting diverse people and seeing diverse places—produces authentic insight into national identity.
- The author's personal experience of a childhood cross-country road trip created lasting family bonding and positive memories, despite minor discomforts.
- Many Americans are disconnected not only from their country but also from their own families, and travel forces the kind of slowing down that rebuilds those connections.
- Participating in and promoting the Great American Road Trip series serves as a model for other families to reconnect with both their country and each other.
Assumptions
- Direct physical experience of a place is inherently more truth-revealing or authentic than mediated forms of knowledge (media, education, punditry).
- National identity and pride can be meaningfully restored through personal travel experiences rather than through political or educational reform.
- Family bonding and national appreciation are linked outcomes that can both be achieved through the same activity.
- The negative narratives about America's history (e.g., regarding Columbus, slavery, systemic issues) are portrayed as exaggerated or overly dominant, implying a corrective is needed.
- Most Americans have the time, resources, and ability to undertake long road trips, and would experience similar restorative effects.