I’ve never understood the seemingly paradoxical title of the song “Summertime Blues.”
Based solely on the title, it must be included among top Summer Road Songs, but even as a child, the summer season was my favorite time of year. Blockbuster movies, road trips to the beach, the neighborhood pool, family vacations, non-family vacations or other road trips, baseball games, all equate to carefree days where I experience anything but the summertime blues.
If you’re the type who starts feeling the heat of the summer, I offer up the idea of a road trip as a cure. Even if it’s to a close-by community – or over the river and through the woods to grandma’s house, a little interstate cruise can prove therapeutic.
For me, there’s something about getting in the car and hitting the highway for a road trip with some good music that produces a feeling of freedom and enjoyment exploring what the open roads of the U.S. have to offer. Apparently, I’m not alone.
According to a recent survey from TripAdvisor, “cars are the most popular mode of transportation for leisure travel this summer.” Even with high gas prices, the survey goes on to say that around one-third of Americans are traveling over the upcoming Memorial Day weekend and 86 percent plan on taking a leisure trip this summer. “This represents a six percent and seven percent increase, respectively, in travelers that took a trip during the same travel periods in 2012.”
Our family is a part of this 86 percent, with plans to visit several spots via the superhighway this summer. So far, we have the Grand Canyon; bright lights of Branson, Missouri; and San Antonio, Texas, penciled in on the agenda, while the TripAdvisor study of top destinations for traveling provides the following ranking: 1) ocean; 2) city; 3) countryside; 4) national park, and 5) lake.
With these destinations and more in mind, we’re looking forward to a sunny season filled with road-trip-inspired adventures and new memories that are sure to keep the blues away.
Let us know where you’re heading this summer and check The Open Road blog often as we build on the theme of road trips with our own personal excursions.
Written by:
James Mayfield is the Director of Content at Santander Consumer USA and has been creating content on financial topics for more than 10 years. In addition to writing for the Santander, RoadLoans and Chrysler Capital blog sites, his work has…
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