Rage and Resentment Are Killing the Great American Road Trip

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May 28, 2025

Sarah Kendzior, author of 'The Last American Road Trip: A Memoir,' shares her experiences of exploring 38 states with her family, reflecting on America's beauty and its pressing challenges. She delves into how her road trips are a way of instilling a love for the country in her children while confronting the disillusionment pervading society. Kendzior discusses the importance of firsthand experiences in understanding diverse narratives, her desire for cultural contribution, and the complexities of loving a flawed nation amidst its turmoil.

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ANECDOTE

Family Road Trip Lessons

Sarah Kendzior's family has visited 38 states, showing her kids the real America beyond stereotypes.
They explore less-known places like Gary, Indiana, challenging common perceptions of safety and value.

ADVICE

Listen and Support Locals

Approach conversations with an open mind and listen to locals to understand their community.
Join others in efforts to protect and preserve local places rather than imposing outsider judgments.

INSIGHT

Trust Lost Post-COVID

In-person interactions reduce confrontation compared to online exchanges drenched in suspicion.
COVID reduced physical contact, helping spread distrust and toxic rhetoric online, harming real-world trust.

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A record 45 million Americans were expected to travel this Memorial Day weekend, long considered the unofficial kickoff to summer. And most of them were hitting the road. Sarah Kendzior is no stranger to the family road trip. Her family, in fact, has visited 38 states—and counting. These trips were born out of a love and curiosity for America and a desire to explore small towns, vast National Parks, and the unexpected oddities along the way. And when money was tight, the best way for her family to see the country was simply to jump in the car and go.

In her new book, The Last American Road Trip: A Memoir, Sarah chronicles those family trips while grappling with a country she believes is failing to uphold its own ideals. Sarah says she feels an urgency to share the country she loves with her children but often wonders if these travels—and the version of America she knows—might be coming to an end.“Every trip I describe in that book,” Sarah says, “I set off wondering: Is this the last time the four of us will get to be together exploring America with the freedom that we have now?”

On this week’s More To The Story, Sarah chats with host Al Letson about trying to show her children the America she adores while holding a light to its flaws, her concerns for the nation’s future, and why hitting the road is often the best way to understand yourself—and your country.

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Listen: Black in the Sunshine State (Reveal)

Read: Republicans Aim to Generate Support for Selling Off America’s Public Lands (Mother Jones)

Read: How to Travel Abroad as the World’s Most Toxic Brand: American (Mother Jones)

Read: The Last American Road Trip: A Memoir, by Sarah Kendzior

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