A Guide to Literary Road Trips Across America

Americans are commonly credited for their fascination with the wide open road. Whether you’re a college student mapping back to your hometown or a history buff traveling across the nation, the roads of the United States can spark a sense of adventure in everyone. Read on to see how a few great American authors have had some amazing adventures on the road, or check out the original post.

While national parks and historic cities are common travel destinations, they also inspire authors to write literary novels. Some literature lovers plan their American road trips based on their favorite books. This created the term “literary travel” which is tourism based on literary culture. A handful of novels that inspire literary travel include:

• Hunter S. Thompson’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
• Robert M. Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
• Tom Wolfe’s The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test
• F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Cruise of the Rolling Junk
• Bill Bryson’s The Lost Continent
• Jack Kerouac’s On the Road

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas includes a well-known road trip the main characters, Raoul Duke and Dr. Gonzo, pursue from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. Both of these characters travel for work purposes. However, their trip quickly turns to parties, drugs, and alcohol when they reach their destination: Sin City. Some people are unfamiliar with the fact that Fear of Loathing in Las Vegas originated from the combination of a Rolling Stone and Sports Illustrated magazine assignment.

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is a story of a father and his son traveling from Minneapolis to San Francisco via, as the title implies, motorcycles. A couple of themes that make this literary road trip popular are the narrator’s quality over quantity and self-growth. If you’re someone who enjoys independent traveling, this road trip is suited for you.

The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test takes place during the psychedelic ’60s. This story centers on a hippie group that travels throughout North America on a colorfully painted bus. During this time, America’s counterculture movement was at its peak which can explain why this hippie group drove under the influence of acid and eclectic music. This infographic shows the map of this literary road trip starting in California and ending in Texas. For those brave enough to tackle this 10,904-mile road trip, we advise traveling in groups and sober.

The Cruise of the Rolling Junk tells the story of Scott Fitzgerald and his wife, Zelda’s east coast road trip from Connecticut to Alabama. This novel captures the true essence of a classic, American road trip in 1920. If you’re looking for a romantic tale that incorporated fiction and fact, this road trip for two will suffice. Get ready to strengthen your love for the road and your partner.

The Lost Continent explains Bill Bryson’s eastern travels through the eastern states of the U.S. Many people find this read a bit dry and describe Bryson’s work as one long ramble. However, this novel maps out a plethora of eastern, quaint towns. This makes Bryson’s literary road trip perfect for people wanting a quiet trip along narrow, silent roads.

On the Road occurs in post World War II times and captures the fight to preserve the American dream. Similarly to The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, this novel’s main characters are a group of broke hippies found of drugs and music. This literary road trip starts in New York City and completes in San Francisco. See both American coasts along this spiritual road trip!

Whether you’re traveling solo, with a significant other, or a tight group of friends, there’s a literary road trip perfect for everyone. CarRentalsdescribes each of the previous mentioned novels further with travel time and route lengths. Start doing your research because the open road is calling!

Literary Road Trips