The Most Popular U.S. Road Trips for Summer 2015

The calendar says it's only two months until summer in the U.S. but passengers in the stream of cars hitting American interstates this year already want something different from the standard routes. National parks still maintain their perch as the most popular stops along road trip itineraries but it's which routes travelers plan to take and the alternative stops they make that's changing the face of road trips in 2015. Rather than making the famed cross-country trip, most travelers will opt for shorter, regional routes closer to home this summer or fly to a city and make a round-trip within the same state. Cheaper gas prices this year encourage more road travel but could also encourage other kinds of travel or spending. "We don’t currently have data that shows that people driver more when gas prices are lower, but lower gas prices does put more money in household budgets that can be used for travel," said Heather Hunter, a spokesperson for AAA. Like other kinds of trips, travelers now use their smartphones to make discoveries while they're in a destination and find local hidden gems not on tourist maps. Roadtrippers, a road trip planning company, found that during the past year travelers have accessed its site more often on the road and they read destination-specific content to fuel inspiration. The site's second most popular kind of content for road trips is its "Offbeat Attractions" section for each destination. Roadtrippers says travelers planning their upcoming summer trips rely on their smartphones to discover local accommodations on the road rather than booking in advance. For road trips planned and booked