The coolers, roadmap collected from the local AAA, and station wagons packed into the gills with restless kids eating too many snacks are the way my family traveled when I was younger. While the Great American Road Trip has always occupied a special place in domestic travel situations, things have come a long way over the years and DIY vacations in your own car are no longer the only way to do it.
Magnificent driving adventures are sought after by luxury travelers, just like VanLife’s and backpackers. And a handful of businesses are offering high-five itineraries that trade roadside motel pit stops and fast food fueling supplies, which helps improve the experience well beyond what the average traveler can do on their own, offering five-star accommodation, private guided tours and choice dining. The travel agency caters to discerning travelers who want to independence of open roads with some luxurious touches along the way.
Additionally, the fact that domestic travel is on the rise is due to ease international air demand amid global uncertainty, and road travel retains a new appeal thanks to concerns among travelers over anti-American sentiment abroad. Clients from companies like Black Tomato, All Road North, Unspoiled Travel, and Huntery (the latter debuted US road trip itinerary in early 2026 after years of planning) are likely not being deterred by rising costs of international travel, Northern CEO Sam Highley said the company has seen changes in international travelers.
Recently, “everyone wants to be a cowboy,” Highley said. All roads specializing in custom road trips starting at $15,000 have recently designed itineraries that take visitors to Yellowstone National Park. The tour is self-driving, but is enhanced by insiders who take guests deep into the location.
“What we’re trying to do is maintain the best way to travel in the US, the freedom and holy facilities that make it great,” said Highly, who began discovering the wonders of the country more than 15 years ago when he moved from the UK to California.
Untamed Travel, launched as a Safari specialist in 2001 and later expanded to over 150 destinations, has also seen the US reach the top of its client wish list. Between 2022 and 2024, the US ranked among the top five destinations of operators around the world, with almost all trips booked in states designed as road trips.
Black Tomato travel expert Mary Cropper has been designing domestic travel for nine years, but has recently planned many gorgeous road trips in New England (fall foliage season is a big draw for road trippers) and in the Southwest.
The average is around $40,000, but the trips that can rise from there are completely customizable. Many Black Tomato customers value being listed in five-star hotels with top-notch amenities, but “maybe we spend a night at a hotel in a national park.
As for vehicle types (many of these are fly and drive itineraries where clients fly to a nearby airport and then rent a car for a road trip), it really depends on what you want. “If you’re southwest, it’s more desert terrain and a little more rocky so you might want a bigger car.
Highley said customers on all roads north tend to be car nerds looking to line up the perfect Lamborghini for a week. Rather, they are vacationers within it for the meaningful travel experience that arises from connecting with locals who know the land. Only trip length, daily driving thresholds, accommodation type, meal reservations for each meal, or food and drink suggestions along the route are all discussed and start moving ahead.
“My first question is, how much time will you spend in the car? Is there a few days if you don’t mind going to five or six hours?” Cropper said. The answers to these questions determine the entire trip.
For those who want the vibe of every road trip, but who are less time behind the wheels, there is Huntermoss, and its itinerary prioritizes luxury cars and immersive destination excursions.
The company’s US road trips from a four-day Santay Nez Valley weekend getaway ($10,490 per car/couple) to four days in Napa Wine Country ($11,490 per car/couple) “from the moment a guest arrives, the moment they leave, all the moment they leave arrives,” Pound Julie Hunter has conted the administrator. It’s important to arrive in style.
Unlike the customized trips created by Black Tomato, All Roads North and All-Budgets-Welcome Crush Global, Huntemoss’ new supercar adventure takes place on set dates and includes around 12 smaller groups.
But it’s not just cars, Hunter said. “It really is about taking in the unique aspects of the chosen destination. Whether it’s the focus of the big food and wines in Napa Valley, it’s the focus of Santa Fe’s very powerful art, and we’re trying to build a lovely, balanced experience that’s not just about the driver.”
“It’s like taking a road trip to the next level,” said co-founder Anthony Moss. “Everything is curated, everything is planned, lunch, coffee stops.
Other companies offer creative take on road trip vacations. That applies to Exp Journeys, a tour operator specializing in national parks and immersive luxury travel.
Kevin Jackson, co-founder of Exp Journeys, said travelers are “looking at a more guided, curated road trip experience,” including getting behind the wheel of classic cars like Porsche, Thunderbirds and Corvettes, running down the coast along Big Sur and driving along the coast for $1,500 a day.
Today, domestic travelers are beginning to try and explore far corners of the US, so they are flying into the area (sometimes via civil aviation) behind the wheels of their chosen vehicle (or logistically sound travel adventures with dedicated perks (and appearing in Pre-Lunge snacks, Natches, Natches, and Pryor adventures).