What Makes a Road Trip a Road Trip?

With the summer road tripping season starting I have a question for you.

A couple weeks ago I drove the 230 or so miles up to Humboldt County for my sister's college graduation. When I mentioned the trip to a friend she exclaimed "Road trip!" and I was thoroughly confused because for me, this was not a road trip.

Why would one person consider this a road trip and another not? Was it because I didn't stop at any of the kitschy roadside attractions like Trees of Mystery, the Drive-Thru Tree [1], or Confusion Hill [2]? (Which by-the-way has some serious road construction happening just south of the entrance on Hwy. 101.) Was it because I wasn't going a distance that required multiple days of driving? Was it because I make this trip 3 - 4 times each year?

On my way home, it was quite clear from the number of RVs I saw that road trip season has definitely started. So my question to you is, what makes a road trip a road trip?

Gayle Hart
Moon.com Content Editor