The American Traveler

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dk51ZHlrfs4
It's difficult for me to really know what the true meaning of the road trip is for America; I know what I think a road trip means and this can't help but influence what I see as the general viewpoint of the road trip. But I found this video on YouTube, which I think sums up the general public's view of what a road trip through America is all about. At least I hope this highly optimistic view point represents what many in America feel travel is all about. The people that Matt meets are, as he says, of the utmost importance to him on this trip. All the warm greetings, and the gracious hospitality of a lot of people that welcome him into their home and their open-ness with him, revealing their bizarre hobbies and talents, have a profound effect on him as he travels through out America. A certain line that I really liked in this video was that "you need years" to see everything in America. (1:23) When you look at the states on a map you miss out on what this country is really all about: the vastness of the rich heritage and cultures; the great natural beauty and power; and the relationships you can form with complete strangers through out the entire country. Years must be devoted to the dream of being able to truly say that you have been everywhere and seen everything in this country . You also see how much the people he meets means to him when he is talking about one of the families that invited him into their home and family. He is able to feel and experience something most people, who stay at home and don't take road trips, think of as an abstract, yet extremely pleasant, concept: "American Hospitality." (3:48) There's a very Whitmanesque concept that comes out when he says, "... the right way to approach this American road trip, or really any trip anywhere, is to be open; to be nice, to be polite; and to say yes to everything anyone ever offers you." (4:41-4:54) To me, all of this goes to show that we aren't too far removed from the world Whitman spoke for, at least idealistically. It also represents a very nationalistic image of what the road trip should be made for, growing closer to one's country. To me this is a very American view of what a good road trip should be.
(2008, May 23). Video Title: NYTimes.com - American Road Trip: Reminiscence.