Despite taking shorter trips, people nonetheless want to roam as far away as possible. “They don’t want to spend the night any closer than eight hours from home,” Mr. Cohen said. And the trip has to have multiple overnight stops with activities and attractions, “not just Grandma’s house,” he said. For example, Mr. Cohen said retirees typically visit family during their road trips, but most of the time they stay elsewhere.
Source: The Great American Road Trip: Shorter and More Popular Than Ever