National Day of Motoring Date in the current year: July 24, 2024

A road trip, sometimes spelled roadtrip, is a long-distance journey traveled by car. The history of road trips is almost as as long as the history of the modern car itself. German engineer Karl Benz patented his Benz Patent-Motorwagen in 1886, and two years later, his wife Bertha traveled a distance of 66 miles from Mannheim to Pforzheim in her husband’s third experimental car with their two teenage sons. She thus became the first person to drive an automobile over a significant distance.

In 1903, American automobile pioneers Horatio Nelson Jackson and Sewall K. Crocker became the first people to drive an automobile across the United States, traveling from San Francisco to New York City in about 63 days. However, the American road trip as we know it began to take shape in the 1930s thanks to the expansion of highways in the United States and the increasing availability of cars.

Today, people may go on road trips for practical purposes, for example, to visit friends and relatives who live far way or when relocating to another city. But such trips are not always practical: a lot of Americans go on road trips for recreational purposes, typically during vacations. People may embark on road trips to discover special destinations along the way, bond with friends or family, save money on travel, and because traveling by car offers more flexibility than other modes of travel.

Over time, road trips have become a significant part of American culture. In some ways, the American road trip has come to symbolize freedom, rebellion, and a sense of escape. It is the subject of many songs, movies, and books, where the physical trip is a rite of passage that parallels the protagonist’s personal growth or spiritual journey of self-discovery.

National Day of Motoring was launched in 2021 by MINI USA, an independent brand of the BMW Group used for a range of small vehicles. The main goal of the holiday is to promote MINI’s “fun to drive” nature and celebrate the brand’s tight-knit community of owners that love to get out and enjoy driving at every opportunity they find.

Of course, National Day of Motoring is not just for MINI owners; it is for everyone who loves road trips and thinks that driving is fun. The holiday celebrates the joy of driving and encourages people to hit the road and drive simply because it brings them joy, and not because they urgently need to get somewhere.

Celebrate National Day of Motoring by gathering a group of friends and going on a road trip or at least driving along a scenic route if you don’t have time for a long trip. Other ways to celebrate include attending a car show if there is one near you, organizing a car wash fundraiser for a cause that is close to your heart, watching a road trip movie, or taking your car to a car shop for a checkup. And if you don’t know how to drive, this is your sign to take a driving lesson.