User recommends Route 66, Maine–Key West

An X post circulating within the last 48 hours offered a simple road-trip formula: avoid U.S. interstates, take local roads through small towns, and cut costs with camping or a motorcycle. The post, attributed to user saranstm, listed Route 66, a coast-to-coast drive, Maine to Key West, and a Southern California-to-Washington shoreline trip as examples. The advice landed as U.S. road travel remains a heavy seasonal draw and as Route 66 enters its centennial year in 2026. ### What exactly did the X user recommend? The X post said travelers should skip highways, use local roads through small towns, eat at local places, and camp cheaply or ride a motorcycle to save on gas, according to the social-media briefing provided for this story. The routes named in that briefing were East Coast to West Coast, Route 66, Maine to Key West, and Southern California to Washington along the shore. (newsroom.aaa.com) The advice was framed as budget travel rather than a mapped itinerary. The post did not, in the material reviewed for this story, specify day counts, stop lists, or a fixed route order. ### Why does Route 66 stand out in that list? Route 66 remains one of the best-known U.S. road-trip corridors, and the National Park Service says its travel itinerary includes more than 100 highlighted sites along the historic road. (route66centennial.org) The route is also the focus of official centennial activity in 2026, with a dedicated centennial website describing the anniversary as a national celebration of the “Mother Road.” Congress established a Route 66 Centennial Commission for the 2026 anniversary, according to the commission materials and the underlying federal law. The National Park Service also says it is commemorating the 100th anniversary of the route this year. ### Are those other drives established routes or just broad ideas? Maine to Key West and East Coast to West Coast are broad trip concepts rather than single federally defined touring roads in the way Route 66 is commonly marketed. (nps.gov) The Southern California-to-Washington shoreline idea also reads as a scenic coastal concept rather than one signed route from start to finish, based on the material reviewed for this story. (route66-centennial.com) The post’s emphasis was less on official route branding than on the style of travel: smaller roads, local businesses, and lower-cost overnight options. That aligns with AAA’s 2025 Memorial Day forecast, which said many travelers were still taking trips even if the getaways were “closer to home.” ### How does this fit the current travel moment? AAA said 45.1 million Americans were expected to travel at least 50 miles from home over the 2025 Memorial Day holiday period, with 39.4 million driving. (nps.gov) That forecast, cited in official AAA materials, set a record for the holiday weekend and helps explain why road-trip advice continues to circulate heavily online around late May. (newsroom.aaa.com) The post also appeared as Route 66-related organizations push centennial projects, maps and event planning. Official and quasi-official Route 66 sites are already promoting centennial resources, preservation campaigns and planning tools for travelers. ### If a reader wanted to follow up, where would they look? The National Park Service’s Route 66 itinerary page offers a starting point for travelers who want a site-based guide to the historic road. (newsroom.aaa.com) Official centennial sites and commission pages are also publishing anniversary information for 2026. In 2026, the next concrete milestone is the Route 66 centennial itself, with events and projects already being listed by centennial organizers and Route 66 groups. (route66centennial.org) Travelers looking to turn the X post into a real itinerary would find the most developed public planning material around Route 66 rather than the broader Maine-to-Key West or coast-to-coast concepts. (nps.gov)