If you’re inspired by the patriotism of the 2026 World Cup and you’ve got a car (and some money to spend on gas), then a cross-country road trip might be the perfect thing for you to tackle this summer. Fortunately for me, the globally celebrated World Cup happened to start during my trip – if you’d like the same experience, I’d recommend taking these next four years to get excited and plan your trip for 2030.

Easily forgotten amidst all the polarizing political content about the United States is that we are one nation of 342 million people all living with different backgrounds, lifestyles and in different states. As one of those 342 million, feeling represented by Team USA has always been difficult for me since I’ve never really understood what it means to be an American. If you’ve grown up elsewhere or your parents come from different countries, being American can feel like just another population point for a country made up of a bunch of little countries called states. Rather than feeling unified under the flag, all I saw were stars, stripes and a world of difference among us. At least that’s how I felt before hopping in my car for a month.

Through the magic of billboards and highway vistas, each state on your route literally establishes itself in your psyche; each stop for gas introducing you to a world of people you’d never meet anywhere else on earth. Whether you’ve lived in multiple states or just one, life across a state line feels uniquely different from its neighbors. On a road trip, stopping for gas or a bathroom break gives you glimpses into minute differences in state cultures. In Louisville, KY, you’ll learn about the Bourbon industry as you checkout your groceries; in Nashville, TN, you’ll hear live music anywhere there’s standing room; in St. George, UT you’ll wonder how the speed limit could be 80 mph for as far as the eye can see.

With the World Cup being co-hosted in the United States and bringing soccer fans from all over the world, foreigners are witnessing how many countries Americans also cheer for and represent. Shocked by things like Texas barbecue and restaurants serving ice cold water, taking a page out of a World Cup tourist’s book and using a foreigner's level of observation on your stately neighbors can help you notice how day-to-day life can look completely different all over the country. With this perspective, the overbearing size of the US turns into a wondrous amalgamation of all the people and cultures that have come together to create it.

After seeing the diversity of life and cultures in every state on my route, calling myself American is both harder and easier than ever; on one hand every American is completely different, on the other that's what makes us in common with one another.

It’s important to remember that a road trip, particularly one going across the country, is not something everyone can just drop their responsibilities and do. You need at least a couple weeks of free time and enough money for gas and food along the way; but when you add all that up and compare it to the cost of a vacation to a major city with the costs of hotels and dining and drinks out there, it is a comparable sum.

There’s so many great resources to assist a journey like this that are marketed to a camping audience. KOA grounds and BLM land are two great free to cheap options where you can park your car, pitch a tent, sleep safely and meet some cool people along the way. Another great resource for any sort of camping and road trip journey is the app HipCamp where you can search and book campsites near whatever city or national park you're interested in visiting.

Suffice to say, the United States doesn’t feel like one nation; for me it never has, but after doing a cross-country road trip I’ve been forced to confront the pleasant reality that legally and socially, we are. This summer being surrounded by fellow Americans cheering on Team USA in the World Cup, it’s the perfect time to join the tournament's visitors and experience the country that we all call home.