Keegan-Michael Key on why road trips still matter

From childhood drives to the Rockies with his family to long hauls on the college comedy circuit, road trips have shaped Key's life. Here is his love letter to this iconic American mode of travel.

Comedian, singer and actor Keegan-Michael Key is often lauded for his myriad talents, from translating former US President Obama's anger to voicing video game characters. But his stealth superpower may just be his ability to read a map.

Keegan-Michael Key is the co-creator of Key & Peele and appears regularly in films and television series, most recently Only Murders in the Building. He is brand ambassador for Choice Hotels and the voice of Toad in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, out in cinemas on 1 April.

"It's becoming a bit of a lost art, isn't it?" mused Key, best known as half of the comedy sketch duo Key & Peele. "And being able to fold a map back up the way that you opened it. [With] Google Maps, you go, 'How did we do this before?'"

He fondly remembers the era of slow, experiential travel – where trips unfolded on the open road and were guided solely by paper, instinct and whimsy. "Back in the old days, you'd get out your map and your dad was, like, 'Hold on, I gotta figure this out'," said Key. "The excitement started to build when you'd undo [the map] on the bed and everyone [decided where to go next]. You can change your mind on a road trip."

Once the dominant form of leisure travel in the United States, whose massive highway system sprawls through endless prairies, deserts and national parks, road trips have played a crucial part in shaping national identity. Here are Key's thoughts on why this iconic American pastime will never go out of style.

Why should people take a road trip in 2026?

I think we're craving a certain type of connection that we've been losing in the past couple of decades. [And] we've got a bunch of things happening this year; 100 years of Route 66, the 250th anniversary of the country. Also, the World Cup is happening this year all over North America, which would be a really great road trip.

What are your earliest road trip memories? 

I grew up in Michigan, but my father was from Salt Lake City, Utah so my favourite memories are travelling west. When we were kids, we would go to national parks in [our] pop-up camper; the Grand Canyon, the Tetons, Yellowstone and Yosemite. Once you get to the outskirts of the Midwest, it's flat and then the hills start to roll. I remember being able to see miles in the distance. There's an excitement because you can literally see your destination. 

Sometimes I have dreams about that time with my family; travelling west through the plains and then all of a sudden, just off in the distance, you see the Rockies. It was breathtaking. It still is breathtaking. Now because of work, I travel by plane a lot because you got........

© BBC