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.

Alamy

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 to get someplace quicker. I don't really have the luxury to [travel by car]. But I encourage anybody who has any kind of wanderlust to take a road trip with your family. There's a really special connection that happens between people when you have to problem solve.

What's something that could only happen on a road trip?

That time that you spend singing together in the car. Remember those road games – trying to spot road signs like falling rocks or deer crossing? And remember getting up at 05:00 and seeing the Sun? We're busy people nowadays; we see sunsets all the time, but how often do you see a sunrise? That's something that almost exclusively happens on a road trip.

How else do road trips differ from plane travel?

[On a plane], somebody else is taking care of the actual travelling, but [on a road trip], you're the one that has to figure it out. They're both communal experiences, but one of them is way more prescribed than the other one. The only time you share something on a plane is if something untoward happens, and it's 200 of you collectively having that experience. But a road trip consists of four to eight people at the most, so you're having a much more individual experience. On the plane, we're all doing the same thing. But anything can unfold on a road trip.

Alamy

Have you ever been on a road trip with a fellow celebrity?

Jordan Peele and I used to perform the college circuit. We'd fly into one town and [drive] to another. He's a very calming influence. I'm a very talkative person; only as I've gotten older have I realised that I can embrace silence. I learned that from Jordan.

[One time] – I think we had left St Louis and we were driving to Columbia, Missouri – and we were driving on the road and I just felt a real sense of brotherhood with him, but there were no words spoken. It was an epiphany for me. We had such a good time with each other. And sometimes those good times were times where we were just existing. 

Who would be your dream celebrity road trip crew?

I'd love to travel with older actors, like Sir Anthony Hopkins and Jane Fonda and Christopher Walken. They'd go, 'I remember in 1968, I was here and we did this.' I like hearing about people's history and their stories, especially travel stories. But at the same time, I'd throw a wild card in there, like Jim Carrey. That would be fun. 

What's something you have to have with you when you travel, no matter what?

Gotta have books. I'm a physical book person, I like to turn a page. Even if I don't crack it, I have to have a book just in case. And I do keep snacks in my backpack. I like to bring my own tea bags or my own chocolate mix so that I can mix my own drink for myself. I have a thing that has reishi mushrooms in it, for mental focus.

Courtesy of Keegan-Michael Key

You're known for your endless kaleidoscope of characters. What interesting characters have you encountered on road trips?

There was a guy who used to give ghost tours in New Orleans. He was very elegant and he had this very dashing Van Dyke [facial hair] and he kind of dressed like a pirate. He does these ghost tours at nighttime, but when I saw him during the day, he was dressed the same as he was at night. So I was like, 'Oh, this is him. This is his lifestyle.'

Favourite road trip movie?

Midnight Run; it's Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin, you can't really lose. They're leaving a big city and they end up in the West. They go into this little saloon and they're trying to get money and they pretend that they're FBI agents. Charles Grodin just looks at this one guy and says, 'Have you seen anybody suspicious around here?' and the guy he's talking to is the most suspicious looking person you've ever seen. Most of the people in that scene were locals, not actors, and it's just sublime. Midnight Run's a great caper, but it's also a good road movie.

*This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

BBC Travel's The SpeciaList is a series of guides to popular and emerging destinations around the world, as seen through the eyes of local experts and tastemakers.

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