Common Sense Media Review
Recent college grads travel the road of life.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Roadtrip Nation
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In ROADTRIP NATION, trios of recent college graduates wind their way across the country in lime green RVs, documenting their experiences. Unlike MTV's Road Rules, this is a journey with a real purpose: These road-trippers want to find themselves -- and a life path that doesn't follow a rigid, set line. As they crisscross the United States (or Canada or the United Kingdom), the trippers interview self-made people from all walks of life -- a Supreme Court justice, a hip-hop mogul, the chairman of Starbucks, a research scientist, a rancher, a truck driver, a national parks supervisor, a food critic, Madonna's stylist, and more. The interviewees recall how their own adulthood started, describing both their missteps and how they avoided the paths prescribed for them by their parents or society. They talk about their lives in terms of satisfaction, passion, and realistic pride in their accomplishments.
Is It Any Good?
Viewers used to the histrionics and excitement of most reality TV shows might find this one slow, but so much more impactful. Roadtrip Nation's camera shots are mostly of passing scenery and talking-head interviewees. They're cleverly edited into a kind of visual collage, which quickens the pace a bit. As anyone who's gone on a long road trip knows, spending long days in a vehicle provides big-time opportunity for deep self-reflection, which -- if not exactly the stuff of high drama -- is usually very meaningful.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the paths chosen or not chosen by people in their own circle, using questions similar to those asked on Roadtrip Nation: What was your life like when you were in your early 20s? How and why did you choose your work/career/life path? Are you doing what you set out to do? Who or what influenced you?
Parents can ask teens what lessons they hear the interviewees describing about life, family, and what they did (and what they learned) when faced with adversity.
How do the young adults on Roadtrip Nation demonstrate courage, integrity, and perseverance? Why are these important character strengths?
TV Details
- Premiere date : September 1, 2004
- Network : PBS
- Genre : Reality TV
- Character Strengths : Courage , Integrity , Perseverance
- TV rating :
- Last updated : February 15, 2023
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