Most of us have childhood memories of days spent covering hundreds of miles of Interstate to visit some distant relative or en route to a familiar vacation destination. Sure, there were the inevitable annoyances: a sibling or two who made the backseat a torture chamber; dad's insane insistence that schedules must be kept no matter what; and mom's penchant for wanting to seek out kitschy shops every 20 miles.

Goodyear this year has a very funny commercial that shows family road trip complaints like these cross all cultural boundaries. That's why most of us can identify with, and sigh at, the memory of the family road trip.

Thoughts of fun road trips surfaced recently while standing in yet another line at the airport. Can any voyage be less fun than going by air these days? It's an acid trip: Being asked to remove your shoes at the security check -- always on the one day you wore the socks where the big toe has punched a hole -- standing in interminable lines and then being cooped up in a packed jet for hours with peanuts and Pepsi your only sustenance.Intellectually, most of us understand the need for such inconveniences since Sept. 11, and when going by air is the only prudent way to get someplace, we grin and bear it.

But with the start of summer, this year may be a good time for families to rediscover the charms of the open road. That's what the AMI Auto World staff found when we went on an extended road test of six compact SUVs (page 32). We covered more than 800 miles of some of the most beautiful country on the planet -- the mountain ranges of the southern United States. From the bucolic scenes of Virginia horse country to the ultra tacky -- yet undeniably fun -- stretch of Tennessee highway between Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, we found a lot to recommend the idea of going by car this summer.

Despite threats of Mideast oil supply turmoil, a gallon of regular is still very affordable and plentiful. Economists argue that when inflation is factored in to the equation, it will cost us less to fill the tank this summer than when our parents did it 40 years ago. And on a summer trip this year it's likely we'll be riding in a safer, more comfortable vehicle than when we were kids. Sport-utility vehicles that serve as today's family land yachts have far more amenities -- a plethora of cupholders, storage areas and power accessories that range up to a backseat DVD theater -- and safety devices than a 1960s vintage station wagon.

Even the Internet can make a family road trip easier and more fun, from using MapQuest to plot the fastest or most scenic route, to Web searches for out-of-the-way restaurants and inns to visit along the way.

So when you think about what to do this summer, consider a road trip in the family vehicle. It won't get you there as fast as a jetliner, but the scenery will be a lot nicer.

Almost as nice as the family memories.