You save about $12k/yr by not owning a car. You can afford a hotel with what you save. Who can afford the gas for a cross country road trip? It's not the 90's. The vast majority of normal trips never go on the freeway. For $12k/yr you can just pay for a taxi for that.
Want a road trip? Try a train. Cross country trains are actually affordable and really interesting adventures. You get to meet interesting folks, actually look at the environment (since you aren't driving), and you aren't risking killing yourself or others in the process. You also aren't destroying that environment. It's just all around a better deal.