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Basic Trope: A meaningless trip.

  • Straight: Alice and Bob and a bunch of their friends or relatives go on a cross-country road trip just to see a famous landmark or natural wonder.
  • Exaggerated: They arrive there and head home immediately afterwards.
  • Downplayed: Alice and Bob arrive at the landmark just when their long time nemesis, Dr. Evil, is about to blow it up! They save the day, so, while they first intended a meaningless trip, it wasn't in the end.
  • Justified: The group wants to see the landmark or natural wonder in question before it's destroyed.
  • Inverted: The trip actually has a purpose, such as a real quest, a business trip, a religious retreat, etc.
  • Subverted: The Captain sends the Five-Man Band on a mission to Mount Everest.
  • Double Subverted: To take pictures, and maybe say hi to the Yeti for him.
  • Parodied: The purpose of the trip is to go see some cheesy tourist trap.
  • Zig Zagged: Alice and Bob seem to be in a meaningless trip to a famous landmark, but it's actually a mission from The Captain. They accomplish that mission in record time, and decide to visit another nearby landmark. Which turns out to be the target of their long time Nemesis, Dr. Evil. They stop him. And they come back without incident, visiting yet another third landmark on the way back. Which turns out to have been planned by The Captain all along: Alice and Bob have just ensured the time-space continuum and saved Earth by doing this without even realizing it.
  • Averted:
    • The trip serves some sort of purpose besides just crossing something off Bob's Bucket List.
    • The group does not go on any trip.
  • Enforced: "We need to give them something to do...how about a road trip?"
  • Lampshaded: "We went all this way, just to see some stupid statue?!"
  • Invoked: Bob mentions that he wants to go see Farside Island before it sinks.
  • Exploited: The Big Bad invented the destination in question specifically to lure the heroes there.
  • Defied: Bob chooses a trip that's more meaningful.
  • Discussed: ???
  • Conversed: ???
  • Deconstructed: The trip is a complete waste of time and serves no purpose.
  • Reconstructed: The characters have lots of memorable experiences and become closer to one another on the trip.
  • Played For Laughs:
    • The trip is mentioned as a Noodle Incident
    • All the road trip antics involved in getting there
  • Played For Drama: The Big Bad is there, destroying it.

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