There is something so intriguing about the idea of packing up and heading out on the open road to find new adventures. This is especially true if you are a college student who is sick of seeing the same people, same buildings, and same overall scenery. Your car parked on the other side of campus seems to be beckoning to you for you to climb in and speed off into the unknown. With just a little bit of planning and a good friend, this is exactly what I did. My boyfriend and I covered ten states in five days: Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, Arkansas, Texas, and Oklahoma.

Be Open to Change

Originally, we planned to cover a total of 16 states. We shaved off a few stops when we found out my best friend’s buddy from high school was only two hours from where we stopped in Texas. Instead of travelling through some extra states, we decided to take some time to visit him. The whole point of a road trip is to do something different. A general plan is great to have to get started, but don’t be afraid to make alterations as you go!

How to Tell my Anxiety to Shut Up

Anyone with anxiety can understand the stress felt in even some of what are considered the “simplest” tasks. For me, one of these frequent challenges is going to the gas station to fill up my car. I avoid it as much as possible, often paying friends or family do it for me. I couldn’t exactly explain to you why it gives me so much anxiety, it just does. However, that doesn’t quite fly when I’m essentially living in my car for the weekend. With a total of almost 20 stops for gas (filling up when we reached half tank), I learned to tell my anxiety to sit on the back burner so I could live my life. It may be a small victory, but for me it was a victory nonetheless.

It Takes a Lot to Annoy My Boyfriend

I love taking pictures. I probably took about ten pictures of my boyfriend every time it was his turn to drive. I just couldn’t get enough of how the scenery accented his handsomeness but I thought for sure he was sick of hearing the shutter click. I could have sworn his ears were bleeding from my voice mixing with the blasting radio of the same country songs over and over again. Additionally, I am very indecisive. My boyfriend would ask me what I wanted to do next or where I wanted to go for dinner. Every time, like a broken record, I would respond with “I don’t know,” “doesn’t matter to me,” or “up to you.” I could tell he was getting a little frustrated toward the end, but it took about 4 days for this to really hit. We were not apart for 5 days straight and for much of that time we were sitting in my little Pontiac G6. And somehow, my boyfriend was able to tolerate all of my shenanigans.

It’s Not the Destination, it’s the Journey

We traveled 3500 miles in five days. We stopped to sleep 3 times in Dallas, Nashville, and a small town in Arkansas. Most of our sightseeing was done from the interior of my car. Many people wouldn’t see the point of going if we really didn’t stop for long. Sure, it was great to go to Dallas and we did do a little exploring of downtown Nashville. However, we made plenty of great memories just driving down the interstate.

The World is So Much Bigger Than My Little Life

Some days it is easy to get wrapped up in the trivial problems I face in my day to day life. Some days it is hard to get out of bed and get going. Some days it feels like if things are not going my way, that the world is falling apart. However, a trip spanning 3500 miles gives a little more perspective. We encountered so many people over the duration of our trip. Even more than that, we saw so many different types of people from so many different walks of life. This was especially true walking through downtown Nashville. As my boyfriend and I walked down Broadway taking it all in we saw street performers with nothing trying to scrape by. We saw a couple having a domestic dispute. We saw barhoppers celebrating anything and everything. Each and every person that we passed has a life and a story of their own. Their own accomplishments and struggles. It’s fascinating to attempt to fathom the amount of different realities that exist for each person in this world and how intricately they weave into one another.

Taking a road trip isn’t just about seeing what’s out there. As cheesy as it sounds, it is equally about reflecting on and understanding what is inside ourselves. This semester has been full of trying times but now I’m feeling refreshed not only in time for finals but also to take the next step in my life.