Whoever posts the caption ‘Not all who wander are lost’ under their candid picture on Instagram has obviously not traveled with my GPS. Traveling alone with Gretta(Yes, my GPS and I are on a first name basis- it’s casual) hasn’t been anything short of an adventure as she waits to alert me to cross over 3 lanes of traffic no more than 200 feet before my exit. To most people this would be the epitome of stressful, but to someone fresh in love with new places and new faces, it was almost exhilarating. My heart jumped at the opportunity to wander into more new territory and uncover its enticing surprises, falling deeper in love with many simple things that had been given the chance to dance in my mind as I crossed the Mississippi river. Here are the eight that have stayed in my heart.

1. New Cities

Let's start off with a pretty obvious reason for travel- new cities. There’s nothing that can romance a heart laced with wanderlust quite like walking on the sidewalks of a brilliant city for the first time. Even the less touristy towns have their charming little coffee shops that will make you wish you had longer to just sit in silence and breathe in that space.

2. Strangers

Perhaps the greatest part of new cities are its unknown inhabitants. They’re the people who have shaped that city. They’re the people that feast weekly in the quirky restaurant that you spent less than an hour in. They’re the people who will remind you that life exists outside of your bubble. They’re sharing this land with you for a moment and they may never even get to know you (so go ahead and take 14 selfies in front of their best known landmark because they’re not judging you).

3. Long-distance friends

Whether you're taking a nap in the new house of the girl you grew up with or find yourself drinking a cappuccino in the hometown of your college roommate, visiting your friends in their cities brings a whole new dimension to the friendship. You’ll see the siblings they love, the parents that raised them, or their favorite local bakery- ultimately you’ll see more of their hearts- and it will make you love them more than you can imagine.

4. God

I can’t tell you which mile-marker it will be, but I can guarantee that one moment you will gaze over a field as it shifts into a tree-filled hillside and know that God is greatest romancer your heart could ever encounter. You’ll realize the world is so much larger than the places you’ve grown accustomed to and that God is even larger than that. You’ll take in a full breath once you reach your front porch at the end of your trip and thank Him for the incredible places and people you’ve seen and for your safe return home.

5. Spontaneity

While having a solid plan is a key to traveling success (oops), you'll find that it's nice to experiencing the freedom of not following a strict schedule day after day. When the only known detail is whose floor you’re sleeping on that night, there’s a lot of room left for spontaneous adventures and living in the moment.

6. Poverty

After traveling with only gas money on a debit card (or a plane ticket), one suitcase, and a pillow; you’ll gain some mad respect for religious sisters and brothers and their vow of poverty. I used to not understand how they could live with so little, but now that I’ve spent a week joyfully living out of a suitcase and the generosity of others, I can not imagine anything more beautiful than rejecting an obsession with the material things we all depend on in our homes and taking up a lifestyle of living lightly.

7. Independence

On your solo trip your family/friends do not create the day to day schedule. The only person who will decide what time you wake up and leave for your next stop is you. You decide if you will take a detour to see Iowa’s largest frying pan. You decide how many bathroom breaks to take on your 6 hour drive. You decide how to stay safe on your trip. There’s a great responsibility that comes with traveling alone, but I think that the growth you will experience outweighs the drawbacks.

8. Yourself

About four minutes into your trip you’ll energetically hit the play button on 8th grade iTunes playlist and somewhere between The Beatles and Taylor Swift you’ll realize just how much you love being you. You love your friends, but rediscovering yourself will lead you to the most incredible person you’ll get to spend time with on this trip: yourself. If you're a college student, you find that can finally fall in love with your own unique opinions after spending 9 months sharing a hallway and thought bubble with your best friends. If silent pondering isn’t your thing you can always crank up your music a little bit (let's be real, a lotta bit) louder and belt out every word without any input from a car passenger who doesn’t appreciate how you can do both Marius and Cosette’s parts on the Les Mis soundtrack.

Whether it’s only a two hour drive to your grandparents’ or a month long escapade from Seattle to Miami, I highly recommend clearing out a space in your schedule - and your heart - to spend some quality time with your thoughts, your God, your growing maturity, and the long and winding road. I hope you enjoy your trip and when you return you can Instagram your perfect photo of a city skyline with the caption ‘Not all who wander are lost, but all who wander fall in love’.

Happy traveling,

Kathleen

(Pro tip: DO NOT sacrifice your safety for a road trip. Learn where your safe stopping place are, never let yourself come close to running out of gas, always travel in a reliable car, and know where you’re sleeping each night before you set out on your journey.)