As we all know school is upon us. Some of us may be a little more prepared compared to others. I'm in the not so prepared, totally stressed out, in complete panic mode category. But luckily, I decided to go to school across the country and also decided to road trip back for my junior year. Here are a few things I'm glad I had/did while journeying across the country.

1. A plan/route

Let's be serious, if I didn't know where I was going things would've ended very badly.

2. An aux cord/Bluetooth

Listening to just the radio gets really boring AND half the time there's no station available to even listen to.

3. A few kickass playlists

Yes a few. One is not enough when you drive 15+ hours for multiple days, you're gonna want to switch back and forth between a couple.

4. My dog

Yeah it made it a little more difficult because she had to stop more often than I did, and she kept pressing all of the buttons in the car. I'm still glad that she got to experience it all with me, even if she was a little annoying.

5. Taking scenic pictures

I know it sounds stupid but driving cross country really makes you realize how beautiful the world really is and I feel like we forget that and take advantage of it when we experience the same view for weeks, months, and years.

6. Cleaning my windshield off when we stopped

This might sound like a no-brainer but the number of bugs that committed suicide on my window was ridiculous and really made it hard to see. Plus, when I didn't clean the windshield it really ruined my photos.

7. Snacks

Another no-brainer, I know, but snacks are SO important so they have to be on the list.

8. A pillow and blanket

This was mainly beneficial for my dog cause she got to sleep very comfortably in the car. But when we stopped for the night it was nice to have a little bit of home with me.

9. Friends who will keep you company

I can't tell you how many times I was on the phone or on FaceTime with one of my friends. Since I only had my dog, who unfortunately doesn't talk back, my human friends really kept me sane.

10. Taking LOADS of pictures/videos of my dog

Just like every other normal pet owner, I take a lot of pictures of my dog. But this road trip took "a lot" to an entirely new level. She was just so cute, I couldn't help it.

11. Taking pictures of (almost) every “Welcome to ….” sign

I didn't actually start doing this for myself since this was my fourth time driving cross country, but my other mother told me she wanted to see all of them, so she would know where I had been! Which as I was taking the photos I realized it would be really cool to remember them.

12. An awesome support system not only back home and waiting for me at my destination but also joining me

I was glad my parents decided to drive cross country with me. We got to spend a lot of much-needed family time together. When you're driving alone for that amount of time you really start to realize the more important things in life. Although I knew I was lucky with the parents I was blessed with I really realized how good I got it during this trip.

I suggest that everyone travels at some point in their life. Whether you travel for fun with no real purpose or destination, for work, or for school, go out and experience life! It's really a great time to figure out who you are as a person and what truly matters to you.