The Road Trip That Changed My Life.

For my birthday in 2022, I decided to do something new and road tripped through parts of the United States Southwest for 6 days by myself.

The previous year has been a busy one, filled with lots of travel and celebrations for many of my friends’ various life events. By the end of the year, I was worn out and ready to do something that I just wanted to do for myself.

I decided that I would go somewhere I always wanted to go - Arizona.

I would fly to Phoenix and then have a 6 day road trip within the state exploring the various parks and sights the state has to offer.

I decided about three weeks before my birthday that I would take the trip, so I dived right into planning once I had made up my mind. It was an exciting and extensive task to take on, but I was invigorated by the challenge!

I felt every emotion possible leading up to the trip, even questioned doing it at all. Especially given we were in the middle of a COVID surge.

I planned everything meticulously, even down to what gas stations were on route to my various destinations. I had a 7 page itenerary!

And not to be cliche but in the end it all came together perfectly. Everything worked out as it should have. I could write forever about the experience but some of my main takeaways are below.

Key Takeaways

1. Arizona has to have one of the most diverse climates in America. The highest temperature I experienced within the week was 70 degrees, the lowest was 25.

2. The beauty is truly in the journey. I had a 7 page itinerary and the majority of my WOW moments were in the “in between” stops to my final destinations.

3. I can literally do anything and I will when I set my mind to it. I am always covered.

I came back from my trip on such a high. I had accomplished something for myself, by myself for the first time and the confidence boost it gave me was unmatched. It felt like I had opened up Pandora’s box of possibilities of things I could do, places I could go and experiences I could have.

I made a decision when I came back from that trip that I was done playing small. I had been reminded that there was so much world for me to see and I needed to figure out how I could see more of it.

7 months later, I left my job, my apartment and everything i knew for an adventure of a lifetime. It was only the beginning…

Check out the recap video of my Arizona road trip below.