Planning aUS roadtrip? Before you go, ask why

Monument Valley, Arizona as seen from the road

Driving cross-country was my life’s dream.

In August 2020, I quit my job, sold my things, and drove solo across the United States, heading west from Massachusetts. I slept in my rental SUV, various campgrounds, hotels, and stayed with friends (would not recommend, more on that later) for 3 months.

Was it stupid? I thought so.

Was it reckless? It could have been, but if you saw how many masks, rubber gloves and sanitizing materials I brought with me, maybe not.

Was it scary? Often.

Did I get COVID? I never tested positive of the tests I took on the road, but I’ll never know for sure.

But this trip came from a deeply personal belief that if I died without making this journey, I would die never having lived.

And I made a LOT of mistakes.

Which is why I’m writing this guide.

If you’re reading this, you may be planning your own road-trip adventure.

I’d love to know why (really, leave a comment!) because it matters.

My decision to travel was the last domino to fall after a series of deaths, realizations about my own life, the political mess that was 2020, George Floyd’s…