Why Everyone Should Road Trip With Their BFF

Ever since I met Avalon in the fifth grade, we talked about all of the adventures that we would go on one day. I never could have imagined back then how incredible our adventures would really be.  

Here’s Avalon and I in our 8th grade cheer uniforms. She stuck with me through the incredibly awkward years.

I was sad when I realized I would be attending college in Ohio, while my best friend would be all the way in Las Vegas, Nevada. We knew we needed to do something special the summer before we left, but when our parents told us that we could drive from our home in Nashville, Tennessee to her grandma’s house in San Jose, California by ourselves so that Avalon’s car could easily be driven to Las Vegas in August, we could not have been more excited.  We planned for months, but when it was time to load up the car that morning in July, I couldn’t believe that we were actually about to set out on this amazing adventure. I was excited, nervous, and didn’t know what to expect or what the next week would hold. 

Here’s an awkward picture my mom took of us right before we left.

Spending eight days in a car with someone allows you to see her in a way that you never had before. I have known Avalon for about eight years, but I still learned so many new things about her in those eight days. I noticed little, subtle habits she has and learned almost everything about her. When you spend that long in a car, you talk about anything and everything to pass the time; and after this summer I feel more connected to Avalon that ever before. She now knows more about me than anyone. 

I am one of the most awkward people on the planet, so if I was in the car with anyone other than my best friend, I can guarantee there would have been many awkward silences. But, we never ran out of things to talk about. We reflected on embarrassing middle school memories, talked about things we would miss about home in college, and got excited about how we would live the rest of our lives as best friends with children who are also best friends. Avalon even tried to think of every possible way we could marry into each other’s families, so that we could actually be related. When we got tired of talking, we jammed out to the playlists that we made, which were perfect because we both have the same exact taste in music. Long hours in the car did not seem so long because we kept ourselves entertained. 

Avalon and I were basically an old married couple throughout our trip. Because we were spending every second of every day together, we were bound to get on each other’s nerves.  However, because I was taking on this adventure with my best friend, we couldn’t stay mad at each other for more than two minutes. Going on a road trip with someone who you already know you can not only handle but enjoy spending very long periods of time with is very important. Despite this, we were not afraid to call each other out if we were being ridiculous about something. We already trusted one another before this trip, but throughout our journey we formed a special kind of trust that I will always be grateful for.   

There is just something so special about a road trip. We got to see so much of America’s beauty in such a short amount of time, from the mountains of Tennessee and the planes of Texas, to the canyons of Arizona and deserts of New Mexico. I gained a whole new appreciation for our country’s beauty from this trip.  However, there is nothing like experiencing that beauty with someone who means so much to you. Road trips are incredible experiences, and in my opinion, everyone should add taking a road trip to their bucket list. 

We titled our trip “Lauren and Avalon’s Great American Adventure,” but to say it was an adventure is an understatement. We got lost on a sketchy part of Route 66 at night when we were almost out of gas, almost got stuck on a dirt road in the rain, set up our ENOs on the rim of the Grand Canyon, and jumped off of a cliff into the Blue Hole of Santa Rosa. We spray painted old cars at Cadillac Ranch, belted out “Beverly Hills” by Weezer while driving through Beverly Hills, had an ostrich stick its head in our car, and drove on the beach. None of this would have been nearly as amazing without Avalon by my side. Even though Avalon and I are now 1,940 miles apart, the memories of our amazing summer together will always keep us bonded. Whenever I am sad or homesick, I look at pictures and watch videos of our adventure, and remember how incredibly joyful I was in those moments.  Whenever someone asks me what the coolest thing I have ever done is, I answer, without hesitation, driving across the country with my best friend. I will never forget the summer of 2015, and I cannot wait until Avalon and I go on our next adventure.

I hope our story inspired you to grab your best friend and hit the open road.  I promise, it will be one of the greatest experiences of your life. Avalon and I vlogged our entire road trip, so if you are interested, here is day one!

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