Miles of Memories: On College Road Trips and How They Help Define Us

Since coming to college, I have become well-traveled across North America. Not because I am an out-of-state student who travels back and forth from home every break, but because I have made friends from all over the country who want me to visit. Over the past year and a half, I have made my way to states I’ve never been before: New York, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and California. Road-tripping around the PNW, up and down the coast, over the mountains, and even across the Canadian border to British Columbia. 

I think being young and broke is the best time to take a road trip. While that may only be because it is my perspective right now, this advice still stands. The memories that are carved out on the road are some of my favorite ones. I’ve flown across the country, taken the train across state borders, and driven through the middle of nowhere. The best thing about it was that I got to do it with my closest friends, and in turn, it made our relationships even stronger. 

Before this school year started, a group of my friends and I drove from Seattle to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, in one day. This was the longest road trip I have ever been on, and the most miles I’ve driven in a single day. 869 miles (give or take some detours) turned out to be a 19-hour journey. But when we woke up the next morning to a sunrise over the Grand Tetons, it was all worth it. We continued down to Colorado to meet up with some other college friends, making a weekend exploring our friends’ hometowns. We finished our trip out in Utah under the hot sun, exploring parts of Moab and Arches National Park. This journey was one of the highlights of my summer, and I am so fond of the memories I made.

I’ve taken advantage of every long weekend and university holiday to travel. Last winter break, I spent three days in NYC with three of my friends on a no-sleep bender to maximize our time exploring the city. I was the most tired I had ever been, but in turn, I have some amazing memories from those sleep-deprived days, all before taking an Amtrak train to Philadelphia to spend two more days exploring that historic city. We even vlogged these trips so we could keep those memories and share them with others. 

Being on any trip helps define who you are, your relationships with the people you travel with, and your sense of being human and curious about new places. You learn so much about the world and how you choose to interact with it. It’s so important to explore, adventure, and have fun. Like the one and only well-traveled Anthony Bourdain once said, 

“If you’re twenty-two, physically fit, hungry to learn and be better, I urge you to travel – as far and as widely as possible. Sleep on floors if you have to. Find out how other people live and eat. Learn from them – wherever you go.” 

Anthony Bourdain

Get out there while you can, before life pins you down post-grad. Your college years are meant for exploration. I hope you take my advice and plan a trip with your friends for spring break or the next long weekend; it doesn’t always have to be the cliché Cancun trip; it can be anywhere. Wherever the road may take you, just know the memories you make will last a lifetime and influence how you see the world, how others see you, and how you see yourself (in the most positive way). 

• Discovery
• friends
• road trips
• travel