Having been away from Yow Yow! for several days, I almost contemplated not even coming back for a bit. I can’t tell you how nice it feels to truly “take a vacation.” If you’re a blogger, I’m sure you understand what it feels like when you feel consumed by it. Over spring break (my last spring ever,) I decided in a very last minute decision to take a road trip with my friends Riley and Jeanette to visit our dear friend Samantha in San Francisco.

This was a trip of milestones:

• First road trip
• First college spring break
• First trip with friends
• First time visiting a friend in another state

None of us had ever been on a road trip before, so we were a bit nervous and decided to do a lot of planning. From deciding on whether we should get a tonneau cover form the likes of https://www.peragon.com/shop/covers/Honda/Ridgeline for our Honda Ridgeline (which was supposed to be our companion for the road trip) to determining what kind of snacks and gear we should bring with us, we were all overwhelmed by the pre-planning process. There were so many things to consider and we seemed to be totally confused. Actually, we seemed to be overwhelmed by the suggestions provided by our near and dear ones regarding the things to consider while preparing for a road trip. While some advised us to get the contact number of accident lawyers found at Rees Law Firm (which is known to provide the services of the best car accident attorney near Jonesboro and similar areas), others suggested we get our cars checked for any damages. Yet others suggested that we go for first aid kit shopping (and opt for first aid training on the Internet) so that we could be prepared to handle emergencies.

However, amidst all this chaos, I ensured that I found a good nationwide auto insurance review to make sure we were fully covered. Anyway, Riley planned the route, and Jeanette found places we could stop along the way. It was a pretty big deal and I won’t lie to you and say that I wasn’t nervous about it before going on the trip, but I did it and it happened and I feel so much better for just going through with it. I am lucky to have such wonderful friends and to be in their company for my 22nd birthday. We are already planning a road trip to Australia and I’ve found a great car detailing Sydney company that will be able to clean our car mid-vacation. No one tells you how dirty the car interior gets when you spend all day, everyday, travelling! We had such a great time but we definitely need to be more prepared for Australia.

Initially, I went into this trip thinking that I would want to have a birthday project like I did two years ago. On the car ride up, the three of us brainstormed and settled on an idea that would lead us to conversing with strangers and locals about their experiences in San Francisco. How did they get there? Why do they stay? What did San Francisco do for them? We had the Flipcam and planned on documenting every one that we met along the way, but when it came down to it, the project never got done. In fact, it never got started. It’s not because we can’t commit, but it’s because we initially believed that we had wanted to understand other people when really what we wanted was to understand ourselves in a different setting. I can’t speak for the rest of my friends, but this is what I was feeling.

On the way back, Riley and I were reflecting on the trip and he asked me: “You went on this trip and you had a lot of fun. Do you see now that there was nothing to be afraid of? What were you afraid of to start with?”

And my answer to that question was just the unknown. I’d never had an experience like this one before, but in the company of my friends and having a place to stay and having that security, I think deep down I always knew I’d be okay. There’s always going to be that sense of risk, but I think I learned through this experience that there’s a difference between taking a risk and having a great experience because you know that all other factors are going to be safe and just be being plain reckless. These two things aren’t the same.

On a not-so-serious note, I’m 22! I achieved all of the milestones above and I spent three days in a beautiful city.

from top to bottom: Jeanette, Riley, and Samantha