The United States is known around the world for its vastness and its diversity. It was one of the last places on earth that is now fully inhabited to be explored. At an area of 3,119,884 square miles in the continental US, there is a lot to be explored. There is beauty in every place in this country and an opportunity for reflection on every highway. I have been lucky enough to travel more than the average American, but most of that travel has occurred by plane. The plane has done so much to improve our opportunities to travel but it doesn’t allow for the same amount of exploration and discovery that can be found on a road trip.

I had the opportunity to go on a road trip in the summer of 2016 and it was an amazing experience.

It is difficult to put into words the amount of variation the United States has. Among the many paths through the country, as a part of my trip, I chose to travel from the mid-Atlantic south towards Nashville and then, from there, westward through the enormous ranches in the heart of Texas and then further north through the endless horizons of the southwest until finally coming to the west coast. There is no single path that is better than any other; it all comes down to the preference of the traveler.

As someone who has spent the majority of his life in a small town, but in a densely populated part of the country, getting the chance to simply be far from anything and everything was a welcome change. It gives you the opportunity to reflect on what is most important and get away from the mundanity of everyday life. As opposed to a planned vacation or a week at the beach, a road trip allows for variety and spontaneity that just isn’t possible with a trip that is meticulously planned out.

Whether you go alone or with other people, you get to know the people that you are traveling with. Those who travel alone have a great deal of time for introspection and can use that time to get a better understanding of a lot of what is happening in their lives. Those who travel in groups also have time for introspection, but the beauty of the road trip is that it allows for many hours of uninterrupted interpersonal communication. Whether or not you find it enticing to be stuck in a car with someone else for many days, if one thing is for sure it’s that by the end of it you will certainly know that person better.

Most people spend their lives doing their best to stay in their comfort zone. It’s human nature to stick to what we know. Despite this, the opportunity to diversify one’s mindset and broaden horizons lies in simply driving across a country and losing oneself in the beauty of the United States. Learning about how different people from the same country live their lives is an eye-opening experience that every US citizen should take part in.