6 Takeaways from Traveling Across the Country with My Best Friends | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Education

6 Takeaways from Traveling Across the Country with My Best Friends

The destination is just the beginning.

40
6 Takeaways from Traveling Across the Country with My Best Friends
Photo Captured and Owned by Hailie Hensley

In This Article:

Two days after my high school graduation, six of my best friends and I packed up and headed out west. It was the senior trip we had all been planning for months. Within the span of ten days, we would travel through fifteen states. What I learned from this trip will stick with me forever.

There is life outside of your hometown.

When you get stuck in a routine and get used to your surroundings, it can be hard to think about the things that are going on outside of your hometown. Traveling so far in such a short amount of time made me realize that there is so much more happening than the stuff that affects me everyday.

Your appreciation for other people and environments will grow tremendously.

This kind of goes along with no.1. Being able to witness first hand the difference in interactions between locals as well as the difference in geographical features will make you appreciate the vastness of the world so much more.

Your patience and compromising skills will be tested.

Cramming seven people and all of their luggage into an eight person car and driving for 8-10 hours every other day is enough to make anyone grouchy. Someone says they're hungry, but no one can decide where to eat. Someone has to pee like right this minute (that was usually me), but there are no bathrooms for four miles so the driver tries to hurry and then gets pulled over in New Mexico. Not fun.

There is nothing better than doing/seeing new things with the people you love most.

Arriving at our destinations was so rewarding. Sharing that overwhelming moment of awe with my best friends when we saw or tried something we had never experienced before warmed my heart every time.

You understand why your best friends are your best friends.

Planning and going on our trip was so fun because all of us shared similar interests. Seldom was an activity suggested that couldn't be agreed upon by the whole group.

Leaving beautiful places isn't so bad when you know your friends are what made it fun.

While none of us wanted to leave the beautiful canyons, deserts, and mountains that the Midwest offered, going home wasn't so bad knowing that you would still have your friends once you got there.



Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Entertainment

Every Girl Needs To Listen To 'She Used To Be Mine' By Sara Bareilles

These powerful lyrics remind us how much good is inside each of us and that sometimes we are too blinded by our imperfections to see the other side of the coin, to see all of that good.

566306
Every Girl Needs To Listen To 'She Used To Be Mine' By Sara Bareilles

The song was sent to me late in the middle of the night. I was still awake enough to plug in my headphones and listen to it immediately. I always did this when my best friend sent me songs, never wasting a moment. She had sent a message with this one too, telling me it reminded her so much of both of us and what we have each been through in the past couple of months.

Keep Reading...Show less
Zodiac wheel with signs and symbols surrounding a central sun against a starry sky.

What's your sign? It's one of the first questions some of us are asked when approached by someone in a bar, at a party or even when having lunch with some of our friends. Astrology, for centuries, has been one of the largest phenomenons out there. There's a reason why many magazines and newspapers have a horoscope page, and there's also a reason why almost every bookstore or library has a section dedicated completely to astrology. Many of us could just be curious about why some of us act differently than others and whom we will get along with best, and others may just want to see if their sign does, in fact, match their personality.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

20 Song Lyrics To Put A Spring Into Your Instagram Captions

"On an island in the sun, We'll be playing and having fun"

453200
Person in front of neon musical instruments; glowing red and white lights.
Photo by Spencer Imbrock on Unsplash

Whenever I post a picture to Instagram, it takes me so long to come up with a caption. I want to be funny, clever, cute and direct all at the same time. It can be frustrating! So I just look for some online. I really like to find a song lyric that goes with my picture, I just feel like it gives the picture a certain vibe.

Here's a list of song lyrics that can go with any picture you want to post!

Keep Reading...Show less
Chalk drawing of scales weighing "good" and "bad" on a blackboard.
WP content

Being a good person does not depend on your religion or status in life, your race or skin color, political views or culture. It depends on how good you treat others.

We are all born to do something great. Whether that be to grow up and become a doctor and save the lives of thousands of people, run a marathon, win the Noble Peace Prize, or be the greatest mother or father for your own future children one day. Regardless, we are all born with a purpose. But in between birth and death lies a path that life paves for us; a path that we must fill with something that gives our lives meaning.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments