Roadtrip Reflections

Hours total driving: approximately 90.
Days on the road: 35

Grand total for 35 days of travel: $1550. We spent less money traveling for 35 days than we spent monthly living in Austin. We SAVED money by traveling! It doesn't work that way for everyone, I am sure, but it worked out that way for us.

Our most asked question: "Are you sick of each other yet?" The answer is no. There were times of bliss and times of "I need time away from you". There was never hesitation when answering this question, though. It was an overall fun experience and there's no one else I'd rather do this trip with.

The second most asked question (by those not in the couchsurfing community): "Aren't you scared to stay with strangers?" The answer is no. I'll speak for myself when I say I am am little nervous when we first meet our host, but I am nervous 100% of the time when first meeting people in general. So far, we have experienced nothing but friendly, welcoming, hospitable, and generous people through couchsurfing. Are we going to be lifelong friends with every host? Nope. But they have all been pleasant experiences. When I explain couchsurfing to people, I say that it's a vulnerable and humbling experience on both ends. As a host, you are opening up your home, your personal place of comfort, to strangers. As a surfer, you are temporarily living with a stranger. That balance, both ends of vulnerability and humbleness, really creates a unique environment that can only be experienced, not explained. I would recommend anyone to try couchsurfing before assuming it would be scary or assuming we are crazy for doing it. But please, read the description and reviews before staying with just anyone.

Final reflection: Americans are generally kinder than we give each other credit for. We have stayed with total strangers who offered us more hospitality than some people we have known for years. We had deeper conversations with strangers we met along they way than with people we would see every day- at work or in our apartment building, for example. We had to rely not only on each other, but also on strangers, because we didn't know anyone in most of the cities we visited. That seems scary and crazy and dangerous, but it has been the complete opposite.

Favorite state: Arizona.With Sedona, the Grand Canyon, and the saguaro cactus, this state topped the list as our absolute favorite!


A short synopsis of each city we visited:

El Paso- The Hottest Weather.

• This was our first stop and we enjoyed our host and the people we met there so much! However, it was definitely the hottest weather we hit during the entire trip. They also had delicious Mexican food (duh).

Las Cruces- The Windy City

• This is where our tent pole broke due to the wind and dust storm, so naturally we voted it the "most windy". We hear that it isn't always that bad, though- we just happened to be there during the windy season. The scenery was stunning, though!

Alamogordo- The Strangest City

•  We accidentally stopped in this city after the tent fiasco and we needed a last minute place to stay. Since nuclear testings happen here, it was definitely a weird place. It just generally felt weird.

Albuquerque- The Most 'Pueblo Deco'

•  Derik, the architecture guy, voted this city based on its architecture (of course). There were a lot of Native American aspects to the city and the building designs. It seems like they try to maintain some of that tradition.

Flagstaff- The Cutest Downtown

• All the things one could want in a downtown- local restaurants, several breweries, thrift shops, coffee shops, a library, a park, and even a pay phone. Complete with an amazing view of the snowy mountain in the background, this city felt like everything you would want in a ski town.

Sedona- The Most Beautiful

• It's nicknamed the healing city, and that is so fitting! The entire drive was stunning, and there are enough hiking trails to fill an entire year, I am sure.

Tucson- The Best Cactus

•  It was love at first sight when I saw my first field of saguaro cactus. They grow along the side of the interstate, so there were literally hundreds of cactus on either side of us as we drove! The Saguaro National Park was also incredible!

San Diego- The Most Resort-like

•  San Diego just felt like a vacation spot. The beach in Coronado was beautiful and the weather was perfect for laying in the sand. We went to a charming winery here, as well, which just added to the "vacation" feel.

Long Beach/LA- The Party City

•  There is absolute truth to the song lyric "California knows how to party". We went to some awesome clubs and bars while here and even accidentally found a speakeasy.

Joshua Tree- The Most Unique

•  Nothing compares to Joshua Tree National Park. It was truly a unique place that made for awesome photos.

Las Vegas- The Best People Watching

•  Every costume, character, celebrity impersonator- you name it, you will see it at some point.

Grand Canyon- The Most Impressive

•  The Grand Canyon is absolutely breathtaking and overall so peaceful. We could have spent so much more time there. It was also such a clean and modern park site. There was even a grocery store in the park!

Moab- The Most Rugged

•  A Jeep off-roading event was taking place while we were there, so we saw a lot of Jeeps and ATVs. Our drive through Utah was mostly miles and miles of nothing (though I am sure there are cool cities in other parts of the state). There were pretty mountain and rock ranges to see, but good luck if you need a gas station/restroom/meal.

Denver- The Most Unique Themed Brewery

•  The drive to Denver was beautiful- lots of trees, mountains, rivers/creeks, and even snow (we actually spotted a few skiers!). We also saw some buffalo! Denver itself had the coolest brewery we have ever been to. Themed around a typical grandma's house, the brewery was complete with rocking chairs, plenty of crocheted blankets/coasters, puzzles, games, coloring books, couches from the 1960s, box TVs with antennas and VHS players, and knick knacks galore.

Lincoln- The Best Tasting Beer

•  We honestly didn't expect much from Nebraska as a whole and just planned to sleep there. Downtown Lincoln was such a charming area, though, and the best tasting beer we have had yet was at Boiler Brewery.

Indianapolis- The Most Forgetful

• Sorry to any Indys out there, but there was nothing special about our visit to Indianapolis. Our host was so nice but as far as the city goes, nothing really stuck out to us.

Columbus- The Best Bookstore

• The Book Attic had 32 (!!!) rooms full of every book you could imagine. One could easily spend hours just looking through each room.

After a week of rest, we are ready for the next part of the radventure. Europe, here we come!