The Nitty-Gritty Breakdown of a 30 Day Roadtrip

Bittersweet is an over-used term, but an ever-honest feeling that I'm having since completing my roadtrip a few days ago. I am so happy to be with family and close friends, sleeping in a warm bed, but I already miss the goregous views and long stretches of music and podcast listening. What a transition. The month FLEW BY, as things like this tend to do; it actually feels kind of weird that 30 days came and went so quickly (though, I'm definitely not implying that some days weren't LONGGGG and hard, they were). I loved every minute of it, but let's just say, when all was said and done, I was happy for it to be over.

Now that it is over, I feel like it could be beneficial for some to learn the details of everything - in case you're exploring something like this for yourself (I recommend). The plans and budget that were decided before leaving, changed as we went (no surprise), so if you're interested in the nitty-gritty about money, locations, milage, and experiences, keep reading.

Originally, when we sat down and planned this out, we planned with a budget of $1500 total for the month (spoiler alert, we went over-budget). We calculated how many miles we thought we would be driving based on the route we mapped out (spoiler alert, that also changed). We allotted $600 for gas, $400 for groceries, $200 for campsite lodging, and $300 for "miscellaneous." Writing this out now, feels a little embarrassing because it was honestly naive of us, but that's why I'm sharing it with you all. We had no frame of reference or example that we were using, so it was just best guesses. The guesses were not correct.

In total, we spent $2,045.95 and the breakdown was different than anticipated. It looked like this:

Camping gear: $71.77

Gas: $523.49

Food (groceries): $386.78

Food (dining): $281.27

Campsite Fees: $166.22

AirBnB:$239.89

Miscellaneous (national park entry fees, parking, card/atm fees, dispensaries, etc.): $376.53

This means, we went $545.95 over our original budget, which truthfully, isn't horrible...but there are definitely some things we could have cut out. For starters, while planning, we never planned on getting an AirBnB, but after a couple weeks in the tent/car, and because we were approaching rainy Seattle, we indulged in a two-bedroom place for three nights/four days. We also didn't plan to eat out as much as we did (which was honestly still not that much), but a couple dinners, several coffee shops, and a couple ice cream runs adds up quicker than you realize. When going through my bank statements to do this math, I realized HOW MUCH MONEY goes to "card fees" when using a debit card somewhere or an ATM (if cash is required). There's not a great way to get around that, but I'm just pointing out that I noticed tons of little $2.95 charges for "card fees." We also didn't HAVE to go to National Parks, or Trees of Mystery, which had entrance fees, but we wanted to, and I'd say those were definitely worth it.

As far as location are concerned, we started in Austin, Texas, went to Kansas City, Missouri, then Colorado Springs, to Boulder, and Estes Park, Colorado. From there we made our way to Dubois and Jackson Hole, Wyoming, then stayed a night somewhere in an Idaho National Forest before hitting Glacier National Park, Montana. Next was Seattle, Washington, to Portland, Oregon, then Lincoln City, Oregon, to Crescent City, California. From there we just traveled along the coast, stopping at many different Redwood Forests and small beach towns before reaching San Francisco, and then Big Sur, and finally (for California) Los Angeles. The final stretch included Tempe, Arizona and staying in Scottsdale with my friend Taylor, and then finishing the loop to Austin. In total, we put about 5,000 miles on Grayson's car (which had NO problems, or need for changes of anything during the month, but is a brand new car, so if you have an older one like me, you'd want to calculate possible upgrades/repairs that would be needed to do a journey like this).

One more "nitty-gritty" note I feel is important to share is that being in the car with anyone for 30 days, is hard. Plain and simple - it's just not an easy feat to be in such close quarters with someone for so long. It's super nice to have a partner in crime for budgeting, driving turns, and exploring, but you'll want to choose wisely. If either of us were grudge-holding, or super confrontational people, things could have gotten ugly. There were days when I wanted nothing more than to be alone, or be with some other friends of mine, but both of us tried hard to be understanding and good communicators of our needs, which really helped. I personally think it's also good that we're both comfortable with silence and have practices like meditation, yoga, and journaling because we were able to turn to those things when frustration, confusion, or miscommunication arose. Mostly, we got along, I certainly hope it doesn't sound too dramatic because it honestly was good...but it feels important to bring up that if you're wanting to do this sort of thing, you'll really want to consider how much you can stand the person you plan on going with, or maybe consider going alone.

In conclusion, this trip was incredible, and challenging, in a really beautiful way. I have nothing but gratitude for my experiences along the way, I know I will take these memories with me to the grave.

Now, I'm moving back to my hometown of Kansas City now and am really looking forward to putting all my attention into this business, and connecting with people in a beautiful, helpful, spiritual way. I've learned so much from the people and places I've been close to this year, but it's time to go home and reconnect with my roots. My true people. My calling. And my calling is to listen, and teach, and learn, and guide, and prompt, and heal...and I'm no longer afraid to admit that. I have a gift, like we all do, and now, I'll be stepping fully into it. I hope you step into yours too.

~Your growth and peace are within reach~