My Sister and I Took a 3-Week Road Trip When I Was 15 and It Shaped Who I Am Today

I didn’t travel as a kid very much. While most of my friends had passports before they could talk, I was almost out of elementary school by the time we took a trip out of Texas. Understandably, such a sheltered childhood led to a lot of pent-up wanderlust, and I was ready to see the world when high school rolled around — so, the summer before my senior year, that’s exactly what I did! (Okay, that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but with so little travel under my belt it may as well have been an overseas trip.)

At just 15 years old and with only a learner’s permit, my then 22-year-old sister and I set off on a three-week road trip from our home in Southeast Texas to Southern California. The trip changed my life in so many crucial ways — I learned independence and self-sufficiency, made so many amazing connections, and expanded my narrow worldview that resulted from spending almost my entire life doing the same things, with the same people, in the same city, every single day. This trip marked the beginning of my travel diaries, but it definitely wasn't the end.

It was a balmy, late June morning in southeast Texas as my sister and I loaded up her Honda Civic (in hindsight, not the best vehicle for an extended road trip) and set off on the first leg of our journey. Neither of us had slept the night before, but we weren’t tired at all; the enormity of what we were about to do created an energy so electric it was almost tangible. We drove and drove for hours, but our excitement never wavered, reaching the first of many peaks once we passed San Antonio because that was the furthest west we had ever been. I’ll never forget how dark those West Texas roads get at night — it felt as if we were the last two people on earth sometimes.

We spent the night in Fort Stockton and continued into New Mexico the following day. Seeing the mountains for the first time is another core memory of mine. I had never seen mountains before in my life, and (when I wasn't driving, of course), you better believe my face was pressed up against the windshield gawking at them like a little kid. We visited Carlsbad Caverns (after having to wait an hour for it to open because we forgot about the time change), rode the tram up to the top of the Sandia Mountains, and explored the charming shops in Albuquerque's Old Town Plaza. I have to say that I completely understand why New Mexico is called the Land of Enchantment. The magical, almost mystical energy enveloped me as soon as we entered the state, and I honestly thought about moving there a few times.

As much as I loved New Mexico, nothing could've prepared me for how much I fell in love with Arizona. From the red rocks and energy vortices of Sedona to the evergreen forests of Flagstaff and Payson to the remote natural beauty of Grand Falls and the Meteor Crater Natural Landmark, the Grand Canyon State has a hold on my heart that I don't think it will ever release.

Our final destination was Southern California, specifically the L.A. area. We have family there who chauffeured us around to do all the touristy things (Rodeo Drive, Hollywood Boulevard, all the major beaches), and we soaked up every minute of it. Disneyland was another bucket list experience that we approached with the wide-eyed wonder of toddlers. As soon as the gates opened in the morning, we ran inside and proceeded to ride everything in the park before sunset (Space Mountain was our favorite, by the way — we rode it three times!).

Ironically, my favorite thing about the trip was that it didn't run smoothly at all times. We had quite a few hiccups, from minor inconveniences like car troubles and horror-film-adjacent campground bathrooms to major problems like getting hopelessly lost while hiking in the Arizona desert with no food, water, or cell phone service (we found the parking lot before things really started going south, but not before lots of tears and several screaming matches).

The trip was full of life lessons that only come from experience, and I'm grateful I got to learn them at such a young age. Money management, personal safety, basic car maintenance, and even wilderness survival skills are all things I had to master during those three weeks, making me more well-rounded and mature than I could've hoped for at 15.

We also made incredible connections that I'll cherish for the rest of my life. Between chatting with shopkeepers in Albuquerque to having a touching conversation with a woman suffering from alcoholism who was living on Venice Beach, meeting people from all walks of life allowed me to open both my mind and heart, let go of any judgments or preconceived notions I may have been harboring, and step into a more evolved version of myself. The fact that I got more driving experience than probably any other 15-year-old on earth was a plus. Can you imagine a teenager navigating L.A. traffic? I can safely say I wasn't afraid to drive anywhere after that.

Did you travel as a kid? If so, what lessons did you learn that have stuck with you to this day? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments. If you have any epic road trips planned, check out our official Road Trip Packing List to save you the trouble of deciding what to bring, so you can just focus on adding memories to your travel diaries.