When my cousin Whitney asked me to help drive her across the country for an internship, I don’t think she knew what she was getting into. I hung up the phone and called her 5 hours later with our entire itinerary, down to the perfect restaurants in each city. After regaining herself from laughter that I had already devised a plan of traveling over 3,500 miles by car, she agreed to trust me.

Our trip took us from Raleigh through barbeque in Memphis, little to nothing in Arkansas, severe winds in Oklahoma, steak in Amarillo, incredible burritos in Albuquerque, horseback riding in Colorado, hiking the Grand Canyon, penny slots in Vegas, canoeing in Tahoe, and ferries in San Francisco.

Despite being the same rip age of 22, our personalities are quite opposite. She thinks that talking to strangers in new places is absurd, beer is for alcoholics, driving should be done within the legal limits, and that I’m completely too much of a risk-taker. I on the other hand am curious about new cultures (and food!), would go sky-diving in a second, and think that she needs to live a little! This could have potentially been a deadly combination since we spent over 300 hours together, most of which were confined within a car only several feet away. However, it was anything but disastrous.

We truly made an uncanny, yet successful pair. She drove, I took pictures. Mainly because she elbowed me every time I went above the speed limit, but also because I’m a more talented photographer and needed two hands on the camera! I tested local brews and sang karaoke with strangers, while she kept us on track with time and found the best deals shopping. She picked the music, I chose the diners. She found the best gas prices; I won $100 in Vegas. By the end we were both laughing endlessly, longing for more and promised another journey like this one again. However, now I live in Luxembourg as an Au Pair and she’s a recent hire at a N.C. State Park. Having the opportunity to spend this type of experience together again would be a true blessing.

It wasn’t just the scenery and local flavors that set this trip apart. Two cousins, who live miles from each other, were left with the memories of their home land and of their newly revealed kindred spirit.