After living in a shoebox apartment in Manhattan for several years, I developed an itch for a break from city life (and the expensive rent). So, in September of 2024, my partner and I decided to take a wild leap of faith and hit the road. Our plan was to spend the next 365 days living out of Airbnbs around the country, seeing cities and towns we hadn’t had the opportunity to explore before. With barely a second thought, I sold most of my furniture, packed my life into a Samsonite suitcase, and began creating a wishlist on Airbnb titled “The Next Adventure.” Out of all the rental platforms, Airbnb gave us the most freedom, flexibility, and creative control—encouraging us to get innovative in planning our route. Over the course of a year, we drove over 16,000 miles and visited 30 states and cities. We stayed in Gatlinburg, Tennessee; Destin, Florida; New Orleans, Louisiana; Lexington, Kentucky; Austin, Texas; Santa Fe, New Mexico; and Los Angeles, California, to name a few.
As a poet and writer, it felt fitting to have my own Kerouac-inspired On the Road experience. Yet, what I did not expect was to learn so much about the natural American landscape, domestic travel, and how much went in to picking the perfect Airbnb. More so, I did not expect this road trip to become a lifestyle that continues to inspire me, enough to encourage me to take to the road next month and do it all over again. This time, eager to be more creative and wondrous with my Airbnb selections. (Perhaps a glass dome in the mountains.)
We were challenged, excited, amazed, and inspired during our unforgettable experiences around the country. One of my favorite memories was traveling to Flagstaff during International Dark Sky Week, where I learned that Flagstaff was the world’s first recognizable dark sky city. As a city girl, I had never seen the constellations so clearly. We picked our Airbnb in Flagstaff based on the location’s local events that we had researched before our trip—showing how important it was to know an area before booking our stay. Now armed with the knowledge and experience to pick the perfect stays around the country, I’ve compiled a list of everything I’ve learned over the past year.
