The following post is a sneak peek into Bing’s upcoming book, Finding Freedom: The Girl’s Guide to the Open Road. Scheduled for release later this year!
Under a fiery mid-July sunset in 2019, I turned east and north out of the forests of West Virginia, driving the final leg of a 3-week road trip that covered 13 states and 5,000 miles. In the back seat, Lexi my golden retriever slept hard, no doubt dreaming of her western adventures.
I was the best kind of exhausted and ready to lay my head in my own bed. That evening I broke my self-imposed no-highway rule and hopped on I-64 and then I-81 in an effort get home before midnight. At the time it felt a little like cheating, but I have come to appreciate that this is the best way for me to end an extended time away.
Highways are sterile, often faceless, and lack personality, especially at night. Truly the opposite of my purpose when I travel. But at the end of a long adventure, they provide the perfect backdrop for reflection. For hours, with nothing much to see, and nothing to do but drive into the darkness with only the illumination of headlights, I revisited the fullness of life lived on the road. A time to debrief. An opportunity to let it all settle and contemplate the experience before plunging back into the speed of “normal” life.
I reflected on my travels, considering all the planning and excitement leading up to the trip (Unpacking the Joy in the Journey). I reveled in the memories of every day on the road; the specifics of each one etched permanently in my mind. Even now, I can recount the details with easy memory.
The Girls’ Guide – Inspired by You!
I had been writing about my road tripping for a while, and I enjoyed sharing my stories from the road. But far better than the writing itself were the responses of those who connected in some way with my travels. As the miles fell away behind me, I considered how over the course of the previous two years, their voices surprised me and inspired me. Some I met on the road, others commented on my blog or social media; many were friends. But a consistent theme ran through it all. A connection, a desire to hop in the car and claim their own slice of freedom, but . . . fear. I could hear it in so many. And fear comes in innumerable shades and colors. I’ve had my share.
That unlikely combination of desire and fear often sounded like this:
“Aren’t you afraid?”
“How do you plan these trips – I would be so overwhelmed!”
“I wish I could do that.”
“I need to do something like that, but I don’t know how.”
“I’m not brave enough, strong enough, confident enough, (fill-in-the-blank-enough)”
“I’ve never been away on my own, etc.”
“I’d just be too afraid to try.”
Wherever I turned, these sentiments surfaced. My favorite one, and probably the one I heard the most often, was “Save me a seat next time – I’d love to come with you!”.
And there was passion in those voices. Sometimes longing. Even sadness. They recognized something they wanted, needed, but hadn’t given it a name before. I knew I wanted to help fill that need, because my wanderings had transformed me in the most unexpected way. I discovered wonder. Now it’s my turn. I wanted to offer guidance and encouragement for women who feel too overwhelmed to strike out on their own but know they need to stretch themselves – to overcome their own unique brand of fear and turn their own wanderings into wonder.
Going Forward – Finding Freedom
Yes, I thought. I can help! I can provide direction for a way forward for women who desperately need a break, who crave a bit of adventure, who need to stop the madness of the daily hamster wheel and catch a bit of magic. To s-l-o-w down and really see the world around them again. And maybe even more, to provide a path ahead for those who just need to prove they can face their fears and self-doubt and just do it. Striking down fear is often arming yourself with knowledge. We’ve all heard it before: “Scientia potential est” – “Knowledge is power”. And these voices – they wanted, needed, both.
I think this is why the idea of the open road appeals to so many. It beckons us, even woos us because it promises adventure – sights before unseen, a bit of mystery, and the freedom to get “lost” in places your feet have never touched earth. You can be anonymous. You can slow down and breathe. You can let the road just take you. I know all this to be true, for it was on the road that I found freedom for myself. I found wonder.
As women (and especially moms), so much of our lives are spent planning and creating, researching and figuring things out – usually for other people! It is fulfilling in so many ways. It defined me in so many ways. Finding Freedom – A Girl’s Guide to the Open Road, offers a much-needed break from all that. Most of the thinking has been done for you, so you can get straight to discovering wonder and freedom (and finding you again!) on your road trip.
Practical Help for Finding Freedom
The guide walks you through navigation and budgeting, safety and packing, even how to travel with your dog if that’s your thing (it’s definitely mine!). I’ll help you develop a schedule that works for you, as we consider food options, where to stay, driving time, and even working from the road if that’s something you’ll need to do.
The goal is to get you past the wishing stage – to help you take action and arm you with the tools you need for success. Once you fill the tank, pack the car and head out on your way, the rest of the story will be uniquely yours. It’ll undoubtedly surprise you.
To keep things real, The Girls’ Guide to the Open Road will share some of my own stories on my road to finding freedom. Truth be told, I would have been at a loss to tell you why I needed to take my first solo road trip. It wasn’t a quest, or a crusade of any kind. I wasn’t looking for wild crazy new things. I just had this absolutely undeniable need to GO. And I wasn’t running away. I was running to. I just didn’t know it.
In hindsight it’s all so obvious – somehow I knew what both my body and my mind needed, and the road was the means to that end. I slowed down, took my time, opened my eyes and my ears. I shut my mouth and turned off the sound, and discovered peace, rest, deep breaths, contentment – I found me. At first in small doses, and then in waves. I slowed the pace, soaked in every little thing, and just drove. And it changed everything.
Future Finding Freedom News
I’d love to help you find your own freedom on the road! It’ll be a few months before the full book is available, but I hope this fuels you a bit for now.
To make sure you get all the upcoming news about Finding Freedom: A Girls’ Guide to the Open Road – join The Wander-Bings, a Facebook group for anyone looking to find and share the wonder in their travels.
Travel on!
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