"As you travel solo, being totally responsible for yourself, it's inevitable that you will discover just how capable you are."
Starting bright and early Thursday morning, I'll be flying (solo) to Salt Lake City, with a short layover in my favorite state's capital, Denver, to fill the next ten days with pure exploring of Utah, a state filled with tall peaks and endless desert. I've never been to the 45th state before so I plan to make it the upmost best of a journey. Utah is known for its incredible national parks and other beyond-words landscapes and natural attractions. I've got a vagabond spirit in me so I'll be living out of a tent at campgrounds, backpacking for multiple nights and if need be- sleep in the back of the rental car if conditions don't allow for setting up a tent.
I'm flying (MKE -> DEN ->SLC) on what I'm convinced is the best airline in the country, Southwest, who had ~$400 round-trip flights with two free checked bags (a rarity in airline travel). To bring total costs down even more, I was able to use a ~$200 rewards credit through Barclay's awesome Arrival credit card, which after 3 months and a $1,000 spending, I earned more than 20,000 miles. I'd recommend getting this crazy-good mileage earning credit card with no annual fee for any travelers out there. The renting of a car came from Advantage, who gave me a brand new, Mitsubishi Outlander GT with four-wheel-drive for a steal at just shy of $280 for ten days. Check your travel credit card company's insurance coverage for rental cars, as it'll save you hundreds of dollars at the rental company's counter when you decline their insurance, trust me on this.
Just a few destinations on my itinerary include:
1. Arches National Park
2. Canyonlands National Park
3. Monument Valley
4. Bryce Canyon National Park
5. Zion National Park
6. Capital Reef National Park
7. Calf Creek Falls
8. Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
9. Natural Bridges National Monument
And this is just the beginning of something grand.
