<p class="ingestion featured-caption">I've always wanted to take a solo road trip, and I made it happen this summer. Eibhlis Gale-Coleman</p><ul class="summary-list"><li>I'm from the UK, and I took a <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/took-teenagers-on-roadtrip-everyone-enjoyed-it-2024-10">10-day road trip</a> across Utah and Arizona to explore and hike.</li><li>Driving on the other side of the road was easier than expected, but the tunnels in Zion were scary.</li></ul><p>This summer, I <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/british-woman-moved-us-shares-what-surprised-her-2024-7">traveled from the UK</a> to spend 10 days road-tripping around Utah and Arizona.</p><p><a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/driving-in-iceland-surprising-things-outside-us-2023-7">Driving abroad</a> always gets my nerves going, so renting a car alone in the US was a big step for me.</p><p>The states are renowned for their <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-fall-hikes-in-the-us-2018-10">beautiful hiking trails</a> and stunning scenery, so it's no surprise that they're also home to some of the <a target="_blank" class href="https://irma.nps.gov/Stats/SSRSReports/National%20Reports/Annual%20Park%20Ranking%20Report%20(1979%20-%20Last%20Calendar%20Year)">most popular national parks</a> in the country. I visited four of Utah's "Mighty Five" before detouring south to see the Grand Canyon and Monument Valley.</p><p>The experience was incredibly liberating, but there are some things I wish I'd known beforehand, especially since this was my first time driving in the US and embarking on a <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-solo-travel-safety-tips-from-frequent-female-traveler-2023-11">solo road trip</a>.</p><p>After days of trial and error, here's what I figured out.</p>