“[The car] was more than I was looking to spend, but was almost brand new, so we figured it would be a good investment for the trip and I’ll sell it after I am done to repay them.”

He’s budgeted $6,000 for gas, food and all other expenses, and he finds that couch surfing has made the trip monetarily more manageable. But the memories and experiences are priceless, Ariel says.

Right now he looks forward to being in Albuquerque, New Mexico for the hot air balloon festival in October. And he never knows what he’ll encounter next on his trip.

“From going camping this summer and roasting marshmallows with random people, to going to little league baseball games, to riding horses at a friend’s in Wyoming… all of these quintessential Americana moments.”

After he wraps up his journey, he wants to go to Hawaii to reflect on his newly learned life lessons. He then wants to travel internationally, but those plans are too far out to be set in stone. Right now he is focusing on each day as they come and making the most out of his unique journey.

"I’m really proud of how it turned out,” said Zlatkovski. “I had a dream, so I went out and worked to be able to make it come true.”

For pictures of his journey click the photo gallery on the left. You can also follow his journey on his blog, www.arielacrossamerica.com.