Sometimes the most direct way isn’t always the best. This can be said for road trips, writing, and life. By changing one thing, taking one detour, or making one decision over another can greatly impact the outcome. And most of the time for the better.

On our Texas family vacation last summer, we traveled from Austin to San Antonio. Taking the highway would have gotten us to our destination sooner but straying off the beaten path led us to sample some of the best BBQ in Texas. We also got to experience the small-town atmosphere we would have never seen had we not been pulled by the allure of trying a Texas staple.