A few years ago my friend Andrew ventured to Germany to study abroad, regularly sending email updates to his family and friends back home in the US. Reading about his wild adventures and seeing his postcard perfect pictures, I began to notice one day the he was not in a single photo. I began to suspect a hoax. He wasn’t in Germany in fact, I began to think, he was simply hiding in a cold stale dorm room back in the States creatively writing about a trip that he wasn’t even really taking.

Well, turns out he was in Germany (sorry for that let down, that would have been some trick, eh?). A few years later, I set out on a summer road trip of my own to explore the western United States. With all my possessions in my trunk and the wind at my back, I planned to drive from Iowa to Hollywood and back. Since I was on my own, I realized there was a potential for a similar situation to that of my friend visiting Germany: I would do many exciting things and see famous landmarks, but, without anyone there to take a photo, there was no proof I was ever really there.

Since I had no friends of my own, I decided to buy one. I pulled off the road near Council Bluffs, Iowa and stopped at a roadside flea market. There I purchased a stuff cow (side note: I have a long sordid history with cows that I will not bore you with). Total cost: 10 cents (US). It was the cheapest friend I’ve ever made.

I then took the cow with me on my 4,000 mile (6400 km) drive and instead of having the cow take photos of me, I photographed the cow in the places I’d been. Proof, that if the cow was there, then I was probably there too. Months later—and 6 fuel injectors, a rear window, and gallons and gallons of gas—I completed my adventure successfully.

Six months ago, I set out on a trip to see the world, the goal: circumnavigate the globe, meet new people, see new places and have new experiences. Though I’ve declared this trip an “independent” round-the-world trip, I am not truly alone, cause the little cow is coming with me….whether he likes it or not.

See more cow photos in The Cow’s Photo Galleries.

Keep an eye out for more cow photos as my companion and I venture around the world together.