On June 17, 2021, Petito and Laundrie were in Blue Point, New York, for Petito's brother's graduation ceremony. From there, on July 2, 2021, they departed in the Ford Transit van for a cross-country trip. That month, they visited Monument Rocks, Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Mystic Hot Springs, and Canyonlands National Park.[1]