Have you ever thought about trying to see all 50 states in your lifetime? How many have you made it to so far? I've always thought it would be a fun goal and a good way to learn more about the country. I've seen different maps and ways to track where you've been on Etsy, etc. - anyone have any good recommendations of a fun one?
Also - do you count times you were just in an airport/driving through? I feel like I have to at least go somewhere outside for a while for it to make the list.
Eventually this is on my bucket list, but I figure that I'll save it for when we move back to the states and we're older (like retirement age). Currently I'm like 50% of the way through the states and I'm left with a lot of the states that I'm ho hum about.
Given our situation I'm really trying to work my way through all of the countries in Europe right now. That's the big thing on my bucket list.
I only count a state/country/place if I've gotten out of the airport (or off the road) and truly experienced something. For instance, I've flown through Switzerland half a dozen times, but never actually left the airport, so that's a country I still need to "do".
I really love these Meshu pieces. My friend made a necklace from there and it's really pretty.
I have been to all 50. It became a goal of mine when I was a little kid after my family's road trips brought me to a lot of them. I have driven across the US about 10 times. I had 49 states for about 10 years, then I finally went to Hawaii (#50 for me) to celebrate finishing grad school.
Post by Wanderista on Feb 12, 2014 11:03:30 GMT -5
This is a goal of mine so I guess it is on my bucket list. I've been to a large chunk of them but still have 12-13 left. I think I'll be able to do it eventually. I'm not in a hurry and I'm happy to go back to states, but yeah, if I find myself where I can reasonably visit a new state then I do. I'll probably have to do a random trip to North Dakota at some point. I'm kind of interested to see which state will end up being the last that I will visit.
Haha, my definition of having been there will sound a bit gross, but I think I have to have been in the state long enough to need to pee. I consider visiting an airport to be a bit different than actually visiting a state or place. It sort of counts but not really. But yeah, if I'm driving through a state then at some point I need to get out of the car for it to count. A quickie airport transfer wouldn't count but I've never transferred in a US state that I haven't visited on a separate occasion. In other words, I tend to transfer in states that I already know, but that's partly because I've been in a lot of states.
I did a lot of travelling and moving around as a kid so I think I've been to between 35-38 so far.
I don't think getting to the rest of them will be on my bucket list for now because honestly I have no desire to go to the states I'm missing like Mississippi and Alabama for example. But maybe once I'm older and closer to retirement I can cross those random states off my list.
This was my mom's goal, and she finally hit it a few years ago (Alaska and Nevada were her last).
I don't really keep track of states, because I visited so many when I was really small (thanks to my mom's goal) that I couldn't really figure out which ones I should or shouldn't count.
I count countries according to whether or not I have done at least one tourist/sightseeing thing there. So if I was there on a long layover, left the airport and visited some sights in the city, I (personally) count it. But if I'm just flying through, I don't. Similarly, if I'm in a place for work and never see anything besides the office and the hotel, I would be hesitant to count it. But this happens a lot more often in the US than it does elsewhere, since it's easier to find new experiences in a new country even in a small town, compared to visiting someplace like Kellyville, OK.
For the rest of the world, I use my Travel Map on TripAdvisor, because I like that I can pin individual places. That means that St.Petersburg gets just one pin, compared to coloring in all of Russia when I've only been to one tiny piece. It also means that tiny but remote places like Cabo Verde and Seychelles are still easy to see.
@uwhuskygirl, did you combine two posts above? What's with the Meshu pieces?
Ah sorry, I should have been a little more clear.
The meshu peices are basically a map that you can create of your travels that turns into jewlery, since the OP was looking for fun maps and ways to track where you've been.
I'm in no way affiliated with meshu, I just like their stuff!
Have you ever thought about trying to see all 50 states in your lifetime? How many have you made it to so far? Yes. I have been to 38 states so far and hope to get to the remaining 12. I travel a lot for work so work has helped me to visit most of these. I try to plan for a few free days around a work trip. DH is collecting the baseball stadiums so we have planned some vacations around the stadiums he has yet to visit. That has also helped.
I've seen different maps and ways to track where you've been on Etsy, etc. - anyone have any good recommendations of a fun one? No recommendations.
Also - do you count times you were just in an airport/driving through? No. In each of these cases, I have spent at least a week in the state; sometimes significantly more time. Most of my work projects involve 3 to 4 visits to a particular site.
I just tried creating a meshu map with the places I've been, and it ended up being a big diamon/oval with a few big solid chunks around North America and Europe. But this one is kind of cool:
It's all of the stops on my way to/from Antarctica. (Work stuck a multi-site business trip on the end, and I used the money I got back from rebooking my ticket to hop over to see my BFF for a weekend.)
I've been to 37 of them and am determined to get to all 50 someday. I count it as long as you set foot on the ground outside (so not just an airport unless you set foot outside the airport). I've got Alaska, the Northwest, Carolinas and Alabama left.
I'm also determined to get to the 6 continents (taking out Antarctica) and am halfway there.
I'm not sure I aspire to all 50. I've been to about half ("been to" = have left the airport), but a lot of the ones I have left I'm just not that psyched to see.
The ones I have left are: Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming
A handful of them I actively would like to plan trips to, if time and money permitted. Colorado, Utah, and several in the PNW come to mind. But many others, eh, they're so far down the list of US and ex-US places I'd like to see that I have a hard time thinking they'll ever make it to the top of the list. My next US vacation I think will be in Hawaii, which I've already been to. I'm ok with not doing hitting everything on the list above just for the sake of a complete list.
Susie, you're so sporty I would have thought you'd be all into Maine. So many lovely towns and activities there.
You know I'm kind of surprised I haven't either. I would like to. But Maine was like 9+ hours from where I grew up, so there was always a closer place to do outdoorsy things, and since I've been an adult and live closer (not close, but closer) I just haven't made it there yet.
I think part of it is that Calvin and I have been focused on the Adirondacks, trying to become 46rs. (We're at 36 now.) Once we finish, hopefully this year, we might backpack in other places more often. Everyone tells me I would love Acadia, and I am sure they're right.
Thanks - the Meshu jewelry is an interesting idea. I think I've been to around 30 states so far and I'm not quite 30 years old, so I figure I'm doing pretty well. We plan to knock out a bunch of the random east coast states in the next year, which will help. I would love to see every country in Europe too - maybe someday if I win the lottery lol
I've been to half, with a few more to be added this year. I think it's a cool idea to see all 50 states. My husband and I do like roadtrips, so it might be attainable that way for us!
Post by dreamcrisp1 on Feb 12, 2014 21:00:50 GMT -5
I've been to 2/3 of the states and I'd like to do them all. This is even more awesome because I am Canadian so I'm not "as close" to some states as the rest of y'all.
I think I've been to 37 (gotten out of the airport). The ones I have left are mostly in the South (plus the Dakotas). I'd visit the Carolinas if the right opportunity came up, but I'm not all that sad about missing out on Arkansas.
I have been to 48/50- just missing Alaska & Hawaii.
ETA: The vast majority of these were before I finished college. Growing up, we did tons of long driving/camping trips. It is not a goal we have actively pursued in recent years- but it seems silly to stop 2 short!
Post by sillygoosegirl on Feb 14, 2014 10:18:01 GMT -5
My parents brought be so many places as a kid, I think I've probably already been to most of the lower 48. But I wasn't paying attention, so I don't know which I'm missing.
I've been to 32 states. I'd like to get to all 50, but I'm not sure it's on my bucket list. My rule is that you need to be on the ground. Airports don't count, but driving through does. I was only in Arizona for about ten minutes when we went to the Hoover Dam. We drove from Las Vegas, but purposely parked on the Arizona side.
Post by caddywompus on Feb 14, 2014 20:37:20 GMT -5
Yes- it's on my bucket list. I have actually visited about 20 already, and have just "driven thru" some others. I'm not sure if I'll make all 50 though, because I don't really have a desire to go to Hawaii. Unless someone sends me there for some reason, I can't see myself buying tickets for us to go there. BTW- Alaska was my favorite state so far!
For those that have been to all the Canadian provinces, what things do you recommend doing? I've been to Vancouver and Toronto so far.
We went up to Alberta last fall. Calgary is nice, but then we drove to Banff- beautiful. Then we drove the Icefield Parkway up to Jasper- and it was absolutely breathtaking! The mountains are so gorgeous, I just couldn't get enough of the scenery. We took about 8 hours to drive ~ 120 miles, just because there were so many beautiful places to stop and take pictures. I highly recommend it!
For those that have been to all the Canadian provinces, what things do you recommend doing? I've been to Vancouver and Toronto so far.
We went up to Alberta last fall. Calgary is nice, but then we drove to Banff- beautiful. Then we drove the Icefield Parkway up to Jasper- and it was absolutely breathtaking! The mountains are so gorgeous, I just couldn't get enough of the scenery. We took about 8 hours to drive ~ 120 miles, just because there were so many beautiful places to stop and take pictures. I highly recommend it!
I've heard about Banff, but not Jasper. Thanks for the tip, I will have to do some research. I love seeing new places and photography is a side hobby of mine, so that would be cool