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There is a graphic going around Facebook lately that many of my friends have shared. It’s a map that shows how many states you’ve visited. You can customize one yourself at maploco.com.
Many people share this map on social media along with a comment about wanting to see the states they’ve missed. I see comments like, “Looks like I need to take a trip to the East Coast”, or “I need to head out West”.
So, I decided to go to the site and fill out a map for myself. I knew I had visited a majority of the 50 states, but not all of them. My map revealed I was missing 8 states. I think technically I’ve driven through 2 of those 8 as a child on my way to Florida, but I’m leaving them off for now.
But, I have a confession to make. I have no desire to visit those 8 states! I won’t even pretend.
Why Not Have a Goal to Visit All 50 States?
Don’t get me wrong. Those 8 states are lovely, I’m sure. And I’m not going to say which ones they are so as not to offend anyone. But, I have my reasons.
Life is short. Nobody knows how much time we have on this earth. I have many other places I’d like to visit first. I have to prioritize.
Some places are worth repeating. Many of the states I’ve visited I want to repeat over and over. Like Florida, for example. I love the beaches and everything Disney. Florida keeps calling my name!
I don’t want to visit to just check off a number. Visiting those states I’m missing just to check them off my list is not something I aspire to do. Some people really want to visit all 50 states, and I’m not knocking it. In fact, one of my fellow travel bloggers had a goal to visit every county in the U.S. It’s just not my thing. But, I’ll cheer you on and ask you about your trips.
It’s possible I’ll visit all 50 states eventually. I’m not avoiding these states. I’m just not actively planning trips to them.
I do think there is value to visiting many states. It’s amazing how different the scenery, people and customs are in different parts of our huge country.
My Top 5 Favorite States
If you haven’t been to all 50 states, here are my top five recommendations.
Florida: Daytona Beach, Clearwater Beach, Disney World, Silver Springs, Cruise ports, airboat rides, history in St. Augustine…I really just can’t get enough of Florida. If I could buy a vacation condo anywhere in the U.S., it would be in Florida. The trouble is, I would have a hard time deciding just where in the state it would be located.
Alaska: Although I’ve only visited a few cities on a DCL cruise, the scenery is breathtaking. I’d like to plan a land trip soon.
Hawaii: Hawaii is so much more than beaches!
Texas: Texas has really grown on me since I moved here 18 years ago. If you can only visit one city in Texas, I always recommend San Antonio.
California: I lived in California for 5 years, and I would love to visit with my kids again. Los Angeles alone has enough to keep anyone entertained for weeks!
Do you want to visit all 50 states? Why or why not? What are your favorite states to visit?
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Author: Nancy
Nancy lives near Dallas, Texas, with her husband and three kids. Her favorite vacations include the beach, cruising and everything Disney.
Everyone has a different concept of what travel means to them. I had never thought of visiting all 50 states until someone mentioned it at work that they were going to do that from an upcoming trip. I thought about it….and that did not fit into what I wanted to do traveling…just checking off a list. Similarly, on a ship going to Antarctica…I heard people talking about how many countries they had been to and that our trip was going to go to 5 “countries” on a list. Others mentioned that they won’t even go on a trip unless it adds to a new country on their list. Again…not my idea of what travel is to me…..but apparently it is to them. But I have been to the so called 7 continents but I don’t consider that an accomplishment. It is not like I expended a lot of effort to do this….just book flights…anyone can do it with the means and the time.
@Franklin You’re absolutely right. Everyone has different ideas for travel, and that’s ok.
I hope to visit all 50 states someday but similar to you I have no active plans to do so. What I like to do is visit the state capitol of every state I visit. It’s interesting and provides a glimpse of the culture and architecture of when it was built (am a history nut.) I’ve also come to learn that the USA is one of the best countries to visit for wheelchair/disabled access so I don’t mind visiting the rest of the world while I’m young and catch up on visiting USA when I’m older.
@Joey Good point about the USA being very wheelchair friendly. Europe is not, unfortunately.
Now I’m not the ONLY weirdo that is trying to visit every county in the US – there’s a whole group called the Extra Miler Club. Motto – the shortest distance between 2 points is no fun 🙂
@Dan I never said you were a weirdo, LOL! I hadn’t seen one of your county posts in a while. That’s taking things to a whole other level! If you enjoy it, why not? I’ve mentioned this on the blog a few times, but my kids absolutely hate road trips. Like they can barely stand the 5+ hour trip to my in-laws. We drove once to Colorado (13 hours) and I’m surprised any of us are still talking to each other. It’s that bad.
I feel likewise. While I do find patronage with a lot more people in Florida, Wisconsin, Iowa, Texas and Idaho than here in NYC, I need to get away from everyday circumstances while on vacation. I just can’t do that in one of the states. America being 3000 miles coast to coast, with many different races and ethnic groups in cities and being relatively new means it can’t compare to the culture of genetically homogenous countries or lacks architecture that is thousands of years old or done on a grand scale like Paris and Vienna. Small town America may be idyllic and a great place to live but I need to be wowed on vacation where I break up the monotony of 48-50 weeks a year. Japan does that. Morocco does that. Buenos Aires does that. Spain does that. America is too day to day and doesn’t inspire me destination wise.
@John It sounds like you’ve had some exciting trips overseas! I remember the first time I went to Europe when I was 14. The old buildings and architecture were so different than anything I had seen before.
I’ve visited all 50 states and I think there was something wonderful in them all. Some surprised me-North Dakota for instance-I quite enjoyed my time there, whereas I don’t ever need to return to CA or HI. Before I started seriously traveling overseas I ensured I traveled my country first-and what trips they were 🙂
@s delynn I’m glad you found something wonderful in every state!
I have visited all 50, just because. Hawaii was due to a layover flying DPS-LAX so took 3 days to say I’ve actually been there. ND was a detour from MN-SD on purpose because I had no idea to be in a wood chipper. Every state has something but my favorites are cities so NY, CA, IL rank highest.
@ira g barrows Wow, all 50! That’s great! NY ranks way up there for me as well. I want to visit NYC every few years.