Do you dream to visit all 50 of the United States? Have you taken that dream and turned it into a stated goal with activity and plans to realize it?
I think I’ve always casually dreamed of visiting 50 states. It was a thought and idea that lived in the back of my mind for as long as I can remember. But I guess I didn’t really see it as realistic. I’m not quite sure why. It just seemed that not many people I know have, nor did they seem to have a desire to. I suppose it seemed like something out of the norm for whatever reason.
But one day that changed. One specific and memorable day, something clicked inside of me and that idea changed from a dream, into a goal. A goal that I was going to put actions behind to accomplish. But it wasn’t a goal to visit all 50 states myself. It was a goal to show my kids all 50 states before they leave the nest.
The Origins of My 50 States Dream
The most influential people in developing my love for travel where my grandparents. They were always traveling. And as a child, I frequently traveled with them. With a son in the navy, they traveled to see him and his family every year, wherever they were….Hawaii, Italy, Germany, etc. When my uncle retired from the Navy, he settled in California. Which meant every year my grandparents would drive across country to see him. On many occasions my parents would fly me out to meet them in Cali while they were visiting. But one year, my parents flew me out to CA on a one way ticket. Because I then drove back to Michigan with Grandma and Grandpa.
On this road trip, I remember visiting the Great Salt Flats, Mt Rushmore, Wall Drug and more. I always knew that I wanted to do that trip again, especially when I had kids. I wanted to pass on that experience to my own children. Before I ever stated the 50 states goal, the dream I had and would share with many was “I want to drive across country with my kids”.
The Day The Goal Was Set
Despite my grandparent’s many travels, they never visited all 50 states together. They visited 49 together before my grandfather passed away in 2006. I never even realized that accomplishment until my grandmother casually mentioned a few years ago, “You know I’ve been to every state but North Dakota”. That instantly lead to my inquiry of “why?”. How could that be? How could they have gotten so close to 50, but not achieve it? Simply because it was never a goal that they set. Their 70+ years of traveling together just happened to take them to 49.
With this information, I set out to get my 90 year old grandma to North Dakota. So on August 21, 2013, my mom, grandma, my two kids and I arrived in Fargo, North Dakota for Grandma to visit her 50th state.
It was this day that I firmly decided I would do the same. But I was not going to wait for it to just happen, nor wait until I was 90. I was going to actively put plans in motion to make it happen. But more than that, I decided I want to get my kids to all 50 states before they are grown and leave home.
It was on that day, the goal was officially set.
Progressing Towards Our Goal
We are not a full time travel family. Rather, we are an every chance we get travel family. We are a fairly typical, mid class crew. My husband and I both work full time. The kids go to public school and are fairly active in sports and other activities.
But we make use of every chance we can make to get away. Which is mostly during the late summer (after little league ball is complete), spring break, winter break and long weekends.
I share this specifically to illustrate that you don’t have to be a full time travel family to set and achieve a goal to visit the 50 states.
Less than five years from setting the goal, our kids visited their 48th state this past summer. Only Hawaii and Alaska remain, which we have plans to finish by 2020. Our progress has come through several road trips.
Pre-Goal States
Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Illinois, Indiana
Before the goal was ever set, our kids had checked a few states off their list between our annual drives to Florida, Midwest adventures and that trip to North Dakota.
Cross Country Road Trip – Michigan to California
Iowa, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Nebraska
In 2015, we purchased our little 17 foot camper and hit the road for our first summer road trip. We spent just over a week traveling a northern states route to California. Then spent a week with my aunt and uncle at their home just south of San Fransisco. And took about a week to drive a more southern route home to check off additional states.
North East Road Trip
Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland
The summer of 2016 included a 2-week road trip to explore the North East. From Michigan to Maine, down the Atlantic coast to Maryland and back home.
Impromptu Winter Road Trip
Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana
I occurred to me late in December of 2016 that the kids would have an entire week off of school following New Year. I then threw together a last minute, week long adventure to check a couple new states off the list.
Southwest Road Trip
Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Kansas
We continued our annual 2 week road trip tradition in 2017 by heading southwest. We drove from Michigan to Arizona, stayed with family friends near Tucson for a few days before heading up to the Grand Canyon and then made our way back home.
The Virginias and Carolinas Road Trip
West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina
Summer 2018 was the road trip that achieved our 48th state. Another 2 week trip to cover the last 4 of the 48. On July 29th, 2018, we pulled over to the side of the road to take this picture to commemorate these two kids visiting all 48 of the continuous states.
The Final Two
So as of this writing, only two of the fifty states remain to check off our list. It is with specific intent that we will visit Hawaii next. This is because thanks to that uncle in the Navy and grandparents that often took me along, I’ve already been to Hawaii. Therefore, Alaska will be last (we anticipate a cruise in 2020) so that the kids and I can all accomplish our 50th state at the same time.
The poor husband is another story. He missed out on a few states due to work. I mention this specifically as encouragement to those who may not have a spouse or a partner present at all or have one unable to travel as much as the rest of the family. I’ve done trips solo with the kids, or with help from my mother or grandmother when the kids were very young. If you desire to visit all fifty states, then I encourage you to problem solve, trouble shoot, budget the money, budget the time, set the goal and make the plans. The experience has been incredible.
What’s Next?
This whole adventure has been so much fun. I can’t even tell you how rewarding it has been. And as we started seeing the finish of the fifty within sight, it’s honestly made me quite sad. Because I have so very much loved this journey. I love showing my kids this big and beautiful country that we call home. There is so much new and different everywhere we have been. So much beautiy to take in, so much history to absorb, so much culture to experience…so very much to see, do, learn and explore.
I don’t want our adventures to slow down or end. So I asked my son, what’s next? What do you think we should set as our next goal? His reply?…he would like to visit every Major League Baseball Stadium. With a smile, I said, “then let’s get started. I can’t promise I will finish that one with you. Sounds like a good one for you to continue into adulthood. But I will commit to getting you started”. And we have got him off to a good start with six ballparks visited to date.
How About You?
I hope you have found our own story one of encouragement to set a goal to visit fifty states. Or perhaps you find it as one that you can relate to as you work toward a goal of fifty yourself.
Are you in? Have you set the goal? How many states have you visited?
Please share your own stories in the comments below.
I’d love to hear them.
I’m a mom with travel bug. Forever seeking new places to see and things to do whether they are close to home or across the globe. I’m always anxiously planning our next adventures and doing my best to stretch our dollars and time to their fullest in doing so.
