How many states have you been to?

[burkey]

One common elements that comes to mind WRT to discussion about FIRE is travel.

How many states have you been to?
Which was your favorite? Why?
How many would you like to/do you intend to visit in total?
Which one is the top of your list?

Me?

Been to 45, Missing 5: ND, SD, MT, NM, AK
Michigan is my favorite state. I spent my first 24 years there...gets in your blood.
I would like to visit one more, NM, but no real interest in the others.

Missing ND, SD, Alaska, Montana, Wyoming.....45 for me also, but doing Alaskan Cruise in July.

 

[fisherman]

We only count them if we spend at least one night in the state so 48 for us.

Other countries visited include:

Canada - East and West coast
Mexico
France
Germany
Switzerland
Italy

US Territories include:

US virgin islands
Porto Rico

Just 48 years old so possibly will get to a few more places but very happy with this. The sad part is we have never lived more than 20 miles from where I grew up!

 

[clifp]

I am only missing Mississippi. Any Mississippian want to give a shout out as to why I should make a trip out there?

 

[Nemo2]

I am only missing Mississippi. Any Mississippian want to give a shout out as to why I should make a trip out there?

I'm not a Mississippian, but this might be a start.

 

[nobodyknows]

28 states for me

 

[bssc]

Also 42. Missing ND, SD, NC, SC, RI, CT, NH, VT. Been to Guam, Puerto Rico but not the VI.

 

[Sarah in SC]

Also 42. Missing ND, SD, NC, SC, RI, CT, NH, VT. Been to Guam, Puerto Rico but not the VI.

Come see us in SC-you won't be disappointed!

 

[obgyn65]

I have not kept track. It seems I have visited more states internationally than US states though.

 

[Dawg52]

About 15 or so. But plan to see most before all said and done. Plan to tackle the Pacific NW first.

 

[jclarksnakes]

48 for me. I was born in Montana and lived several places I do not even remember when I was little. We settled in Florida when I was 6. Got all the way through HS and first two years of college living there. After that I traveled a bunch in the army and saw much of the country but did not really get to spend much time in most of it. The last 15 years we have been visiting National Parks for our vacations. My favorite place is Glacier NP in Montana. At least in the summer. It has IMO the best hiking of any of the NPs. In the next few years we will spend time actually seeing more of AK and HI. The two states I have not been to are Maine and Rhode Island. We have plans for a Maine vacation in the next few years. I may never get to RI.

 

[burkey]

Thanks for Montana reco. Just added to my list for when I retire next year. Lived in RI for 3 years in the 80's....incredible Italian food and Newport is awesome.

 

[EllisWyatt]

Missing Hawaii and Alaska. Hope to rectify that once I pull the plug on w**k.
Favorite (today) is Louisiana as that is where home is......

Only State I didn't care for was New Jersey (although the Pine Barrens were pretty cool). Reminds me of what a Geology professor told me years ago -"The glaciers came down as far as New Jersey and then retreated. In total disgust."

 

[Free To Canoe]

50

 

[W2R]

Missing Hawaii and Alaska. Hope to rectify that once I pull the plug on w**k.
Favorite (today) is Louisiana as that is where home is......

Only State I didn't care for was New Jersey (although the Pine Barrens were pretty cool). Reminds me of what a Geology professor told me years ago -"The glaciers came down as far as New Jersey and then retreated. In total disgust."

New Jersey has some ugly parts; but I was surprised to find some beautiful parts of New Jersey too, like Princeton. Walking around Princeton seemed like being transported to the set of "Love Story" to me.

 

[EllisWyatt]

Aboslutely agree -there are some wonderful parts of New Jersey that are breathtakingly beautiful, however, to me, New Jersey is like "The little girl with a curl in the middle of her forehead" - when it's good, it's very, very good, and when it's bad, it's horrible.

 

[W2R]

Aboslutely agree -there are some wonderful parts of New Jersey that are breathtakingly beautiful, however, to me, New Jersey is like "The little girl with a curl in the middle of her forehead" - when it's good, it's very, very good, and when it's bad, it's horrible.

So true! I love the visual image.

 

[FIREd]

Now I can add Mississippi to the list of states I have been to with this visit to Ole Miss. MS was the only Southern state I had not yet visited. And it brings my total to 21 states visited.

 

[freebird5825]

How many states have you been to?
21 - NY, NJ, CT, ME, MA, PA, OH, IL, IA, MD, WV, VA, NC, SC, GA, FL, TX, AZ, NV, CA, HI
plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands

Which was your favorite? Why?
Massachusettes and Florida...for the ocean and beaches and historic sites (MA)

How many would you like to/do you intend to visit in total?
I have not visited or had w*rk travel to most of the western states.

Which one is the top of your list?
Not sure.

 

[Retire Soon]

I've been to all 48 contiguous states + DC. Never been to Alaska or Hawaii.

My advice is to get off the interstate and drive the older US highways and the scenic byways. Route 66 gets most of the publicity, but other US routes are longer and have just as much history. You will never see much on the interstate, with one noteworthy exception being I70 through Colorado.

I have enjoyed all the states. Heck, I've even enjoyed South Texas now that the kids are gone and we can travel in the winter.

JakeBrake, you are absolutely correct. Traveling by interstate is not the way to truly appreciate the U.S. Also, I agree that Colorado's I-70 is probably the only exception.


Interstates are built for people who are in a hurry! If you are ER'd, you should not be in a hurry to go anywhere. Your journey can be far more enjoyable and satisfying than your destination.


Travel is by and far my favorite hobby in ER. I would highly recommend the following book for anyone who is serious about truly enjoying the U.S. and would be willing to travel on highways as opposed to interstates. It is also a way of stepping back in time.

"Road Trip USA: Cross-Country Trips on America's Two-Lane Highways" by Jamie Jensen

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias=stripbooks&field-keywords=Road+Trip+USA

 

[Koolau]

JakeBrake, you are absolutely correct. Traveling by interstate is not the way to truly appreciate the U.S. Also, I agree that Colorado's I-70 is probably the only exception.

The other exception is the H-3 crossing between Windward and Leeward Oahu (essentially between Marine Corps Base Hawaii and Honolulu Intl. Airport). Technically, this is a part of the Interstate highway system, though calling it an interstate usually brings chuckles from local folks. I rarely have reason to use this road anymore but always take guests on it in lieu of a more expensive helicopter ride through the mountains. YMMV

Interstate-Guide: Interstate H-3

The road cost about $80 million per mile (thanks to all you generous tax payers). The rainbows are free.

 

[Bikerdude]

I did 35 states on a cross country motorcycle trip, I have been to 46 total and have ridden in all. Flordia is favorite in winter, Maine in the summer. Best natural beauty, Utah and Colorado. Best motorcycle roads are in the Smokey Mountains.

Would like to do Alaska and Hawaii, Kansas and Iowa can wait.

 

[LeavingOhio]

I have been to every state except for Alaska and Hawaii. We camped for vacations when I was a kid, and a lot of that was done on those vacations. As an adult I have added Nevada and California and a few other states out west that we didn't get to when I was a kid.

My wife and I lived in the SF Bay area for 4 years, and I loved that. Too expensive to stay, but nice to do for a while. For sheer differences (beaches, mountains, Yosemite, Sequoias, etc.) I would have to pick California as my favorite state.

I would like to get to Hawaii and Alaska some day.

To pick a state to live in though (money being a consideration), I would probably pick Arizona. I hate winter, so I need to be somewhere warm, and Arizona has the extra benefit of high elevation to retreat to in the summer if it gets too hot. I've also considered NM, TX, TN, FL and SC as retirement possibilities. Still 14 years away, I'll probably change my mind a few times.

 

[OldGuy]

+ Have lived in 4 states (NY, PA, VA & FL) & 1 territory (Guam).
+ Have traveled to 46 states - missing OR, AR, OK & MS, and will catch OR in September.
+ Have also been to two American "commonwealths' (Puerto Rico & Northern Marianas [Saipan]) 1 other territory (USVI), and probably won't get far enough west to see American Samoa or the "minor outlying islands" (Midway, etc.).

List of U.S. states and territories by area - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

On to the provinces, eh?

 

[Surfdaddy]

Have been to 47 states; only MI, DE, and WV left. And I'm actually changing planes in Detroit in 2 days! (but I don't count this as a "visit").

I've also been in Puerto Rico numerous times, and a couple of times in the USVI.

IMHO the best city is NYC. The most beautiful places (to me) that I've visited in the states are Yosemite Valley, and the NaPali coast of Kauai. Glacier National Park comes in close behind.