Completing all 50 States.
Sep 30, 2025 | 4:04 pm
#31
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2025
Posts: 183
Finished all 50 states back in 2019. It was always a goal of mine, and through work/life I was able to get to 47.
Once I booked my first trip to Alaska, I decided that should be my 50th state, and booked trips to South Dakota and Oklahoma to do them before I arrived in Alaska.
During COVID I went back and revisited certain states that I had only been to a major city. Like Minnesota I had only bein the MSP metro area, so I took a 10 day road trip through MN and visited lots of smaller towns through out the state.
Of course, the way life works I ended up going to Oklahoma for work at this point, and I am just missing another trip to North Dakota and then I've been to all 50 more then once.
Also during COVID I worked on flying into/out of all 50 states and am only 3 states away from achieving that too. My only other state related side quest if you will was riding an Amtrak train in every state served by them. There I am just missing Michigan.
I don't think most US citizens are actively pursuing the goal. There are some amazing parts of the US, but also plenty of forgettable parts.
Once I booked my first trip to Alaska, I decided that should be my 50th state, and booked trips to South Dakota and Oklahoma to do them before I arrived in Alaska.
During COVID I went back and revisited certain states that I had only been to a major city. Like Minnesota I had only bein the MSP metro area, so I took a 10 day road trip through MN and visited lots of smaller towns through out the state.
Of course, the way life works I ended up going to Oklahoma for work at this point, and I am just missing another trip to North Dakota and then I've been to all 50 more then once.
Also during COVID I worked on flying into/out of all 50 states and am only 3 states away from achieving that too. My only other state related side quest if you will was riding an Amtrak train in every state served by them. There I am just missing Michigan.
I don't think most US citizens are actively pursuing the goal. There are some amazing parts of the US, but also plenty of forgettable parts.
Alaska in March is my 50th and final one also. Juneau. I paid a little bit more to fly there instead of Anchorage. I stupidly thought Anchorage was the only real option, but the place doesn't look particularly nice, whereas Juneau looks charming (to me anyway).
Your comment on Minnesota is an interesting one. I went to Minneapolis for one night and didn't enjoy it. Thought it was a nothing-ness city. Nothing that stood out for me, but I do agree with you about all the other little towns dotted about the state. They look really good. If I had more time and money, I'd make a point of going back there and spending a few days travelling about the other parts of the state.
I do like Amtrak. I made reference to it a couple of times in previous posts on here. I was wanting to do Wyoming, North Dakota and South Dakota by Amtrak but it doesn't cover those states (in fact I've noticed it covers Fargo but I don't think it matched up with the rest of my trip).
I'm getting a Greyhound bus from Omaha Nebraska up to Sioux Falls, South Dakota then next day the same bus from there up to Fargo, North Dakota then flying to Jackson's Hole, Wyoming the day after that. Jackson looks very nice (similar to Bozeman, Montana when I was there) but it's very expensive for hotels and Uber's. Every now and again I accept it, bite the bullet, pay what I have to and just embrace it and booked a very, very nice hotel for the night for 160 (225-Dollars) - there were cheaper hotels around the 100 mark that are a massive downgrade on where I'm staying and Uber's to and from the Airport are about 30 each way, whereas my hotel has a free Airport shuttle so it literally works out the same (plus getting to stay in one of the nicest hotels). Edit, plus Booking.com gave me a 15% off my next hotel stay against a booking of my choice - obviously applied it to that one to get myself almost 25 off a future hotel rate (to be honest I rationalize by just applying that 25 against the 160 and pretend to myself that the 160 hotel room is now 75
- 160 minus x2 30 Uber's to and from the Airport and the 25 future credit - it makes me feel better about spending a lot of money haha).
Last edited by Scottish_Traveller_UK; Sep 30, 2025 at 9:20 pm
Sep 30, 2025 | 4:16 pm
#32
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: BNA (Nashville)
Programs: HH Diamond
Posts: 7,157
I have a side quest of visiting all the state capitol buildings. Last year I toured the state capitols in Santa Fe and Carson City. I think I am missing OR, CA, ID, MT, ND, SD, KS, OK, AK, HI, NC, NE, WI, DE, and NJ. So, I have a few left to visit.
Visit means either visiting the building, or for those that are gated off (like WV), at least driving by the building. I have attended meetings in Mississippi's Capitol in Jackson, and have been escorted out of Tennessee's Capitol by a state trooper during a protest.
I have another side quest of visiting all the national parks but some of them are really difficult to get to.
Visit means either visiting the building, or for those that are gated off (like WV), at least driving by the building. I have attended meetings in Mississippi's Capitol in Jackson, and have been escorted out of Tennessee's Capitol by a state trooper during a protest.
I have another side quest of visiting all the national parks but some of them are really difficult to get to.
Oct 1, 2025 | 9:57 am
#33
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I have a side quest of visiting all the state capitol buildings. Last year I toured the state capitols in Santa Fe and Carson City. I think I am missing OR, CA, ID, MT, ND, SD, KS, OK, AK, HI, NC, NE, WI, DE, and NJ. So, I have a few left to visit.
Visit means either visiting the building, or for those that are gated off (like WV), at least driving by the building. I have attended meetings in Mississippi's Capitol in Jackson, and have been escorted out of Tennessee's Capitol by a state trooper during a protest.
I have another side quest of visiting all the national parks but some of them are really difficult to get to.
Visit means either visiting the building, or for those that are gated off (like WV), at least driving by the building. I have attended meetings in Mississippi's Capitol in Jackson, and have been escorted out of Tennessee's Capitol by a state trooper during a protest.
I have another side quest of visiting all the national parks but some of them are really difficult to get to.
Mar 27, 2026 | 8:10 pm
#34
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Join Date: Jun 2010
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I'm assuming most American citizen's on here will have done this, but I'm curious to see if there's any other non-USA citizen/solo travellers on here that have accomplished it?
I have two more USA trips planned in both February and March and provided nothing goes wrong in February's trip, March's trip will have me completed them all.
February's new states - Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia and Indiana.
March's new states - Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Wyoming and Alaska to finish all 50 (then with a few days left to spare doing Vancouver, Montreal and Ottawa).
It's going to feel like a real achievement and something I've wanted to do since I was younger.
I don't fly between every state, if there's an Amtrak train I am happy to do that (doing that in March from Milwaukee through Chicago, down through Nebraska and Iowa. Very long day, think it's an 11-hour journey but I'm not bothered - I bring plenty beers and snacks and I'm good - done Oklahoma to Little Rock, Arkansas in the summer and that was a 12-hour day on the train but enjoyable).
I have two more USA trips planned in both February and March and provided nothing goes wrong in February's trip, March's trip will have me completed them all.
February's new states - Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia and Indiana.
March's new states - Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Wyoming and Alaska to finish all 50 (then with a few days left to spare doing Vancouver, Montreal and Ottawa).
It's going to feel like a real achievement and something I've wanted to do since I was younger.
I don't fly between every state, if there's an Amtrak train I am happy to do that (doing that in March from Milwaukee through Chicago, down through Nebraska and Iowa. Very long day, think it's an 11-hour journey but I'm not bothered - I bring plenty beers and snacks and I'm good - done Oklahoma to Little Rock, Arkansas in the summer and that was a 12-hour day on the train but enjoyable).
David
Mar 28, 2026 | 6:13 pm
#35
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We know where your mind has been.
Mar 28, 2026 | 6:55 pm
#36
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