I Finally Did It: All 50 US States

My first trip to the USA was my second time overseas as a (very young adult). I boarded a Continental Airlines flight for Honolulu. I had no idea that I would return many, many times to the USA and end up visiting every state. For a long time, I thought the option of going to all 50 was basically impossible. In 2005, 21 years ago, two American friends challenged me to see who would be first. I beat them by one! Every one of the 50 US states, ticked off one trip, one detour, one “might as well while I’m nearby” at a time. Plus I have been to DC, Guam, Poerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands! Not bad for an Australian!

The Overview

• Years to complete: 35
• First state visited: Hawaii (HI)
• Last state completed: Alaska (AK)
• Most surprising state: Arkansas (AR)
• My Favourites: Maine (ME), Oregon (OR) and Vermont (VT)
• Most disappointing: West Virginia, Montana and Mississippi (sorry)
• Order completed: HI-CA-TX-NJ-NY-DE-MD-DC-MI-IL-IN-CT-MA-RI-PA-CO-WA-VA-NH-VT-AZ-NV-UT-OH-KS-MO-OR-GU-AL-WV-FL-PR-VI-AR-LA-MS-TN-GA-NC-MN-ID-SC-WI-MT-SD-WY-ME-OK-NM-KY-NE-IA-ND-AK

The Timeline

On that first trip to the US, I visited three states. On my second, I added nine more and revisited all three from the first trip. A third trip added six more, bringing the total to 18, and at that point I was seriously wondering if I could actually do this. Then the next four trips added seven states between them, getting me to 25, exactly halfway. Suddenly, 50 seemed more possible. In 2005, 21 years ago, two American friends challenged me to see who would be first. I beat them by one!

I reached 40 states by 2008, then slowed right down: it took another 17 years to finish off the last ten. Althugh I kept coming back to the USA, I would visit places I already knew. For example, I have explored California arpound 45 times. Pennsylvania, Illinois, New York, and New Jersey all have a significant number of visits to their credit. Others got exactly one shot: South Dakota, Montana, Indiana, Mississippi, and Alabama among them, each visited once and never revisited.

Alaska was my last state with North Dakota sliding in at state #49. Some of these states were the whole reason for a trip. Others, if I’m honest, were tick-boxes, places I visited mainly to close the gap on the map rather than because I expected much from them. That’s exactly what makes this project interesting. When you force yourself into all 50, you stop aimimg for the traditonal tourist spots and end up somewhere like Fargo, expecting nothing, and leaving with one of the best surprises of the whole 35 years.

So this isn’t a ranked list of “best” states in the usual sense. I’ve scored every state I’ve visited on the hard metrics, aesthetics, liveability, safety, culture, transit, but the number that matters most to me is the one no spreadsheet can fake: how much I actually loved being there. Sometimes those two numbers agree. Often, especially in the states everyone assumes are boring, they don’t.

My Fave Three (no ranking):

I feel so at home in Maine (ME). Starting with Portland with friendly people and its own excellent food scene and a genuinely great coffee culture and the coastline beyond it. Acadia National Park, the rocky shoreline around Bar Harbor, the lighthouses, Bangor the many small fishing towns. Inland, the beautiful Maine woods and lakes (too cold for me to swim in, even in summer) are gorgeous to walk around or relax in front of. One major feature I really like is that Amtrak has a very good connection to this state. taking a train from Portland, Maine, to Boston and you continue on to New York City.

Oregon (OR) earned its place for me because of Portland (yes, another beautiful Portland, also with genuinely excellent food, coffee, and a slightly odd, independent streak, the “Keep Portland Weird” thing), but not only because of Portland. I really love Salem and Bend, which are also excellent. Then add the rest of the state’s nature and culture: the gorgeous coastline, Crater Lake’s impossible blue, the waterfalls along the Columbia River Gorge, and the high desert out toward Bend that feels like a completely different state from the wet, green coast

Three Most Underrated

These are the states most travellers skip or overlook, but they capture what I love about travel: meeting real people, making genuine discoveries, and exploring places that aren’t already packed with tourists.

Arkansas (#7). Many people still think of it as just rural and easy to skip. But it offers Hot Springs National Park, the Ozarks, great hiking and lakes, and a growing food and arts scene in Little Rock and Bentonville.  Blanchard Springs Caves are breathtaking. Arkansas is a fantastic place for outdoor adventures, stargazing, and local culture. It really deserves more attention than it gets.

Nebraska (#9 on my list). National surveys often rank Nebraska as one of the least popular destinations in the country. I don’t understand why. It has real small-town charm, endless prairies and sandhills, and surprisingly good food and museums. If you enjoy exploring places that aren’t obvious choices, Nebraska’s state parks and historic sites are a true hidden gem.

Rhode Island (#24, but still underrated across the country). It’s small and often overshadowed by Massachusetts and New York. Still, it has historic seaside towns, great food, and beaches you can actually enjoy without the crowds you find in more famous coastal states. Tourism surveys show that not many people plan to visit, which honestly makes it a perfect weekend getaway.

My Top Seven States for Food

1	Tennessee	Southern cooking and BBQ: Memphis barbecue, Nashville hot chicken, and classic meat-and-three plates
2	Georgia	“Southerners equate food with love, so if you love what they cook, they’re sure to love you back.” — Kim Holloway. Georgia’s food is where fried chicken, grits, greens, and peaches turn into pure comfort food. Plus, Savannah and Atlanta have some of the finest dining establishments with a range of international cuisines that I’ve ever experienced
3	Louisiana	Cajun and Creole dishes such as gumbo, jambalaya, crawfish, po’boys, and beignets. “When the taste changes with every bite and the last bite is as good as the first, that’s Cajun.” Paul Prudhomme
4	Texas	Barbecue and Tex-Mex plus “real” Mexican: brisket, ribs, smoked sausages, tacos, and chili.
5	New York	“New York has neighborhood restaurants where you eat as well as in the fanciest places.” Anthony Bourdain but there is also some great places outside the city right up to the border.
6	California	Fabulous Mexican and Central American (eg El Salvador Papusas), Asian, farm-to-table, plus great wine and fresh produce
7	Illinois	Chicago comfort food: deep-dish pizza, Italian-leaning classics, and solid Asian options.

Top Seven States for Nature

1	Oregon	From the stunning Coastline to the gorgeous forests and then throw in Crater Lake, Cascades and high desert;
2	Washington	The strong mix of ocean and mountains from Seattle to Spokane and Walla Walla, you are never far from a hike
3	New Mexico	A very distinctive “another world” feel with high desert, canyons, mountains and unique light
4	Colorado	Rocky Mountains, alpine lakes, hiking and for those who do it ski ing
5	Wyoming	Yellowstone and Grand Teton, immense Western landscapes, with big open spaces and wildlife,
6	California	Huge variety of landscapes and yes I have seen them all from the Big Sur to the Sierra Nevada, Yosemite, redwoods, Death Valley, Joshua Tree),
7	Alaska	At every turn, the ultimate “raw nature” state, glaciers, mountains, wildlife, and vast wilderness

States That Just Didn’t Work For Me

Mississippi never really suited me as a travel destination. The mix of very hot, humid weather, limited major nature spots, and cities that didn’t draw me in made the state feel heavy and unappealing. Mississippi is consistently rated by Americans as one of the least desired travel destinations, and it sits near the bottom of my list too.

Montana should have been perfect for me. On paper, it has everything I look for: big outdoors, close to Yellowstone. Instead, my time there, especially in Billings, felt deeply unfriendly. I didn’t feel welcome or safe, and the actual experience was completely different from what I’d expected. Billings, the state’s biggest city, didn’t entice me at all.

West Virginia is visually stunning, but my experience there was heavily shaped by the grinding poverty I saw and by a real sense of hopelessness. The state’s poverty rate sits around 16.7–16.8%, one of the highest in the country, and it ranks near the top nationally for financial hardship, with roughly 45% of households struggling to afford basic needs.

Top Seven US Cities

I’ve been to almost 100 large US cities. These seven stand out as the ones that feel most like “home” to me when I’m on the road

1	San Francisco, California	Flawed, expensive, and complicated, but still one of the most beautiful cities in the country. Compact and walkable, with constant coffee, views, world‑class art, food and music scene (and Ghiradellis)
2	New York, New York	The closest thing the US has to a world capital, with relentless energy and food from almost anywhere on earth. Unmatched density of museums, parks, music, bookstores, and odd little experiences
3	Portland, Oregon	See above
4	New Orleans, Lousiana	Love, love, New Orleans and its messy, magical, unforgettable atmosphere. Live music spilling out of doorways, Cajun and Creole food, history, tragedy and life
5	Savannah, Georgia	One of the best walking cities: historic squares, live oaks, Spanish moss create pockets of calm and beauty as you move through plus some of the best Southern dining you’ve had and great museums
6	Santa Fe, New Mexico	Adobe architecture, narrow streets, and rich colors give it a unique visual identity, with that great mix of Native American, Hispanic, and Anglo influences layered through the art, food, and everyday life
7	Portland, Maine	See above

Getting around

The USA is a huge country, and most of my travel across it has been by air, so many flights that my flight map could probably pass for an airline’s own route map, with my hubs being LAX, SFO, ORD, DFW, PHL, and JFK as seen here.

I’ve flown on nearly every major US scheduled airline, except Sun Country and Allegiant. Some of them no longer exist. I deeply miss Continental and Northwest. I also enjoyed Virgin America and Independence Air while they lasted. AirTran’s 717s connected me between a lot of places, and I’m sad they were taken over. I first flew JetBlue when they had just started. No one had heard of them then.

I’ve also travelled extensively by train. On the West Coast, I’ve taken Amtrak’s coastal routes from Vancouver to San Diego on multiple trains over the years. On the East Coast, Brightline has taken me from Miami to Orlando, and Amtrak has covered me from Portland, Maine down to Savannah, Georgia, and into parts of Florida.

Between the coasts, I’ve done road trips across Montana, South Dakota, Mississippi, Louisiana, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and Florida. I’ve even taken a few bus trips to tie up loose ends, but buses are by far my least favourite mode of transport, especially in the USA.

In conclusion

I have been incredibly privileged to witness so many corners of the USA, to be welcomed by so many warm-hearted people along the way, and to have made lifelong friends. I’ve seen so many iconic sights and monuments: the Alamo, Mount Rushmore, Yosemite, the Grand Canyon, Gateway Arch, Niagara Falls, Statue of Liberty, Disney World, Crazy Horse Memorial.

I’ve learned a lot about the USA, and about my own country, Australia, and about myself through these experiences.

How many states have you visited? What are your travel goals?

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