Confessions of a State Collector
When I was in the second grade, we were learning about geography and our teacher handed out blank maps of the United States with a basic set of instructions: color in the states that you have been to. At the ripe old age of eight, I had never stopped to count how many states I had traveled to, but as I started recounting previous vacations with my parents and began coloring in the map, I realized that I had been to more states than I thought.
Of course there was Colorado, my home state. But also the neighboring states of Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico (we do share a common border at the only place where four states come together, after all). And then there were all the states that I’d visited family in – Kansas, Kentucky, Illinois, Ohio, and Wisconsin. And a family road trip to Minnesota the summer before gave me that state as well as Wyoming, South Dakota, Iowa, and Missouri on the way there and back. Finally, the requisite trip to Disney World when I was four gave me the far flung state of Florida.
And there I was at eight years old with 15 states under my belt. Some kids in my class had more, some had less, but I don’t think any other kid in my class was as profoundly impacted by that assignment as I was: it turned me into a state collector.
Today, it’s not something I like to talk about a lot for fear of being one of those travel braggarts, so rather than listing how many states I’ve been to in what would amount to an online pissing contest, I’ve decided instead to share some of my tricks I’ve used over the years for picking up states. If you’re a state collector, hopefully there are some tips in here you can use to inch you closer to fifty.
Get Creative with Road Trip Planning
Road trips are never about the destination, they’re about the journey, and when I plan road trips, I rarely plan the most efficient route. Instead I plan the route that will take me past the places that interest me the most, and hopefully I can pick up a few new states along the way. Road trips account for how I’ve picked up the bulk of my states.
When my sister moved to Florida for a semester in college, I helped her move. But instead of doing the drive straight through as fast as possible, we planned our route through some of America’s great cities that intrigued us. This roundabout route helped me pick up several of the states I was missing in the Southeast.
When it was time for her to move back to Colorado, I once again helped her make the drive. But instead of taking the same route back, we went a completely different direction, visiting some incredible cities and sites (and four new states) along the way.
The Alaska/Hawaii Problem
I knew Alaska and Hawaii would be the two most difficult states for me to visit. I certainly wouldn’t be able to pick them up as part of a road trip across the country – they’d have to be destinations in their own rights. Further complicating this issue is the steep prices associated with traveling to these far flung destinations.
In order to visit these states on the cheap, I began looking at the travel deal sites (such as travelzoo) for special pricing to the 49th and 50th states. On rare occasions, these sites will have ridiculously low prices for off season travel or last minute availability.
For Hawaii, I ended up finding a last minute flight + accommodation package (which I almost always avoid) for the ridiculous price of $337 for 4 days/4 nights on Kaanapali Beach in Maui. A coworker of mine spent close to four times that amount for his trip to Maui only four months earlier.
This deal had a limited range of available dates and required immediate booking, but I was able to convince work to let me take a few days off on short notice and took off for Hawaii a few days later.
Don’t Miss Opportunities at Border Cities
Cities like Washington D.C., Memphis, St. Louis, Portland, New York City, and many others have metropolitan areas that straddle state borders. If I ever found myself in these cities, I would make a point to spend some time exploring the portions of the city that were in other states.
Some border destinations to consider: Portland, Reno, Las Vegas, Kansas City, and Omaha.
While many destinations straddle two states, there are a few that occur at the intersection of three states. While the majority of the Memphis metropolitan area is in Tennessee, the city spills over the Mississippi river into Arkansas and south of the Tennessee border into Mississippi.
National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee
Another destination that lies at the intersection of three states is Yellowstone National Park. Though most people think of Wyoming when conjuring images of Yellowstone, small pieces of the park (and a good deal of lodging for visitors) lies just across the Wyoming border in Montana and Idaho. Visiting Yellowstone was actually how I first picked up Idaho, before a return visit to Boise cemented it in my list years later.
Find a Reason to Visit North Dakota
I don’t want to pick on North Dakota, because I actually really enjoyed my trip there. But before I ever went to North Dakota, I struggled to find a reason why I’d ever go there. It wasn’t on the way to or from anything for me unless I was going to Saskatchewan, and I didn’t have immediate plans for that.
To this day, the question I get most about this endeavor is, ‘how did you visit North Dakota?’ and my answer is simple: I made it a priority and found a reason to go. For me, that reason was Theodore Roosevelt National Park, which features broad, sweeping badlands landscapes with impressive buttes, herds of bison, and wild horses. Classic western vistas are the highlight of this park, and I wanted to see it for myself.
So I planned a weekend trip with a stop by Mount Rushmore on the way, spent a couple days at the park, explored the small town of Medora, and enjoyed every minute of it. Now when I hear people criticizing North Dakota, I’m quick to defend it and I always recommend Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
So the question to answer when trying to collect states is what is your North Dakota and how can you make a visit out of it? What is the state that is either impossibly out of the way or that you think you have no interest in actually visiting, and how can you get there? Who knows, you might end up finding something spectacular that you never knew existed.
Finally, I think it’s worth noting that destinations should not be visited just to ‘check them off’ a list. I think this can sap some of the fun out of travel. But, if I have the opportunity to visit a new place, I’m going to take advantage of it.
Now It’s Your Turn
Are you a state collector? How about a country or continent collector? What tricks have you used in order to visit a new place? Let me know in the comments.
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25 Responses to Confessions of a State Collector
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ok so i feel soooo called out here. im definitely a state collector. country collector…no, but state collector….yes. i have been to 45 of the 50 states (still haven’t been to s.dakota, n.dakota, montana, idaho, and alaska)…and luckily i have seen a great deal of most states, not just one city! i traveled my entire life for sports and say many of the places that way, but also when i was in the military, i would travel all around to visit friends as we were separated at the bases we were at. i hadnt realized until i was like 25 how many states i had actually been to. it was kind of a cool feeling once i found out and realized i had been to almost all!
i agree though…sometimes you really have to go out of your way to see places. for example…dang n.dakota. i have no reason to visit there. but if i can road trip through all the states i havent yet been to (with the exception of alaska), i can see so much! i plan to do that next year actually
there is no reason i cant still explore america even though i dont live there! also, i guess having grown up mostly on the east coast, i was lucky to see so much. the states are smaller and closer together…and a person can see at least 20 without really leaving their backyard much 
as for countries, i have never really done the count. i think its about 30ish though. i should invest as much passion into that as i did seeing the US
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Hey, nothing wrong with being a state collector! You should go to North Dakota – I thought it was beautiful (well, the western portion anyways. I hear the east can be a bit bleaker.)
What a timely post as I juuust ended a road trip! We did 3 states and 2 provinces – it was such a great way to see different places. I love your ‘welcome to…’ pictures – kinda nerdy and super awesome! I guess I’ve been to 11 states and 5 provinces…. Looks like they’ll be more road trips in my future
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I think I should turn my attention to provinces! Although Nunavut makes North Dakota look like a piece of cake….
Love this post…especially the ideas on North Dakota & how road trips are about the journey (isn’t all travel?). My dream is to one day just take off in my car, and drive the country!
Adam Sommer recently posted..Philadelphia, PA: Please Touch Museum
I hope you can realize your dream someday Adam! Road trips are never long enough.
The great American roadtrip is definitely on my bucket list – I do however have to get a licence first, haha. Great post, and very informative!
Good luck with that license! Thanks for the kind words.
I am a state collector too! Thanks for the Hawaii tips – I’ll keep an eye open for last-minute deals. I like how you took photos in front of all the state signs. I took pictures of all the signs but didn’t put myself in most of them. I also skipped the Dakotas on my big cross-country trip but found a reason to visit the following year
Have you made it to 50 yet?
Scott – Quirky Travel Guy recently posted..There’s a volcano in the heart of Portland, Oregon
Well since you asked, I suppose I can reveal. I’ve been to 49 states. My one missing state is Alaska. I have tentative plans to visit late this summer but plans are still in the works. Good luck picking up Hawaii!
I not much of a collector when it comes to travel, but my wife is really into collecting countries. We plan trips to be able to hit some extra places on her list. Last summer we had to make a specific trip to Liechtenstein, but it was just a weekend for us, so not so bad. It was a good weekend actually, and we both got and extra stamp. Think how many more state collectors there would be if they gave stamps for visiting.
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While I wouldn’t want to wait in a customs line at state borders, it would be nice to take home a little memento. I guess that’s what I try to do with the state signs, though I started this long after I started visiting states. I probably only have about 20 state signs now.
Such a great post! I haven’t been much of a state collector myself, but i’m pretty sure I need to start! I love the photos next to the state signs too!
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Thanks for the kind words! The state line photos have turned into a fun project over the years – it’s amazing to see the toll age has taken since the South Carolina picture!
I wouldn’t consider myself a collector of states, but I did acquire a number of collectible patches of states on a cross-country road trip I took with my parents when I was 13. I don’t remember how many I collected or what happened to them since then, but it seemed like a lot at the time.
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Patches sound like a cool way to memorialize visits to different states.
Those photos remind me of when I travelled around America. I did the whole picture by the signs thing too!
Spencer recently posted..Ten Top Hotels in Oslo
I used to be a state collector and still am to a certain extent. I have now become a country and continent collector, which is far more expensive than being a state collector. Fun piece. Great job, John.
Leah Travels recently posted..Flower Power
Yes countries and continents cannot be easily checked off on weekend road trips!
It’s definitely one of my goals to see all 50 States. I’ve got a lot of the east coast done, but I’ve barely made it out west. I’m hoping to take a big road trip (one of my favorite ways to travel) when I’m back in the US. These are come good tips. Thanks!
Amanda @ Farsickness recently posted..A Weekend on Muuido
Big road trips are the best way to collect states…and to see the country!
I’m definitely a state collector! I’ve been to 46 out of 50 and am missing Alaska, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi. I’d like to plan a road trip in the southeast to knock off the three in the lower 48, especially because I’ve been itching to visiting Savannah for years! I just knocked off my 45th one – New Mexico – last week.
I’m not a country collector, though I’d like to visit as many countries as I am years old. I’m short by nine countries right now.
I’d also like to do more traveling in Canada. I’ve visited three provinces, but there’s still so much to see!
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This is cool – When I’m flying if I have to make a connection, I try to connect through a state I haven’t been to so I can add to my state count. It’s a bit dubious to count a visit to the airport as visiting a state though! I’m not even from the US and I’m a state collector, more so than a country collector even.
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A lot of people criticize it, but I don’t see anything wrong with just keeping a little tally of where you’ve been.