Where have you traveled?

[Kirk W]

The thread started by Bruce T got me to thinking about our travels and comparing our experience to those of people we know and some of my relatives. Growing up on a Kansas farm, I had traveled very little when I left home and left with a burning desire to change that. I have been fortunate enough to have spent time in most of the states and at least passed through all 50, but have only visited about a dozen countries and several of those for only a brief stop by cruise ship. I suspect that this group is much better traveled than the average American. The following comes from Forbes Magazine, 2019.

Quote

--  Eleven percent of survey respondents have never traveled outside of the state where they were born.

-- Over half of those surveyed (54 percent) say they’ve visited 10 states or fewer.

-- As many as 13 percent say they have never flown in an airplane.

-- Forty percent of those questioned said they’ve never left the country.

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-- Over half of respondents have never owned a passport. 

How much have you traveled?

[Jinx & Wayne]

Since we've been RVing we've been in the eastern half of the country.  Covid put the brakes on this year's western travel.  Before that I've been in every state (although Alaska's visit was confined to the view from the drop door of a C-141 medevac flight on the ground in December at 2:00 am.)  I've lived in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Kansas, Colorado, Texas, Hawaii, Florida and California.  I visited most of non-communist Europe when stationed in Germany, and I've been to a few places in Asia.  The Caribbean was confined to cruise ports with the exception of travel in Mexico.  As a kid we camped our way across country between New England and California several times (tent and car, not RV).

Jinx has traveled extensively in the US having been to all states except Alaska. Her family RV'd.  We cruised the Caribbean together and we met at Ft. Riley, KS (both vets.)

The adventure continues.

[LindaH]

I've visited most states except for two or three (Hawaii being one).  We've RV'd in 27 states (staying at least one night), and 3 Canadian provinces and 1 territory. 

[k4rs]

We have visited all of the lower 48 states, spending time in most of them.  I believe that Delaware is the only state that we have not spent at least one night.  In addition, we have visited most of the Canadian provinces and we spent an entire summer in Alaska.   The year we wintered in south Texas, we took a bus tour through Mexico.  We made one trip to the Bahamas and spent about a week in Freeport.

We have not been to Hawaii because the bridge has not been completed.  😀

We have seen a lot but realize that we have just scratched the surface.  There are so many places to go and things to see that nobody has enough time to see them all.

Safe Travels (or not)...

 

[Twotoes]

I have been to all the US States except WA, OR, SC, DE, CT, RI, ME, AK, HI, ND. Also been to U.K., France, Holland, Germany, Italy, Vatican, Greece, Czech Republic. Got to Berlin when the Wall was coming down. Additionally, Japan, China, VietNam, Bahamas, Jamacha, Mexico, Canada. 

[remoandiris]

49 states, 8 Canadian provinces, 21 European countries, and the Republic of Panama.

[Bill Joyce]

Being an Army brat I lived in many places while young, including France.  My mother is a war bride that my father met and married in China.  My mother made it back to China many years ago and could not recognize Shanghai, where she lived throughout WW2.  Coming back from France we drove from New York to Washington state, where I grew up, but I was too young to remember that much of the trip.  As an adult before RVing I had been in 14 states, including Alaska and Hawaii, the Caribbean and 5 European counties (France, Italy, Malta, Greece and Turkey), plus Canada, Mexico and Costa Rica.  

Since RVing we (now all trips include my wife) have camped in 49 states, 6 Canadian provinces, along with day trips into Mexico.  Now that we are part timers we have visited Taiwan and plan more foreign trips and to get back to Hawaii.   

Edited October 20, 2020 by Bill Joyce

[docj]

Over the years we've stayed in all 50 States and DC but we've also been fortunate enough to have been in all 10 Canadian provinces plus the Yukon Territory. 

Admittedly, we only were in Yukon for a couple of hours, having rented a car at a cruise ship stop in AK just so we could drive into Yukon and see Emerald Lake.

Last summer, we left the MH on PEI and took the car over to NL to spend two memorable weeks there!

As for business travel, I ran a Lockheed Martin subsidiary that was doing work for the USG in Russia.  At one point my passport had so many stamps and visas that I had to have pages added.  >15 trips to Russia including unique opportunities to visit places like Vladivostok and Archangelsk.   And, of course, there were trips to more "normal" places like China, Japan, Korea ,Taiwan, Norway, France, Belgium, Ukraine, and the UK.

[Mr. Camper]

Including RV travel and military duty I've made it to 45 states and 15 countries.  Lots of interesting sights but nothing compares to the USA.  We hope to make it to all 50 states when/if the pandemic ends before our traveling stops.

[2gypsies]

We've been to all states and spent 3m in Alaska 2x; and Hawaii 1m. Went across Canada and Yukon. 

England and Scotland for a month on a visit to see daughter.

[Second Chance]

We have traveled in our RV in 34 of the states (more if you count other modes of travel... but we don't). My wife spent her first 7 years in Argentina, then finished growing up in Costa Rica. (Her family spent furloughs every five years back in the states.) As an adult, she lived in Spain for ten years (and traveled all over southern Europe) and back in Costa Rica for another seven. Together we have visited Canada and each has visited (she studied two summers) Mexico separately. I lived in Somalia for a year and have visited Kenya, Djibouti, Ethiopia (as an unwelcome guest after a coup attempt in Nairobi), The Netherlands, England and Scotland. 

My memory isn't what it used to be, so I may have left something out...

Rob

Edited October 20, 2020 by Second Chance
Spelling correction

[sandsys]

I was born in Cuba but my Dad was discharged from the Navy when I was 3 months old so I don't remember being there. Dave and I have been in all the states except Alaska. We spent a week in the Netherlands--renting a car to do some traveling while there. We cruised to the Bahamas and spent a week in Freeport. We spent time in London and Paris more than once. We cruised the Blue Danube, Main and Rhine rivers visiting places along the way. Dave has been to Viet Nam. I wonder if that's all?

Linda

[Ray,IN]

We've been in 45 of the lower 48, AK and HI. Five CA  provinces + the Maritimes.

  Mexico; We walked through part of Juarez  one time, had a picture of us drawn in pencil, shopped in a plaza, ate lunch. Taxi drive back to bridge, driver took us to the wrong bridge, i would not get out until he took us to the correct bridge. He got loud, I lowered the window and shouted Policia,  he changed his mind. That was the only trouble we've had in North America.

 

 

[bruce t]

Kirk this is a 'stacked' thread. Being RVers we all have wandering genes so we are way ahead of the pack. I can remember years back Nat Geo doing a survey of university graduates with world geography questions. They were embarrassed by the results. I guess in these troubled times that won't improve but internal travel should improve. Travel is like football. Some like it some don't. Don't encourage it. If you do then those wonderful spots will become crowded and we will all start complaining.

We have been lucky. Travelled many parts of the world. But seen little. Touched down and transited many airports. Attended business meetings in foreign cities and seen nothing of those cities. Driven across US states in blizzards in white knuckle conditions and seen nothing. So my list of states and countries is vague because I don't really know the definition of what qualifies as "been there".

One of my favorite authors said you can drive from coast to coast in the USA on the interstate and see nothing.

[jjwicklund]

Been in every state but Maine and slept in all of them.  RV,ed in 37 states  and passed through another 2 we didn't camp in.   Two trips on the Alaskan Highway.  Other excursions to Canada for fishing and visiting relatives.  Only other international travel would be Nassau Bahamas.

[Chalkie]

Where have we traveled? The experience is somewhat different between the DW and myself. As youngsters both of our families liked to travel. Mine a little more than Jan’s. My Dad came from a family of 12 children and as such we had relatives spread quite literally from coast to coast and north to south, and we visited them all. As a child/young adult I had visited all but Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Alaska, and Hawaii.

Then I joined the Navy. Since I was married before joining the DW got to go along for a lot it. I was first overseas in the Philippines where we were able to explore a lot of, but nearly all, Luzon Island. While there I rode a number of ships out of Subic Bay and aside from being a member of the Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club was able to visit Singapore, Bangkok, both the northern and southern ends of Taiwan and Sasebo Japan and surrounds including Hiroshima. The DW added a short visit to Hawaii on her way to the Philippines and we both added a brief visit to Alaska on our way back to the States.

The next overseas, twice actually, was to Rota, Spain where we spent a total of 7 years. We were able to explore there as far north as Madrid, southern Portugal, Gibraltar. We also, thanks to medical appointments, were able to explore around the Frankfurt region of Germany. The wife made it to Morocco for a weekend trip as well. Again, my duties both aboard ship and otherwise took me to Barcelona, Spain, Toulon, France, various places in Italy (Naples, Pompeii, Bari, Bridisi, Venice), Sicily, and Israel.

The next overseas was to Scotland where we were able to visit all of Scotland proper, the Isle of Skye, England as far south as London and parts of Wales. It was a trip several years later where we finally made it to Ireland.

In the States we lived in Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, California, and Texas.

  

[Boutdone]

All USA states except Montana, SD, ND, Wyoming, California, Oregon, Washington & Nevada, oh, & Hawaii. Been to Europe 17 times, just returned from riding my motorcycle 6 months in Croatia, Slovenia, Albania, Bosnia, Italy, Switzerland, Montenegro & Austria. Wife and I spent 7 years on sailboat and circumnavigated the Caribbean, from Bahamas, Virgin Islands, West Indies, Trinidad, Venezuela, (out islands too), Bonaire, curaçao, Baja Nuevo, seranilla banks, & mexico. Italy remains my favorite country and Bequia my favorite island.

[Vladimir]

On 10/20/2020 at 8:15 AM, docj said:

As for business travel, I ran a Lockheed Martin subsidiary that was doing work for the USG in Russia.  At one point my passport had so many stamps and visas that I had to have pages added.  >15 trips to Russia including unique opportunities to visit places like Vladivostok and Archangelsk.   And, of course, there were trips to more "normal" places like China, Japan, Korea ,Taiwan, Norway, France, Belgium, Ukraine, and the UK.

I went to Vladivostock on business.  What a great city!!!  

If I could get to the Russian Far East with my Casita.....that would be great!!!  Kamchatka, my fly rod, and a old Soviet helicopter to transport me around. 

Otherwise, my trips are focused on National Forests and BLM sites in the western US.   Visiting all my former "work" areas has taken some time.  Still looking to spend more time in Wyoming, eastern Montana, Manitoba, Alberta, and a return to the Yukon.

Still want to do the "deep south".   One part that is missing in my travel routes.  So many places...so little time.

 

Edited November 8, 2020 by Vladimir

[jcussen]

Also been to Vladivostok in  the 90's delivering missile cutters after the missile reduction program. Great people, very friendly. Trouble was the cutters weighted  90 tons and they had no way to transport them to the missile sites. Last I heard they were still sitting at the dock rusting away. Did buy a case of plum vodka, alas, was so good, drank it within a year.

Edited November 9, 2020 by jcussen

[Bill Joyce]

My mother always wanted to visit Vladivostok, to see her father's grave, but never made it.  He died on a business trip when she was young and ended up buried there.  A friend found the grave while there and gave her a photo.  

[justRich]

In the skies with munitions over Laos during the Vietnam era.
On the ground in Laos as a tourist last year.

Covid brought our international travel plans to a screeching halt this year.

 

[richfaa]

All of the lower 48 plus Alaska and a couple of Canadian provinces. It took us many years to accomplish that.

[Bill w/bus]

We lived in HI for two years.  First two babies born there. Really I wasn't there very often as the submarines were designed to be out in the water. Then ID for two years as an instructor at a training facility.  Yellowstone was two hours away.  Started with tent trailer. Then a truck camper andoff to Norfolk, VA for three years. Explored the area pretty well. Really liked a weekend on Hatteras. Then moved to Maine for work and  sold the camper. Some 15 years later we decided  to try RV'ing again. We found a Dodge motorhome, 1970 at 24ft. Trip to Disney World via Foley, AL to visit family.  Transitioned through two more motorhomes. Then started our first bus coversion.  We used that for ten years. All states except CA, AZ, NM, TX, AR, MS, LA.. Second conversion, moved up five feet to forty,  was just for two of us and was an automatic.  That coach has completed all states  including a second trip to Alaska for the summer of 2016. During 2019 we worked the FMCA convention, RV Driving School instructor,  which gave us the golden opportunity to explore the Dakotas. Medora is a great stop.

Left are three Canadian provinces. Newfoundland is on the list for a summer time exploration.  Obviously this year was a travel bust. 

Bill

 

[Star Dreamer]

Just in the past year, now that I retired, We have been to 16 different states, around 18000 miles. In recent years, we have been to total of 36 states, 6 Canadian Provinces, 17 different countries.