How well do you know your country?

I really want to do a cross country trip, but haven’t had the opportunity yet. Hopefully I’ll be able to take at least 2 or 3 weeks off one of these days to do it, although ideally I’d like to take 2 months, really see some sights and hit all the territories, too.

The only provinces/states I’ve been to so far are BC (although I’ve explored that quite a bit), Alberta, Saskatchewan, the Yukon, Alaska and Washington. Overseas, I’ve been to England.

I do know all of the states I’ve visited in America and it isn’t nearly as many as I want to see before I die. Here’s my tally so far:

Arizona, Nevada, California, New Mexico, Alabama, New York, Wisconsin, Colorado, Utah, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Wyoming, Texas, and Louisiana.

I’ve never done the coast-to-coast run but my longest road trip was Arizona to Wisconsin and it was one of the most relaxing and entertaining road trips I’ve ever taken.

I’ve lived in pretty much all 4 corners. Jersey (home state), South Florida, Oregon, and SoCal. It’s pretty crazy seeing the difference in climate, atmosphere and just overall landscape of each of those places. In the past year I’ve been to 18 different states. Pretty much the whole east and west coasts, and some inbetween. I think I know it pretty well. But I’d like to do a Rt 80 (Cali to Jersey) roadtrip soon.

@amanderveen I’m so envious of you! I’d love to travel through Canada. Especially the Yukon.

Ohhhh I wish I knew my country more!! I envy people who have the time to do that!!! I usually visit my parents every spare time I get instead of visiting my country. Especially since Mexico has such an amazing flora and fauna.

I’ve never done ACROSS the country, but a few years back I did New Hampshire to North Carolina. I really liked that trip and making it to NC was amazing, it was beautiful where I was. However, driving through Pennsylvania was the WORST experience of my life. That damn state never ends!!!

Here’s my state list

Jersey, New York, Maryland, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Delaware, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Utah, Arizona, Colorado (which is where I am currently), Nevada, California, Oregon, Washington.

@adreamofautumn try driving through Texas. That is a damn state that never ends. I drove from Nashville to South Padre Island TX which took 21 hours, but worth ever second

C’mon people where is Tennessee on your list?

i’ve only been to 3 states – here (south florida), north carolina (i was like 3 and don’t remember it at all), and new york (which i haven’t visited since 6th grade. i want to travel so badly though. as much as i’d LOVE to go out of country, i feel like there’s so much to see in my own country. i want to hit up all the smaller states too.
it’s funny when you’re like blown away by the differences between south and north florida. it’s like, god, what else is out there?! haha

@tennesseejac Blondesjon and I honeymooned in Gatlinburg. Beautiful state! :)

@jonsblond I knew I liked you guys for a reason

My longest trip was Chapel Hill, Little Rock, Tulsa, Albuquerque, Durango, somewhere in Utah, couple of stops in Idaho, Spokane, Seattle, Portland, Crater Lake, six weeks in Napa (stopped to work at a winery), San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Monica, San Diego and back to Albuquerque. That was in ‘99.

I also did Chicago to Albuquerque in a single, 18-hour stretch thanks to 9/11.

32 states & D.C. Most of the gaps are in the plains and NE.

There’s too many great places to list, but I like the Pacific NW, Sonoma County, the SoCal coast, and the four corners area

@tennesseejac Tennessee rocks! Most of my ancestors came from there. I’ve got the family tree dating back to the early 1800s. :D

@kevbo Four corners is awesome. How was Crater Lake? Always wanted to go there.

@jonsblond – You have to see the Yukon sometime! Absolutely gorgeous! I have some photos, but they do not come remotely close to doing it justice.

I’d really like to check out the east coast in the fall and see all the colours one of these days, too. Oh, so many places to go, so little time and money. :oP

I have to admit I’m pretty lucky living in BC, though. Lots to see right in my backyard!

@amanderveen You are very lucky. Northern Minnesota and Wisconsin are just as beautiful during the fall, a little closer to you than the east coast. Not by that much though. It is nice to dream!

I’m ashamed of my list. I’ve never been further west than Pennsylvania. I’ve been to:
Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Delaware, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.

I’m hoping to go on cross country by the end of the year.

@petethepothead Don’t be ashamed. At least you have the desire to travel!

Been to (in alphabetical order): Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tenessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington.
Wow! I had no idea it was so many until I just made that list.

Oh shit. Forgot PA, and Ohio.

@jonsblond, Crater Lake is beautiful and has some nice hikes. Definitely worth a trip.

@breedmitch That’s why I didn’t make mine yet. Lurve for alphabetical order!

@kevbo I’m so there. At least in my dreams. :)

From my home base in Maryland (though I now live in West Virginia), I’ve been as far north as New York, as far south as Florida and as far west as Missouri, and every state in between (including Tennessee!). And of course, DC. I’d love to have about 3 months to travel by car or RV all over the US. Got to make it out to Washington State and Cali.

Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Illinois, California, Florida

I have yet to go to DC (but that will be soon) or see any other states out west or down south.

Well, let’s see. I’ve been to California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, Idaho, Wyoming, Texas, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. That’s twenty-eight.

I would love to visit the rest of them. My uncle, who retired at 65, spent his next fifteen years visiting every state of the union. He was the son of immigrants and very proud to be an American. I have always admired his spirit, though I think it is a bit sad that he never had any ambition to travel outside his native country. I wish he could have seen his parents’ homeland in Europe.

I have enjoyed my travels both in America and abroad.

@tabbycat Though I feel that it is important to visit abroad, so many people don’t take the opportunity to enjoy the beauty in their own backyard. Your uncle is very fortunate to have traveled the land that he loved!

All but alaska and Hawaii. I loved it all and hope to take my kids!

I loathe long car trips, but I have done too many to count. During the course of life and those trips I have visited 21 states. My favorite: my home state of California with New York (been to NYC and Buffalo and if I could afford it I would move to NYC in a hot second) being a close second. My least favorite would have to be Michigan – apologies to any Michiganders out there, that state just does not suit me. I would love to visit Washington D.C., Alaska, and Hawaii.

I have never been to the US, but here’s the European countries I’ve visited (Europe has a bit over 50 countries and is comparable to the US in size and population):

Portugal
Spain
France
Luxemburgh
Netherlands
Belgium
Italy
San Marino
Greece
(Turkey, if that counts)
UK
Eire
Denmark
Germany
Poland
Lithuania
Czech Republic
Slovakia
Hungary
Buglaria
Croatia
Serbia
Slovenia
FYROM (when it was still Yugoslavia)
Switzerland
Austria
Bosnia-Herzegovina

Lived in a few of these, travelled a lot by car, so yes, I think I know Europe pretty well (and could find my way anywhere easily without a map).

Oh wow @Jack79, I’d love to be able to travel around all those countries. What languages do you know (any advice on the best few to be able to get around at all)? Infact there’s loads I’d probably like to know about travelling around Europe and the different quirks of the different countries hah :D Over what time period did you visit/travel/live to/in these countries (if you don’t mind me asking…)

As for how much I know about my country, very little I have to admit but I’ve not got much interest in it sadly.

@Jack79 May I ask which country was your favorite? My son will be traveling to Germany, Austria and Switzerland in a year with student exchange, he can’t wait to see the Alps.

@jonsblond : oh your son is gonna love it there!!! Where in Switzerland is he staying? I know that country back to back, I lived there for a year and I could give your son some gooood places to visit!

@jack79: Im impressed by your European travel! What your favorite country? Mine are Belgium and Greece… just lovely and great, great food!!!!!!

@May2689 He’ll get to stay in Lucerne for two days. The majority of his trip will be spent in Bavaria. They do have an option of visiting Mt. Pilatus.
When they travel through Switzerland, it will be from Innsbruck to Lucerne then on to Heidelberg, Germany.

So he stays in the german territory. Well, Lucern is an amazing city he’ll love it. Its really small, like most Swiss cities. Tell him that, if he has a chance, he should go to Bern. Its also on the german side and I dont think its very far from Lucern.

@May2689 Thanks! He’s going to have an amazing time. :)

Aw. I’ve only been to the Caymans, but hey! I was there for 6 months.

@Skyrail other than English, I am fluent in Greek and German. I speak a few words of Czech, Dutch (which is easy to understand if you speak English and German) and Polish. I learnt some Russian and Arabic at some point, but don’t feel so confident anymore.

@jonsblond my favourite country is the Czech Republic, which is quite close to where your son is travelling. Though all he’ll probably see nowadays is a bunch of American tourists drinking cheap beer in the central square in Prague. I love it for what it was in the early ‘90s.

The Alps are great this time of year if you can afford them. Even if you don’t ski, it’s very beautiful to simply be there. And perhaps even better in spring.

@May2689 I love Greek food, though I hate most things about Greece (I am there at the moment). I like Belgium a lot, especially the north side though. I enjoyed living in Poland recently, and had the best years of my life in Dresden (East Germany).

@Jack79 thanks for the lovely insight, and that’s a nice collection of lanauges, maybe someday I’ll be able to speak more then my measily native English :)

States I’ve been to:
Alabama
Arizona
California
Connecticut
DC
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michican
Mississippi
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Vermont
Virginia
West Virginia

@Jack79 How could you hate Greece? I’m Greek, and all I’ve heard is great things about it. Although Greek Food IS amazing.

Thank you everyone for posting. I love to travel and you all have me dreaming now!

@Jack79 : Yes Jack, im intriged! What is it that you hate about Greece?? Ok first of all, where in Greece are you? Because Athens is filthy (no offense).
I was in Belgium last summer and stayed in Brussels and Bruges. Have you heard of a festival/concert known as ROCKWERCHTER? Thats basically the reason I went up there in the first place.
Whats cooking in Poland, btw?

Cooking in Poland is great. At least the food I like.

Greece is great for a couple of years, but I have spent far too many here, and it can get really tiring after a while. Nothing works, everybody is lazy and disorganised, and there is a lot of hypocricy going on. Men are macho, women are pretentious. Everybody’s in love with themselves. There is this myth about “Elliniki filoxenia” (which I am sure applies to your mother chelsea). I’m sure it exists on some remote mountain village, but personally I’ve seen more filoxenia in Germany.

filoxenia= filos (friend, love) + xenos (stranger, foreigner). The love of strangers, ie hospitality. Greece has a frighteningly high rise in racist attacks in the last few years, with the extreme right-wing party up to 7% and a general hatred towards foreigners.

Anyway, it’s still great for holidays, and even for a couple of years living here. But not forever. I live on an island btw, and that’s as good as it gets.

im sorry to hear that and I must agree. Every time I visit Greece the people are incredibly rude. The only people that are nice to you are fellow tourists.

@Jack79 It’s my dad who is Greek :D

I assumed it would be both parents. In any case, the stereotype seen in “Big Fat Wedding” is pretty accurate as far as US immigrants are concerned, but modern-day Greece (with half the population living in Athens) is very different. But what I hate most about the country is that nothing works, at least not for long. It just gets tiring after a while. There have been 5–6 blackouts today, including one 5 mins ago when I turned on this computer. My car is not ready as it should be, so I borrowed my sister’s, which I parked on a double yellow line, just like everybody else. And spent the whole afternoon outside a shop waiting to buy a fuse (due to the power failure). It opened an hour later than what it said on the door. At least in Poland everything is dead after 6pm and you’re stuck at home watching dubbed sitcoms on TV.

If things are so bad, why are you still liviing there??

I am not “still” living here. I just moved here last Monday. Actually my things aren’t even here yet. I didn’t chose to, and I hope it will be temporary.

@Jack79 Why are you there?

family reasons

@Jack79 Ahh, gotcha.

States
California, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, Florida, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, North Carolina, South Carolina, District of Columbia, Maryland, Delaware, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine
no coast to coast

Countries
Canada, Australia, New Zealand, USA, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Haiti, Jamaica, Dominican Republic