The most common path to visiting all 50 states happens gradually—woven into the journey of life. Childhood trips to visit out-of-state relatives or classic family road trips mark the beginning. In college years, people travel for school and make friends from different parts of the country, opening up new places to explore. Some join the military and are stationed across the U.S. and beyond. Careers lead to unexpected destinations, while adult vacations offer much-needed escapes and opportunities to see new places. For many, retirement brings the time and flexibility to travel more freely.
At some point, we start counting how many states we’ve seen—then set our sights on finishing the rest. One by one, we make it to every state in the U.S.A.!