July 10, 2023
Congratulations to Md Rajibul Al Mamun - the first All Fifty Club member from Bangladesh!
Final State - Hawaii
Favorite - Upper Peninsula of Michigan
Record Holder - First member from Bangladesh
More favorites and pictures on his profile page
From Rajib -
I came to South Dakota State University as an international student at the end of 2008. I had a dream to visit all 50 states to learn more about the USA and enjoy its scenic beauty. In my first 3 years, I only visited 4 states: South Dakota, Illinois, Minnesota, and Iowa. In the next 3 years, I visited another 9 states. Then I moved to Madison, Wisconsin in June 2015 for a job. In 2016, I had to go to Washington, DC to give my fingerprint for my Bangladeshi passport renewal. At that time, my journey to 50 states started with a plan. In that solo trip of 5 days, I visited Washington, DC and another 13 states. In 2017, I had two solo trips: one in the West and the other one in the South. I visited 11 states in those two trips. Then I had another trip to the Northeast with two of my friends in the same year. I visited 7 more states during that trip. So, I had 44 states at that point, only Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, and Hawaii left. In May 2018, I had a trip to Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Park with a friend when I visited Montana and Idaho. In the next month (June 2018), I had a solo trip to Washington and Oregon. At the end of the trip, I flew from Seattle to Anchorage, Alaska with a friend which was planned before. I count this tri-state trip as one trip. That trip gave me 49 states and DC travel experience. I loved to keep the number 49 as long as I could. That’s why in the next couple of years I travelled more in the lower 48 states with my family and visited more scenic places. Eventually, in April 2023, I could not stay longer on the number 49 and planned for a Hawaii trip. It took me to the 50 states club. I mentioned “7 planned trips” above which helped me to visit 50 states, however, I had 20+ out-of-state trips (with at least one night stay) which expanded my travel experience. I travelled more inside the USA because I love this country so much even if I was not born here.
Here are some numbers (as of April 2023) I would like to share.
| Topic | Number |
| Number of states I visited with touch the ground (excluding airports) and a purchase such as gas or food on each state | 50 + DC |
| Number of states I drove a car | 50 + DC |
| Number of states I stayed overnight | 38 + DC |
| Number of states I visited more than once (and in separate trips) | 34 |
| Number of out-of-state trips I had with at least one night stay | 20+ |
| Number of national parks I visited | 17 |
| Number of state parks I visited | 100+ |
| Number of national parkways I drove | 3 (Natchez Trace, Skyline Drive, and Blue Ridge) |
| Number of US airports I used for travel | 20+ |
My own safety rules: I had solo trips and trips with friends and family. However, in most cases, I was the only driver. I never drive overnight. I like to stay in a hotel overnight to have a good sleep. I take a longer shower in the morning during a trip so that I can drive carefully. I plan my trips very well so that I do not have to rush. If I feel tired, I stop in rest areas or gas stations. I also don’t like to have a trip more than 6 days (5 nights) long if there is a long drive. In this way, I don’t feel exhausted.
My own saving tips: I usually travel from a big airport (most of my travels were done from O'Hare International Airport) to another big airport and then rent a car. This way I had mostly regional trips. Regional trips minimize long drives as I do not need to drive in neighboring states repeatedly. I used to take early morning flights for departure when airline tickets are comparatively cheaper.
My next plan: I would like to travel to focused areas such as national parks and the places I love most in the USA.
