The Explore All 50 States Project
Let's Go!
Though we'll be leaving toward the end of June on Road Trip #16 (yeah, I can hardly believe it!) I just booked our first set of flights last week-almost 6 months ahead-which will take us from LAX to NYC. After researching and some careful strategizing I was able to score an awesome deal. Wanna know how I did it? Besides booking early, here are my favorite tips to help you be smart shopper and score a deal for you and … [Read more...]
Planning a road trip through a big city like Los Angeles, Chicago, or New York City where you'll need more than one day to check it out? How do you figure out how to manage your time to see as many things as you can? I found myself in that predicament recently in planning our 16th road trip to New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. In this post I'll show you step by step how I planned and plotted my way to an … [Read more...]
Staying in a condo can be a super alternative to a hotel but it all depends on your type of trip and schedule. If you are exploring in a particular area with numerous excursions that are at a maximum of 2 hours away, a condo rental is definitely something you should look at as an option that can provide a cozy and often economical stay. My friend and fellow road tripper Lisa Orlanski rented a home in Vermont as … [Read more...]
Sure you can find just about anything you need online these days, but I still love thumbing through travel books to research my road trips. I not only find it more efficient, but infinitely more enjoyable to go city by city and tag the things that look super interesting. Later I map out my "wish list" and see what falls on or near our route in some cases adjusting our route to include something really awesome. … [Read more...]
During our trip to Alaska, due to no fault of my own, a flying object hit my windshield causing a crack for which I was responsible. For the first time ever in all my years of renting a car, I finally had to put my credit card coverage to the test. You can read my previous post about it by clicking here, but after it was all said and done, I still had to come out of pocket about $125 to cover what the credit card … [Read more...]
If you've been following us on Facebook and Twitter then you know we are planning an awesome trip to New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania next summer to tick another three states off our list. At the end of next summer we'll have visited 46. Our trips are not only an annual tradition, but over the last 10 years have become legend. So while it wasn't surprising, it was still a thrill to hear that Lilia, my college … [Read more...]
If you've been following us on here and on social media, you know we just came back from an Alaskan road trip. Where most folks opt to do a cruise to cover a fair amount of area, we decided to buck convention and do a real road trip, flying and driving through our 50th state. The rental cost on the two cars (one in Juneau for a day and a half and one in Anchorage that we dropped off in Fairbanks three days … [Read more...]
When it comes to pacing your road trip, balance is key. The pace of your trip is a key factor in making the experience a success that leaves everyone excited for the next one. A trip that’s too jam-packed with activities can be overwhelming and exhausting. On the other hand, a trip that is too slow or with too few planned outings can leave everyone bored. A well-paced trip keeps everyone excited for the next … [Read more...]
One of my biggest motivations for starting The Explore All 50 Project with my kids was to create a family history, one rich with rituals that define who we are giving us a collective sense of identity and purpose. I instinctively knew this was really important for my kids, but I didn't realize just how much, and how important it would come to be in connecting us all together. Rituals can be defined as "a sequence … [Read more...]
Embarking on a road trip can be a fun and exciting time but it can also be a time to stress out over a multitude of things related to your adventure. Have I got everything I need? Have I got all my reservation info organized? Have I taken care of things to make sure my home is safe while I’m gone? These are all questions I ask myself in the days leading up to my departure and I am sure you do too. Because I’ve … [Read more...]
