Don’t Forget About America

Sometimes we get so caught up in travelling internationally we forget that there are a lot of great things to see right here in the United States. We have the Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, Western National Parks, LA, San Fran, Vegas, Chicago, New York, DC, Disneyland and Miami. It is important to see your own country as well. I can’t tell you how many people have told me that they’ve been to more countries than they have States in America. It’s kind of crazy to think about but not really.

The US is so big that it is hard to go to several places in one trip and certainly it is is difficult to see places in different geographical areas of the States. As a result of this, it can be very time consuming and expensive to get around in America. In fact, you could see about 30 different countries in Europe if you equated driving cross country in America to driving across Europe. Thats 30 places with totally different cultures, languages and people as opposed to America, where there are clearly cultural divides in areas of the US but you have a long way to go to get there.

I have been lucky enough to have traveled a lot of the US, having been to 38 of the 50 States thusfar, without even really trying. I traveled a lot for work in my early career to some of the more obscure states and I have also adopted the art of traveling for sporting events. My quest to see different stadiums and sporting events has taken me around the country to both pro and college sports towns in many different states. Why else would I have gone to Alabama other than to see a college football game or two, no offense to anyone in Alabama.

I do intend on seeing all 50 states at some point but it’s hard to motivate to see Montana when I could use that time to go to Guyana instead. But I have seen all of the US that I have wanted to see and plan to see more of the western parks when I have a family. I have seen all of the great buildings in our great cities and the monuments that make us proud. America doesn’t quite have the history that Europe and some other places do. The best places to visit are the modern attractions it seems. It’s funny because the most popular places for foreigners to visit are New York, Orlando and Vegas…New York I understand, but Disneyland and Vegas, I mean, common! This is what we are known for around the world. Marketing at its best I guess.

A lot of people love to drive cross country and I have driven across half of the country and I understand the draw but let me tell you. There is a lot of flat farmland out there that takes forever to get across. If you are coming to visit America, pick some places and get an airpass to fly between them-save some money and time. If you are in the Northeast, the train network is great and easy but certainly not cheap. It’s unfortunate that you can’t come close to seeing everything in one 2 week trip but pick a coast and then come back and visit America again. And if you’re an American who hasn’t seen anything in your own country, get out and see some great things in your own backyard.