A list of things a person wants to do before they die is a simple definition of the term bucket list. My bucket list started with a lofty goal of visiting all fifty states before I graduated high school. In my first grade class we read the timeless novel Flat Stanley. After reading the novel we had to make our own Flat Stanleys as a project and send him or her to a relative that lived in another state. Living in Northern Virginia at the time I sent my Flat Stanley to my uncle who at the time lived in Overland Park, Kansas. Coming home after being assigned this project my mother and I came up with the ultimate bucket list bullet point where we will become like Flat Stanley, and travel to all fifty states by the time I graduate high school. We chose that date because that would be the last time that I would be living with my mother on a consistent basis. Fast forward over a decade later, the number of days I have left until my high school graduation day has now dwindled down to a finger count of only one hand. After touching down back home, it quickly hit me how we lived out our bucket list bullet point.
Often times when I tell people that I am an avid traveler they often ask how to start and what was it's like. 49 states has taught me so much more than my first grade self could’ve never imagined. In more ways than one the United States of America is unique to the world in the sense that we have fifty separate, self-run states that together make up one powerful nation. As a citizen or tourist you can freely move between states if you have the means to do so.
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Each state is like a new country in the sense that there is a distinct culture that make up that particular state. While traveling from state to state I suggest going to visitor centers where you can meet locals who are so patriotic and passionate about there little or metropolitan hometown. I remember traveling to Sioux Falls, South Dakota and I met a woman in their visitor center who has lived in Sioux Falls her whole life and was able to share a myriad of information with me. Her stories alone made that trip so memorable.
I truly believe that traveling broadens a person’s mind and develops his or her ability to be open to new things with more ease. Traveling with new adventures encourages you to break out of your comfort zone and meet new people that you can learn a lot from.
Whether it’s deep dish pizza on Magnificent Mile or a cup of Lobster Bisque in Newport, food is glorious across this country and if you don’t eat like a local than what are you doing exactly?
Life is filled with memories – some good, some bad. But the amount of memories often hinders on whether a person is living their life to the fullest or just living their life since it was given to them. A great way to live your life to the fullest is by traveling to see what this amazing world has to offer.
Hurry because you might miss your flight and TSA is always relentless when you need them the most.
