A millennial who visited all 50 states by age 31 shares her favorite and least favorite — and tips for your own US trips
30.08.2024 - 22:34
/ insider.com
/ Sunshine State
Melissa Dewalt caught the travel bug a decade ago when she drove from her home state of Pennsylvania across the country to California to visit her then-boyfriend. She then road-tripped north to Seattle.
"That was my first trip out west, and I was hooked," Dewalt, a 31-year-oldchiropractor, told Business Insider.
In 2018, while in Louisiana on a trip for her sister's birthday, Dewalt realized she had traveled to her 37th state — and resolved to make it to all 50.
She carefully mapped out which states she would hit over the next few years and aimed to visit her last state, Hawaii, on vacation to celebrate her 30th birthday.
The COVID-19 pandemic, however, thwarted many of the trips she had planned, so while she still traveled to Hawaii as she turned 30, it was state No. 46. In August, she completed a road trip through her final states: Montana, Idaho, and North Dakota.
Dewalt said she prefers spending her money on stateside travel rather than hopping overseas because she is most drawn to natural wonders across America.
"I've never really had the desire to go to Europe. I'm very much a mountain girl," she said. "I would rather see natural things created by, like, glaciers and rivers."
Growing up, Dewalt didn't think much of Alaska because it was so far away.
Going into her 50-state journey, she expected Montana to be her favorite destination, but the landscapes of The Last Frontier captured her heart.
"It's just a fairy tale up there," Dewalt said. "Growing up, one of my favorite things was to go to Maine, and it always stuck with me how special it is to see mountains and the ocean in one view."
Dewalt and her husband took a northbound cruise from Vancouver and arrived on land in the port city of Seward. They then took a picturesque train ride up to Fairbanks.
They also stopped in Alaska's biggest city, its capital Anchorage, and Denali, a national park that is home to the highest mountain peak in North America.
They saw wildlife and even the northern lights.
Dewalt said it was the trip of a lifetime.
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"It should be a bucket list trip for everybody," she said.
To Dewalt, Florida was the least impressive state, mostly because she felt her itinerary included only overdeveloped and touristy spots. She said she didn't see enough natural beauty for her liking during her time in Florida.
"We went up to the 10th floor of the hotel," Dewalt said. "But it felt like there was nothing here, just a bunch of roads and theme parks."
However, she added that she's open to changing her mind about the Sunshine State.
Dewalt said she and her husband are traveling back to Florida next year for a wedding and plan to visit the Everglades, wetlands known for mangroves and crocodiles, and Biscayne National