Dominate the Newbie Zone/ All 50

[Falcon Lovejoy]

So, I have done a little bit of travelling (not nearly enough) and the one thing everyone asks me as I meet new people is "What is X city like? I hear it's amazing." In order to better answer their questions and to be a better ambassador for my country while in others, I have decided I want to spend at least one week in every state to get a feel for what it's like there.

 

I'm from the south, Mississippi in fact. I have Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas down. I have been to New Orleans more times than I can count and Baton Rouge more times than I ever wanted. I have, at separate times, lived in Houston and Austin for a year each. That then leaves 47 states left to better experience. It's not that I have never been to other states, it's that I usually went to do a specific thing and therefore didn't see outside of the tourist site or city I was stuck in to do something. 

 

My plan is to buy a van to convert to a camper. This will allow me the freedom of travelling the state as well as always having a place to sleep. I want to have a place to shower and workout so I plan on joining the YMCA so I can just pay a few dollars and pay the non local member fee to use the facilities in most every major city. Not every YMCA allows this but from my 15 minutes of typing in random cities into the search engine their website had, it doesn't seem like it would be a problem to find a participating one. I'll have an ice chest for food, basic cooking equipment, hit up laundromats as needed but I could probably pack enough to make it 2 weeks if needed at a time.

 

I'm thinking I'll go alphabetical and start with my next door neighbor, Alabama. That will be a good trial run. I'll check out Birmingham, Mobile, whatever else I can find. I'm going to do a tour of all the SEC football stadiums for games, but that will be a separate trip. I'll skip Alaska until I have a little more van experience under my belt, but it is definitely a priority. That's the trip I'll be building to. It will take a few years but I think it will be well worth it. I'll know my country far better than most because I will have crisscrossed it so many times. My work schedule really works in my favor as well as I work offshore for 3 weeks at a time then home for 3 weeks. I'm not married nor do I have any children so my schedule is pretty much wide open. 

 

Tell me what you guys think. Any tips or tricks I should know?

 

[calanthrophy]

You'll want to fit your van with pontoons and a sail when it's time to visit Hawaii.

[Falcon Lovejoy]

 

You'll want to fit your van with pontoons and a sail when it's time to visit Hawaii.

Yeah, I won't be driving there haha.

[Falcon Lovejoy]

I've been looking at a Chrysler Town and Country for a possible candidate for my van. The rear seats all fold flat to allow a mattress for minimal remodeling. It also has numerous plugs for charging phones, laptops, or whatever I need. Also pretty discreet so I can park just about anywhere for the night without attracting attention.