Who is up for a little travel competition?
A little road trip challenge to visit all 50 US States.
Well, The Road to Fifty is just that. It is a fun little travel-based competition that we started with friends of ours, another couple who love to travel and take road trips as much as we do. After they made a couple of USA road trips of their own, they began tracking the states they had visited on a USA Scratch Map. When we showed them how many we had been to, which was a lot more than them at the time, the competition was born. Which couple could visit all 50 states first? Seems simple enough, right?
How does our Road to Fifty Competition work?
The goal of the #RoadToFifty started as a numbers game complete with bragging rights: be the first couple to see all 50 States of the USA together and be declared the winner.
The prize: the losing couple would have to pay for the winning couple to have a weekend vacation in the state of their choosing.
The Rule for the Competition:
The couple must spend time in the state. They must do something there, even if it is to have a meal or a beer/cocktail. Experience something in the state, or it does not count. Stops in airports, train stations, and bus terminals (that is not likely to happen anyway) do not count as having visited the state.
This competition plays perfectly to both couples’ love of road trips, experiencing new things, and winning. That’s right, I said it. It’s a fact that both couples have someone who hates to lose. They will do what they have to do to win this wager. There is a lot on the line, after all. The prize is nice, but that’s not really the end game here. The real goal is bragging rights.
Get Your Kicks on Route 66
Throughout 2015, we held on to our lead, but the gap was narrowing. We managed to take a giant leap forward and maintain our lead by deciding to finally take an abridged version of a Route 66 Road trip that I have wanted to do for years.
With some creative travel planning, we managed to cross off six states in 1 trip, and along the way, we discovered something quite remarkable. We actually loved Oklahoma. This came as a complete shock to us. We did not know what to expect from Oklahoma, and what we did know clearly was nothing compared to what it had to offer. I found this quote online, and I think it completely sums up our experience with Oklahoma:
“No place is ever as bad as they tell you it’s going to be.” – Chuck Thompson
As 2018 comes to a close, we are sitting at 42 of the 50 States visited, and they are at 35. While this started out as a competition, it has evolved into something much more. The Road to Fifty encourages us to think outside the box when planning a trip. We need to dig a little deeper and find inspiration in what each state has to offer us as travellers. As we go, we learn more about the different states; their history, culture, food, and people. As our experience with Oklahoma proved, there is a lot out there that we have no idea about. We are discovering hidden gems that inspire us, roadside attractions that entertain us, food that excites us, and in some pretty unexpected places.
When you plan your Road To Fifty vacation – make sure you pack plenty of RoadTrip Snacks
Discover the Beauty of Every State
Every state has something special to offer, and if you don’t take chances and experience it, you might be missing out on something pretty wonderful. We hope The Road to Fifty will inspire your own travel adventures, help you get out of your comfort zone, explore new destinations and discover something along the way.
The competitive spirit is alive and well, and while there is a wager on the line, complete with bragging rights, this competition encourages creativity when planning vacations and stoking our curiosity. Regardless of how this contest ends, the fact is, we all will win because we are seeing places and experiencing things we might not have before.
Now, let’s think: How can we check one more state off of our list?
#RoadtoFifty
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