Family Travel

50 States Before Graduation Challenge

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I love to travel and I am so glad that my husband and kids enjoy traveling as well.  We are fortunate to live in a country that has so many varying climates, diverse cultures, and natural landmarks.  While there is no way we can visit every square inch of the United States (though that would be a really cool thing to do!) we do hope to travel to all 50 states before Silas (our oldest) graduates from high school in 2027.

In September 2019 we set a goal of visiting all 50 states, and since then we have visited 8 states, and have two upcoming trips planned. One for the end of February, and one for the end of May.  For a state to qualify as “visited,” we have decided that we must visit at least 2 attractions/sites/landmarks in that state.

Here is our current list of states that we’ve visited –

We are working on posts for all of those trips and will post them here on the blog when they are finished.

There are 9 states that we had visited prior to starting this challenge, but for now we have decided not to count those, and plan on revisiting them in the upcoming years.  The 9 states that we will be revisiting are – Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin.

I am trying to come up with a cute idea of something to put in our house to somehow mark off the states that we’ve visited.  Anyone have any ideas they want to share?  Leave them in the comments below.

We hope you are looking forward to joining us on our upcoming journey as we discover the United States.

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34 Comments

  • Diane Kurzava

    April 6, 2020 at 3:07 pm

    What a great goal and an awesome experience for your son! You could get magnets for the fridge to commemorate each state. Each magnet could be something that stood out for you as a good experience in that state.

  • Debbie

    April 6, 2020 at 3:32 pm

    Can’t wait to be able to travel again! My husband bought us world and US scratch off maps. I have flattened them as they arrived rolled. Now, I’m just trying to figure out a way to display them in a chic but functional way. Not sure if that’s helpful. Lol

  • Sydney

    April 6, 2020 at 4:48 pm

    If you do Michigan, you should go to Mackinaw Island! It’s at the north tip of the Mitten, but worth it for the sights and fudge!!

  • Casandra

    April 6, 2020 at 5:46 pm

    What an awesome goal for your family. You could order a canvas map of the US and then use pins to stick in every time you visit a state. The kids would love putting the pins in!

  • Debbi H

    April 6, 2020 at 8:40 pm

    I love this idea! We have traveled to nearly 40 states (most with our children), and it is such a great thing for kids to experience. We purchased a Christmas ornament on each trip, so now when we decorate our tree we always spend time reminiscing about our various travels.

  • Angie

    April 6, 2020 at 8:42 pm

    That’s a great goal. I traveled a lot as a child and I’m so grateful for all of those experiences. You’re kids will love it and 8 down is a good start!

  • Charlene

    April 7, 2020 at 12:18 am

    We are also trying to visit all 50 states before someone graduates, although our date is a little closer (2023). We have plans to go to 5 this summer, as long as COVID-19 doesn’t interrupt that! The scratch-off maps and magnets are good ideas. We have done both – although our magnets were made from our own photos on Shutterfly! Another idea is to get a small state flag from each state you have visited and display them by making them into a banner to hang on a wall. (That’s cheaper than buying a display stand).

  • Tim

    April 7, 2020 at 12:44 am

    That is a great idea to try to travel to all 50 states. I got a map made of a thicker material with a shiny surface that I could write on with a dry erase marker.

  • Tiffany

    April 7, 2020 at 2:39 am

    Ok, not really achievable with my senior in high school 🙂 but we can set our sights on the 6th grader and crush this challenge!

  • Christina

    April 7, 2020 at 4:01 am

    This is a great idea for kids! I love the Christmas tree ornament idea, it would be fun to remember all the places you’ve been with the ornaments.

  • Chantelle

    April 7, 2020 at 11:24 pm

    We have a scratch off map for the places we’ve been. I also have seen a cool map that has the states and on their app, you put in your picture of you in that state, and they shape your picture to be the shape of the state on the map, so when you are done you have the USA but with all your pictures.
    I probably described that horribly, but..

  • Sandi

    April 8, 2020 at 11:54 pm

    Geography is so important. We had family overseas when the girls were little. It gave them a global perspective.

  • Michele

    April 10, 2020 at 3:01 am

    We have the same goal for our daughter. She just turned 11 last week. So far she has visited 24 states, 8 countries, and 2 territories. We would be at 26, but our trip for March to Utah and Arizona was cancelled due to the virus. We use a scratch off map to show progress and she loves it!