Even before the pandemic and wasn’t able to travel, I would sometimes daydream about travel. Do any of you do that (perhaps more so now than before)? Something I was reading recently prompted me to think about the following questions. If you could travel to any state in the United States that you’ve never been to, where would it be? Let’s pretend we don’t have COVID-19 to worry about. Of course all expenses would be paid for and you’d have plenty of vacation time to take from work (plus all other logistics would be taken care of). On the flip side, if you could travel to any state in the United States that you’ve already been to, where would it be?
For me, I’ve been to 47 states in the US already so that leaves only 3 that I haven’t been to, so my options for states I haven’t been to are pretty slim. Still, I would choose New Mexico, which I have plans to go to in November. My other options are Iowa and Minnesota, by the way, and I am excited about going to them too (yes, even Iowa that doesn’t get much travel love). I really enjoy hiking in the mountains and New Mexico has plenty of great hiking plus I hear the food there is fantastic.
So now what state would I go to that I’ve already been to? That’s a really tough question for me. I absolutely love California and would happily go back there given any opportunity. I still haven’t been to Monterrey or Big Sur and am dying to go to that part of California. I would love to go back to Yosemite, Napa Valley, San Francisco, or San Diego as well. Oregon is another state that I loved and am dying to go back to spend some time in Portland and the coast. Or there’s Washington, where I’d love to go to some of the islands off the coast like Whidbey or Bainbridge Islands. I’ve been to San Juan Island in addition to Seattle and loved both of those parts of Washington. I’m also dying to go to Coeur d’Alene in Idaho. I was going to run a half marathon there until I found out how hilly it is and then I decided to run a race in Boise instead, and we spent some time there after the race. Oh, then there’s Utah with its many national parks. I’ve been to Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks but really want to go to Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. Do I have to pick just one state? Yes, I know, rules are rules.
OK. I pick Monterrey and Big Sur in California for my state to go back to that I’ve already been to. That was a tough one. California is one state that I’ve visited the most number of times (tied with Florida) and like I said, I’m always happy to return there. A few years back, my family and I spent three weeks in San Diego, checking out the area to see if it’s a place where my husband and I might want to retire to. If it wasn’t so expensive, the answer would be a resounding yes but we’re looking to cut back our expenses when we retire, not increase them, so I just couldn’t justify retiring there.
Now what about other countries? If you could go to one country that you’ve never been to, which would it be? For me, that’s also a pretty tough question. Since I first heard about the country of Georgia, I’ve wanted to go there. I’ve heard the mountains there are amazing, the food is delicious, and the people are some of the friendliest people you’ll ever meet. What’s not to like about that? Flights there aren’t the cheapest, as you might imagine, but if all expenses are paid for, then that doesn’t matter, right?
Georgia isn’t the only country I want to go to, as you might imagine. I also badly want to go to Slovenia, Croatia, Vancouver in Canada (although I’ve been to Canada a couple of times so that’s not a new country for me), Thailand, Panama, Ecuador, and Montenegro for starters. Portugal has always been high on my list of places I want to go to, and I may be able to go there this year if all of the stars align but like everything else right now, I’ll have to wait and see how things go. Back to my question, though, or more accurately, back to my answer for what country would I choose if I could go anywhere that I haven’t been? I have to say Georgia.
What about choosing a country to return to that I’ve been to before? Without any hesitation, my answer is New Zealand. It’s got to be the most biodiverse country that I’ve ever seen. You want beaches? You can choose from black, tan, or white sandy beaches. Want geothermal areas? They’ve got that. Glaciers? Check. Giant Redwood trees? Yep, that too. Mountains? Of course. Rainforests? You’ve got it. Swamp forests, Grasslands, multiple types of wetlands? Yes, yes, and yes. And all of the diversity I saw was just in the North Island of New Zealand! I’d really like to go back and visit the South Island. If someone else was paying my way there, I wouldn’t have to worry about forking out for that expensive flight either!
Now it’s your turn:
- What state would you go to that you’ve never been to and why?
- What state would you choose to return to?
- What country that you’ve never been to would you choose?
- What country would you choose to return to?
Happy travels!
Donna
runningtotravel 
Great post 😁
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Thank you!
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I’ve been to about 40 US States, but never Hawaii, so that’s my choice. Lousiana is probably a distant second.
States I’d return to are Alaska, Utah, Arizona, Maine, California. I travel to Arizona a lot because of family ties, but it’s still special.
BTW, Canyonlands and Arches are both great, but Capitol Reef is worth a longer look than we gave it. It’s probably the hardest of Utah’s Mighty Five to know well, and it gets less attention.
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Great choices! If Hawaii wasn’t so far from the east coast, I’d go more often. I also would happily go back to any of the states you said you’d return to. You make a good point about Capitol Reef. It doesn’t get as much attention as some other parks in Utah but I’m sure it’s worth a visit. I’ll admit I haven’t looked that much into Capitol Reef but when I’m ready to go back to Utah, I would definitely have it as a stop.
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I’d go for one of the big city runs in NZ or Aus – they always have a great buz, are well organised, and have plenty of supporters along the course. For somewhere that I haven’t run before, I’d choose Spain or Italy – perhaps an ancient pilgrim route with ruined castles and mountains.
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Yes! I’d love to go back to New Zealand and a pilgrimage in Spain or Italy would be incredible.
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I live in NYS. I like that we have all 4 seasons though the winter is too long and often too cold
I would love to go to Hawaii and Alaska.
I want to go back to Utah and California.
France is my favorite country and I would go back in a minute.
I’ve never been to Iceland and New Zealand and…well many places.
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I’ve never been to France but would love to go to the Provence region. There are so many national parks (which I love) there it’s crazy! My daughter is pushing to go to Iceland, but that’s really getting put on hold now, as much as I’d love to go.
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I spent my junior year of college in Nice. Would love to go there again now that I run. Actually all the places I visited before I became a runner.
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I would love to go to Oregon, I’m dying to check out Portland. For states I’ve been to I’d like to go back to Hawaii, I’ve been to Oahu and Maui but would love to go to Kauai and the Big Island.
By the way I’ve ran the half marathon in Coeur D’alene, great race and a great place to visit, I’d actually like to go back there some day!
For countries, I’d love to go to Ireland since I was supposed to have gone there last week, bug covid-19 ruined that, fingers crossed for 2021!
I’d go back to Italy in a heartbeat, I love everything about that country!
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The Big Island is my favorite of the Hawaiian islands and my husband’s favorite is Kauai so I highly recommend both of them. They’re all amazing in their own ways, truly. I also love everything about Italy and would definitely love to go back too!
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I want to go to Arizona or New Mexico because they seem to be so vastly different from areas I’ve already been. I’d like to return to Oregon as we were only there to visit a friend for 3 days so we just touched the surface of Portland but loved it and we went to Rockaway Beach and Cape Meares while we were there and pictures don’t do either justice. I would like to see New Zealand (LOTR nerd) but the long flight seems a bit much for me given I can’t sleep on planes. I’ve only been to Canada but I would certainly like to see more of it and I’d go back to Halifax, Nova Scotia in a heartbeat.
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Arizona is a very unique state and beautiful with the red rocks and desert. There are so many places to hike as well, if you like to hike. I’ve been putting together a Google map of places I want to go to when I finally do make it back to Oregon and can go to the coast. I didn’t have the places you mentioned but I added them. It sounds strange but the flight to New Zealand wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Then again, we had an all-day layover in San Francisco when we went that broke up the flight, so I’m sure that had something to do with it. I would also love to see more of Canada. Before the pandemic, I thought I’d finish running the 3 remaining states I have then move on to running some races in Canada. Now, that’s going to get pushed back, like everything else.
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Like you, I don’t know that I could pick just one of all those categories.
I would LOVE to go back to Sedona, but Kauai is one of our very fav places (we’ve been 3 times). I’ve been to all the places in CA you mention — some multiple times. I have family out there. I also have family in the Seattle area, so we’ve done a little exploring there (not as much as I’d like, because, family — and elderly parent at that).
We were going to OR for my next half . . . I was soooooo looking forward to that.
State I haven’t been to? MT, I think. I’ve always wanted to go to Glacier National Park. How about not a state — but American Samoa? I read about that recently & now want to go there. Crate National Park, too, which I’d never heard of til recently!
Even though I’m dying to go to New Zealand, I might choose Iceland because it’s so much closer.
And I’d love to go back to Greece. But with our friend, who is Greek American, and as we joke, he drives Greece. 🙂
Travel is the one thing I really, really miss (besides being able to hug my mom). Last year I was trying to get my husband to be interested in renting an RV! He always has an excuse why it’s a bad idea.
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I would happily go to any of the places you mentioned. I’ve been to Glacier National Park and it’s every bit as beautiful as you imagine. My recommendation is to keep going north after you visit GNP into the Canadian Rockies and Banff. In my opinion, the views are great in Montana but just keep getting better the further north you go.
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We would probably only have enough time to go to the park. The dog sitting is what holds us back!
I’ve always wanted to go to Italy, too. But not right now. I suspect by the time we can travel, we may not be able to because getting pet sitters to take a dog Lola’s age isn’t always easy. But we’ll see.
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Fun post. It’s always fun to dream.
1. South Carolina. Why? Charleston! Wait. Did you say someone else is paying for it? Then Hawaii. It’s more expensive. 😉
2. California
3. Japan
4. Ooh. That’s tough. Austria. No, Italy. No, Hungary! I can’t decide.
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I like the way you think! Great choices!
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Thanks for making me think of travel plans again!
I have never been to Alaska, so I would go there. There is a marathon in Anchorage on the longest day fo the year I would like to do.
The state I would return to is Louisana. I want to go back to New Orleans but with no kids this time! I also feel the same way about Key West.
The country I want to visit most is New Zealand. I want to visit that beautiful country for all the reasons you mention but Hubby doesn’t want to do the long plane ride.
The country I want to go back to is Italy. There are so many wonderful destinations in Italy and we need to see more of them. And the FOOD!!!
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Yes, the food in Italy is some of the best food I’ve had in my life. Even the street vendor food is incredible. I had been planning a trip to Italy for 2021 before the pandemic. Now, who knows when I’ll go back but I do know I will be back!
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