How I did it: Took multiple long road trips through the US over the years *plus* one nice summer trip up to Alaska back in 2002.

Been stuck on 49 states for 8 years but finally landed in Hawaii on a flight back from Australia to California.  Now I'm staying here for 5 days to explore the islands.

What a great adventure!  Seeing the whole country really broadens your horizons.  Highly recommended!!

Lessons & tips: Keep travel journals.  I'm amazed looking back and reading through my old road trip logs years later.  Even the most vivid memories can fade over time but if you write down what happened, you can always go back and revisit all the places you've been no matter how long ago it was.

Resources: Take trips with your friends... that's how they become your *good* friends later on.

Also, try to go back in time... it was nicer back when gas was under $1/gal.  Most of my trips would be prohibitively expensive these days.  Guess modern road travelers will have to pack more people in their cars to split gas bills!

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Apr 30, 2010, 06:39PM PDT | 0 comments | 7 cheers