It all started (without me realising it) in 2007, when my dad went on the trip of his lifetime and travelled to the US to see a baseball game in every major league ballpark, a minor league game in those states without a major league franchise, plus the All-Star game and the post-season (buy the book here!). Whilst this was undoubtedly an amazing adventure that took him to every state, saw him throw out the first pitch in Connecticut, dislodge a retina, and be harassed by Atlantic League mascots, it did not occur to me at that time that this was something I would want to emulate. The US had simply never made it high enough on my list of countries to visit.
My next nugget of inspiration came in 2013, when, on a jaunt to the corner shop from 131 Redland Road, I spotted a National Geographic on the magazine rack: “100 Secret Journeys” was the title, made all the more enticing by the tag lines “The world’s best hidden adventures. Unforgettable trips, exotic escapes, must-see destinations”.
Well this was something I had to see! Promptly purchased, I took it home to peruse with my morning coffee. On reading, I was gratified to see that I had already visited three of these “secret” destinations – the Jardin Majorelle in Marrakech, the Reichstag Building in Berlin, and Fraser Island in Australia. I began to form an idea that it would be great to see how many of these secret destinations I could actually visit in my lifetime. Being the completer-finisher that I am, this very quickly turned into a life goal to visit all 100 destinations before I shuffled off my mortal coil.
Then, in 2014, I saw the film Chef. So you may have guessed that one of my major passions in life is travel. Another – that probably goes hand-in-hand – is food. In the film Chef, we see Jon Favreau at his best, ditching his restrictive Head Chef job and buying a food truck to tour the US with his son, sampling the best food from the best foodie regions of America. Getting back to his love of food with Miami mojo pork Cubanos, New Orleans beignets, Austin barbeque brisket, and the most ridiculous grilled cheese you’ve ever seen in your life. Do not see this film on an empty stomach! Not only did the film tingle my taste-buds, but it instilled an idea in my mind. I quickly set about Googling the most iconic American foods and the places where they were at their best. This began looking like a foodie-tour of the best eateries in America.
This idea waxed and waned with me over the next few years. During that time, I was lucky enough to be able to fit in 11 more “100 Secret Journeys”, bringing my total to date up to 14. I have ventured to Mount Bromo, trekked the Dieng Plateau, skied the Schilthorn Mountain, relaxed in the Maldives, explored Korčula, been awed by Ta Prohm, found peace in Peinza, ambled through the Cinque Terra, been stunned by Yala Park, illuminated by Burano, and seen the view from the roof of St. Peter’s Basilica. The 100 destinations became more far-flung and more difficult to reach the further I got through the list, so I started looking at geographical patterns to see how many I could hit in a single trip. It became quite the challenge! When spotting patterns, what continued to stand out to me was that 18 of these unforgettable trips and must-see destinations were in the US.
So in 2017, these three ideas – visiting all 50 states, hitting 18 more 100 Journeys as well as being able to sample some amazing food across the whole of America – collided into one magnificent and terrible plan! I would visit all 50 states in one fell swoop.
I started researching all the destinations that I wanted to visit, plotting routes that could take me from one to another and researching the best time of year to visit each part of the US. Route map in hand, I began to look into the logistics. And this is where I lost my nerve. Driving distances between points were as long as 7 hours in some cases. Total driving time was over 18 days in all, the route over 24,000 miles in length, not including flights. The trip would take me at least a year, which would eat into my savings and I wouldn’t be able to work whilst I was out there. I would be on my own for an entire year. My family and friends were getting married and having babies and I would miss out on all of that.
I’ve spent the last 18 months in Doha, Qatar. Before I left the UK, two very good friends gave me a small blue lacquer box full of envelopes filled with well-wishes, encouragements, and love for when I felt alone or needed some help. One of these envelopes was labelled “Open when you’re looking for inspiration”. Despite my reticence, this envelope contained the final push I needed. Inside this envelope, that I opened when I felt the most doubtful about committing my energy, time, and money to this America trip, was a small card inscribed with the words of one of my personal idols: “Sooner or later, I hate to break it to you, you’re gonna die, so how do you fill in the space between here and there? It’s yours. Seize your space.” ~ Margaret Atwood.
So that was it. I was doing this thing. It won’t be everyone’s idea of a good time. Some of you will think I’m crazy, or selfish, or irresponsible, but this is my journey and my choice. I’m seizing my space!