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Tips for 50-State Explorers

Are you trying to make a grand plan for visiting every US state? If so, you’re not alone. Thousands of people take the challenge as a life goal, bucket list item, or just a way to add a major dose of fun to travel. Those who get the most out of the multi-year effort focus on taking their time and enjoying each trip. Travelers who make monthly payments on college loans refinance the debt to cut monthly payments and have more money to finance their travels. Other helpful ideas include making a detailed plan before setting out, researching each state to learn where the most interesting places are, and conversing with other trekkers online to find out more about every facet of all-state exploring. The average person who attempts the challenge takes more than five years to finish. Consider the following suggestions.

Refinance Student Loans

Be smart about money because bucket list items and lifetime travel goals can get pricey. One of the wisest tactics for fifty-staters is to refinance student loans to reduce monthly payments and free up cash for traveling. Budgeting is a central component of the planning process for an all-state itinerary, even if it takes you 10 or more years to visit every destination. The financial aim of refinancing college loans is to combine the old debt into one brand-new loan with better terms, more time to pay, and lower monthly costs. Savvy travelers know how to economize while on the road. But they also understand that it makes great sense to refinance education loans and accumulate savings, month after month.

Make a Sequential Itinerary

Prudent planning makes a huge difference. Instead of wandering from place to place and hoping to eventually touch all fifty states, make a detailed itinerary, beginning with the locations nearest to your residence. Those who live in Tennessee and Missouri have a built-in advantage. Each of those states borders eight others, so they can knock out about one-sixth of the list during a two-week driving tour. But no matter where you’re starting point is, operate from a sequential list that doesn’t include a lot of overlapping journeys. Most people know which places they’ll be visiting several years in advance. Careful planning is essential when it comes to covering the US from top to bottom.

Join an Online Forum

In the internet age, it’s easy to find like-minded travelers. That’s why it makes sense to join more than one online discussion group, forum, or travel club where many discuss their experiences related to fifty-stating. The platforms are ideal for picking up useful bits of advice, particularly if you are just beginning to explore the idea of visiting every US state. But don’t be surprised to learn dozens of money saving strategies as well. Fortunately, there are hundreds of chat rooms, forums, and posting boards where you can get in on the action and see what the community has to say. The beauty of interacting with others is that people love to share their opinions about lodging, attractions, quirky shops, tours, side trips, restaurants, and everything else you’re apt to encounter on a nationwide journey.

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