A Gen Xer who visited all 50 states shares which to skip — and why he was surprised Alabama made his top 5
Patrick Forhane
- Patrick Forhane visited all 50 states, completing his goal in Kansas in 2022.
- A health emergency in 2020 and the pandemic delayed his travel plans to hit the remaining states.
- Forhane ranked Washington and Oregon highest, though he doesn't care for Florida and Arizona.
Patrick Forhane, 45, hit his 50th state, Kansas, in 2022. Two years earlier, he wasn't sure if achieving the feat would be possible.
Forhane, a credit review manager for a bank, had a longtime goal of visiting all 50 states, though a serious health emergency in early 2020 put a wrench in his plans. He was out of commission for a few months, then had to postpone travel plans after the outbreak of the pandemic. However, by the end of the year, Forhane was back to traveling to hit his final few states.
Forhane has also been to 45 countries, his favorites being Sweden, Japan, and Chile. He's also traveled to Azerbaijan, Tanzania, Malaysia, and Russia.
"When I was younger, I didn't plan on driving around the country, and I never have still. I've been to all these places randomly, and I'm just surprised at how much there is to see in the US," Forhane said. "It's sad that not everybody knows what's out there."
Patrick Forhane
Forhane ranked his favorite and least favorite states, preferring the colder Northern states to the hotter South.
Aiming to hit all 50 states
Forhane grew up on Long Island, where his dad worked for United Airlines. He and his family took vacations in states such as California, Florida, and Hawaii, though he said that his parents "weren't very creative with traveling."
He moved with his family to California, where he attended college and explored the West Coast. He then moved to Seattle for work for seven years, visiting states including Idaho and Montana. He took two trips to Alaska, where he rented a car and explored the major cities.
"When I lived in Seattle, a very large portion of the people I knew had never been to Alaska due to the cost and the remoteness," Forhane said.
He moved to New York City in 2012, getting to visit many New England states he didn't hit growing up. He said he rarely travels for work, meaning he's had to visit many states during vacations or quicker weekend trips, often on federal holidays. Having three airports close by allowed him to take nonstop flights across the country for relatively affordable prices.
While in Seattle and New York City, he would take trips to cities he'd never visited, noting he prefers exploring cities over parks. In each state, he said he would spend a few days attending concerts, visiting museums, and trying the local food scene.
He said he'd kept trips affordable by taking public transit and staying at hotels on the outskirts of downtowns. He used to rent cars to get out of the cities and see rural areas, though car rental prices have shot up over the last few years.
Patrick Forhane
By the beginning of 2020, Forhane had been to 46 states. However, that January, Forhane had a medical emergency that sent him to the ER.
"I was sitting on a gurney, and one of the things that went through my head was, I'm not going to be able to hit all 50 states," Forhane said. "Because of that, I said, if I get out of here, I want to do this."
After his recovery two months later, he crafted a plan to visit Michigan, Alabama, New Mexico, and Kansas. Because of the pandemic, he pushed back his travel plans — including a trip he planned in March to Ukraine and Poland.
"My mom talks about wanting to see things, how she's always wanted to see the world, but now that she's older, there are many places she didn't get to see," Forhane said. "I feel that seeing older relatives not being able to do certain things they've wanted to do gave me the idea that if I want to do something, I probably should do it as soon as possible rather than waiting until later. There's no guarantee that it will work out."
In September 2020, he spent a few days in Traverse City, Michigan, choosing a smaller, less crowded city where he could stay safe from COVID-19. He later flew to Alabama, where he spent time on the Gulf Coast and Birmingham, and then New Mexico.
For his last state, he had a friend who lives in Missouri who offered to drive from Kansas City into Kansas proper. A few of his friends flew him for his final state, after which they celebrated at a barbecue joint.
"That was a big to-do since they were able to come with me; it wasn't like landing in a random airport by myself for my 50th state," Forhane said.
Favorite states
Forhane said his favorite state is tied between Oregon and Washington, as both have cities so close to tranquil forests and mountains. He misses living in Seattle and spending time amid evergreen trees and lakes outside the city.
In Oregon, he said Portland is one of his favorite cities, located close to Mount Hood and the Pacific coastline. He enjoyed driving by Crater Lake National Park in the state's southwest, noting it's one of his favorite national parks.
Maine is his third-favorite state, noting he adored the waterfront towns along the coastline and its many forests. He only visited during the summer and hasn't experienced the frigid Maine winters.
Montana, which he ranked fourth, surprised him with its natural beauty, noting he was shocked by the serenity of Glacier National Park and the state's vastness.
Patrick Forhane
Alabama, a state many rank in their bottom five, rounded out his top five. He spent some time in Mobile and the Gulf Coast, including the beach town Dauphin Island, which he said were pleasantly surprising. He added that Birmingham was a historic and culturally diverse city.
"When it comes to food, nature, and cities, there's a lot more going on there than most people realize," Forhane said.
Least favorite states
As someone who has spent most of his life in the Northern US, he prefers many Northern states to the South. That's why he ranked Florida as one of his least favorite states.
He said he's spent much of his life visiting friends and family in Florida, seeing "more of Florida than most people would ever want to." He said the heat and humidity, the traffic, and frequent storms and floods led him to put Florida at the bottom of his list.
He didn't love Louisiana, noting New Orleans was a historic city to see once but not his favorite given the large crowds.
He said he wants to revisit Arizona and Nevada to explore some of the more underrated parts of those states. However, he didn't enjoy Las Vegas, and he said he didn't find either state too memorable as he's "not a big desert person."
As a New Yorker, he added that New Jersey is "just not a place I go to for fun," noting he's never been too impressed with the state driving through.
Have you visited every state or national park? Reach out to this reporter at nsheidlower@businessinsider.com.
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