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Last year I finished high school. No, that's not quite true, is it? Last year I didn't finish high school, still have a few things to finish up to get that diploma or whatever. Things I am starting to do now in the coming month.
Still live at home but that's not too much of an issue for me. Bigger issue is that I really haven't made much of an effort to find a job. A whole year has gone by with me doing basically nothing. Not even basically, I really haven't done shit, and now with the few classes I'm enrolled in coming up it'll be a bit tricky finding a job I suppose.
Anyway, I have some money laying about which may sound weird seeing as I've never worked in my life. The money comes from my dad. He died before I turned one and so I've been receiving this "child's pension" to make up for him not being there. Can't say there's much to make up for in my mind, I really don't have a clue who he was. I've heard stories, of course, but that's all they are, stories. Could just as well have been about someone else. Mom being an amazingly strong and great parent has helped heaps. I probably don't tell/show her that enough.
I want to travel, have been wanting to travel for a long time now but I've been too scared doing something about it. It's intimidating because the way I want to travel is alone. I want to travel alone and force myself to do something new. Not travel with friends because that'd make me feel too comfortable. Force myself to meet people and make connections on my own because I really, really need to learn how to socialize. I suppose I am trying to "find myself" or just better myself. All my friends started college this or last year so now is the time to do it, I feel.
My brother and sister have both travelled a lot and my brother also did his travels alone. I mean he met people along the way but he started out on his own. I have huge respect for both of them because of what they've done and continue to do with their lives.They seem to have had loads of fun which makes me insanely jealous. My sister even met her current boyfriend in Australia a few years back. Coolest guy ever.
So, I probably want to go to the US. Stay there until my money runs out and then maybe find a job to stay a bit longer or get a plane ticket home. What I want to do is go on a road trip cross country. I am getting a motorcycle license at the moment so I will probably try and do it on a bike.
Anyhoo! I'd like to know if you recommend anything special to do. Other than usual touristy stuff like going to Mt. Rushmore and stuff like it, is there anything cool and obscure you know about? Something amazing not a lot of people know about/get to see?
I'd also like to know how it is with the age limits over there. I know it's 21 to drink in most states (if not all?) but how strict are they on that? I turn 21 late October next year but maybe I can charm my way into bars and stuff? Because I am all about charm... : )
Maybe you have some completely different suggestion as to what I can do? Like going to the Middle East and step on a bomb or to the Orient! Maybe even Antarctica.
I am, however, quite homed in on going to the US so it will take a really good argument to get me to go somewhere else. At least this time. There will be more Trips on Roads, I hope. Maybe even Trips on Water/Clouds.
I appreciate you reading all of this (probably subpar writing) and even more if you respond.
 
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How much money do you have?
How much time do you have?
When do you want to travel?
What do you want to get out of the experience?
If you want advice/suggestions you need to provide some more details.
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My time is unlimited, money is less so. I have around 20 thousand dollars so that should keep me going for a while.
Seeing as I said that I am turning 21 late next year and I was asking how strict they are on age limits you could assume I am going next year. I want to probably go around spring/early summer but I haven't fully decided upon that yet.
What I want to get out of the experience? Well, shit. That's not something I haven't fully decided yet nor do I actually know what I want to get out of it. I mainly want this loose plan of going cross the country until my money runs out. Maybe I'll get bored and go somewhere else entirely, maybe I'll have the time of my life.
Then when my money is out, if I still want to stay, I'll try to take a shit job or something to keep me going. What I want to get out of it? Get some perspective on things, maybe get inspired to do something with my life, learn new stuff and all that kind of stuff. I just want to do it.
-Edit- Also, one star? Really? Oh well, I guess it was shit then.
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Not really sure why I was drawn to reply to this, but I figured I could be helpful seeing as I'm from the U.S. I'm from Texas and I've traveled pretty extensively throughout the U.S. with the exception of the Northeast, so I can't really give much info about that area.
Not sure what areas you want to focus on considering it's a big country, but I'll do my best to answer some of your questions about travel. I think doing the whole motorcycle thing is pretty smart. You'll save a ton on gas and there are a lot of nice places to ride here (Appalachians, Ozarks or Yellowstone/Tetons are highly recommended). Also, I assume you're planning on just staying in cheap motels and such along the way. You can usually get a night somewhere cheap like Motel 6 for around $35 to $40 depending on the area. You can probably find places even cheaper than that, but it's in that ballpark.
As for the drinking age, it's 21 everywhere. Getting into bars younger than that varies widely from place to place, but in my experience it can be difficult to get in unless you have a solid fake ID or a friend with some connections to get you in. You can try to sweet talk your way in, but don't expect it to work most places. However, it is a lot easier to get alcohol outside of a bar for like a house party or something.
Again, I'm not sure what kind of places you want to visit, but I'll list some obvious ones and maybe some more obscure destinations that I recommend. Some obvious ones that are must sees-
Nature- Yellowstone/Grand Tetons, Grand Canyon/Hoover Dam (ok not really nature but whatever), Mt. Rushmore, Niagra Falls, Yosemite National Park, Mesa Verde National Park, etc
Cities- There's obviously places like NYC and LA, but if you're want to see some smaller cities with unique American culture I would recommend Boston (classic East Coast culture and historical landmarks), New Orleans (great cajun food and jazz), Nashville (country music capital and cool atmosphere), Austin (best city to visit in Texas, great bar scene, surprisingly diverse counterculture, great music scene), San Francisco (my favorite city on the West Coast, great food culture, Golden Gate bridge, artsy cultural stuff)
As for some other places that might be more obscure (at least to foreigners)-
One time my family camped/boated on Lake Tahoe on the border of Nevada and California and it was a blast.
If you're here during American Spring break and want to experience a ridiculous college party atmosphere head down to South Padre Island off the coast of Texas...not necessarily my favorite thing, but if you're into that scene then it's a crazy experience
Redwood National Forest in California is very impressive and would also make a great bike ride.
I've never done it, but taking a boat tour through the everglades in Florida would be pretty cool. You'd see some cool wildlife and such.
Santa Cruz, California is a great place for beaches/boardwalks that isn't super obvious so it retains some unique local identity. Very fun but not as crazy or hectic as other beaches in California.
Finally, Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico are very impressive.
Well that was super long, but I hope it helped. Obviously there's a lot more to see in America, and if you want any more specific information (especially about places in Texas) I'll try to help. Have fun!
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