Octopus Overlords

Posted: **Sun Jan 14, 2024 8:30 pm**

I have visited 26 states. Passing through via airport or train station doesn't count.
I have visited 15 countries. Nine of these countries happened in a single trip to Europe, otherwise the count would be much lower.

High or low for the OO demographic?

Posted: **Sun Jan 14, 2024 8:37 pm**

I have visited all 48 lower states plus Hawaii (and lived in 4 of them). Only Canada and Mexico out of country.

Posted: **Sun Jan 14, 2024 8:53 pm**

This post needs a poll.

Posted: **Sun Jan 14, 2024 9:05 pm**

Interactive States Visited Map.

I'm counting only destinations, not drive-throughs or airport layovers.

The only foreign countries I've visited are Canada and the UK.

I've lived for more than three continuous months in Georgia, NJ, Alabama, Texas, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and England.

Posted: **Sun Jan 14, 2024 9:09 pm**

Posted: **Sun Jan 14, 2024 9:32 pm**

Of those I've lived in California, Nevada, Colorado, and Indiana.

But I've only visited two countries. The one illustrated above, and Mexico - and even that was limited to one day in Ciudad Juarez. We moved around quite a bit growing up, but did very little 'fun' travel. I've never been in the military, had a career that involved travel, or had the kind of money that's required for international jaunts.

Posted: **Sun Jan 14, 2024 9:48 pm**

Domestically, I've been around. Lots of travel (not just overnights or drive-thru) and I've lived in 3 different states.

Internationally I've been to parts of Mexico and parts of the Caribbean. Montreal a few times (all vacations) as well as throughout England.

Posted: **Sun Jan 14, 2024 10:32 pm**

A lot of those states were family trips from childhood, so I'm a little fuzzy on the details.

Countries? Hmm... Canada, England, France, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Jamaica, St Martin, Tortola.

I'm glad I did all that when I was young. I've never been real keen on travel, and now that I'm old I don't have to anymore. Wife keeps threatening to drag me to Ireland for some reason.

Posted: **Sun Jan 14, 2024 11:11 pm**

Domestic Destinations:

Foreign Destinations:
Mexico, Canada, Jamaica, Turks and Caicos Islands (British Overseas Terr.), England, France, Spain, Brussels, Netherlands, Germany, Czechia, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, and Turkey.

Posted: **Sun Jan 14, 2024 11:51 pm**

Carpet_pissr wrote: ↑Sun Jan 14, 2024 8:53 pm This post needs a poll.

I didn't think there was a way to have a domestic and international poll in the same thread. Holman's map works too!

Posted: **Sun Jan 14, 2024 11:53 pm**

So yeah, I've been around.

Countries:

Canada
Mexico
US Virgin Islands
Costa Rica
Panama
Belize
Puerto Rico
St Martin/Sint Maarten
Guadalupe
Martinique
Curacao
Canary Islands
Spain
France
Ireland
Sicily
Italy
Trieste
Corfu
Crete
Greece
Turkey
Israel
Egypt
Kenya
Bahrain
Philippines
Japan
Okinawa

Next year we will be able to add the following:

England
Scotland
Norway

Posted: **Mon Jan 15, 2024 12:18 am**

Been to a good chunk of the US. I think there's a couple of the eastern states that I may have been to but can't remember (I vaguely remember going to Vermont once for work, but am not 100% sure). Lived in California, Missouri, Utah, and Colorado.

Haven't done much international. Been to Mexico, Canada, Belize, Haiti, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, somewhere else in the Caribbean that I can't remember on a cruise, Norway, and England.

Posted: **Mon Jan 15, 2024 12:26 am**

countries:
Canada (many times)
Mexico
Cuba
Iceland
England
The Netherlands

in about two weeks, will add
Denmark
Sweden
Germany
Czech Republic

Posted: **Mon Jan 15, 2024 12:46 am**

Can't hold a candle to Brian.

Lived in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Florida for periods that were over a year each, PA when young, mostly Florida after. Lived in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Jersey for a few months each in training. Texas for a few months babysitting a senior citizen with memory issues.

Visited Halifax, Isle of Man, and Andros Island on port calls for a few days each

Spent twenty days in Bogota, Colombia on vacation, and visited Thailand for vacation three times for a total of about 60 days.
Spent a few days at Ramstein on temporary duty, and a week in Paris on vacation, visited England for a Bob Hope USO show.

Lived on Crete for a year while in the service, and in Scotland for three years while in the service.

Traveled thru east coast between PA and Florida, or Mass and Florida. Traveled between FL and Tx. Had flight transfers in Japan, South Korea, Las Angeles, and Sin City.

Moving to Texas shortly, and probably moving to Southeast Asia in the near future.

Posted: **Mon Jan 15, 2024 2:11 am**

I've been to 28 states, including all but two east of the Mississippi. I've lived in CT since 2006, but spent one year in Michigan before that, and the first 27 years of my life in Indiana. I really need to see more of the western states.

As for the rest of the world, I've spent time in 21 countries across four continents, but a lot of that comes from bouncing around the Caribbean...

USA
Canada
Mexico
South Africa
United Kingdom
France
Spain
Italy
Vatican City
Argentina
Puerto Rico
Jamaica
Bahamas
Aruba
Curacao
Bonaire
St Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Martin (French side)
Sint Maarten (Dutch side)
US Virgin Islands

Posted: **Mon Jan 15, 2024 2:17 am**

hitbyambulance wrote: ↑Mon Jan 15, 2024 12:26 am

countries:
Canada (many times)
Mexico
Cuba
Iceland
England
The Netherlands

in about two weeks, will add
Denmark
Sweden
Germany
Czech Republic

Looks like you have a serious aversion to the Deep South.

Posted: **Mon Jan 15, 2024 8:58 am**

I wouldn't say I'm well traveled nor would I say I'm sheltered. I've been all over the US short of the Southeast and I've been to Ca, Mx, Fr, and through Amsterdam to get to France.

Posted: **Mon Jan 15, 2024 10:00 am**

I have to admit it - I'm envious of the world travelers here. I've spent so much of my life studying history and mythology, and getting to see those places in person must be an amazing experience.

Posted: **Mon Jan 15, 2024 10:24 am**

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Mon Jan 15, 2024 10:00 am I have to admit it - I'm envious of the world travelers here. I've spent so much of my life studying history and mythology, and getting to see those places in person must be an amazing experience.

Travel was a huge part of my career for over 10 years. Pre-pandemic, I was on the road 2-3 weeks a month. It was most often to DC (since I work with federal government clients), but took me all across the country.

In some ways, it was a fantastic experience. I got to see so many cool places around the US, even if most of them were simply from the airplane window or the back of an Uber as I rushed to and from meetings.

In other ways, it completely burned me out on traveling. If I never got on another airplane or stayed in another hotel for the rest of my life, I’d be perfectly ok with that. I’m very much a homebody by nature, and got very, very tired of the endless parade of airports and hotels.

Constant work travel also had huge impacts on my health. i lost 30 lbs in 4 months when I stopped traveling and could focus on exercise and a decent diet (instead of eating crappy hotel bar food or delivery pizza at 10pm every night because it’s the only thing available after meetings). I realized I was sick with generic “travel gunk” nearly every weekend when I got home. My stress level was through the roof because I would spend 3-4 days on the road, then try to cram all the rest of my work into the remaining couple days. I’ve often said that anyone who says they love business travel rarely travels for business.

I also find that I do fine as a solo traveler, but going with others - especially taking the entire family - causes me MASSIVE stress. I about lost my damn mind taking the wife and kids to Nashville over the holiday. I guess I’m just not a good traveling companion.

Posted: **Mon Jan 15, 2024 10:49 am**

I have been to all 50 US states, as of about 5 years ago. I travelled a lot for my job pre-pandemic or that wouldn't have happened. Additionally, I have been to Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, and probably about 17-18 countries, almost all in the Caribbean except Canada and Japan. For someone who is "well-travelled," it's sad that I've never been to Europe but I've also never particularly felt compelled to go. I know we'll wander over there eventually.

Posted: **Mon Jan 15, 2024 11:13 am**

I can't compete with the big travelers around here.

Of those I've lived in PA (3 different times now!), AL, TX, LA, and GA.

Outside the US I feel like I'm well traveled but since I've never been to the Caribbean I can't rack up the big numbers.

Canada
Mexico
Costa Rica
UK
Ireland
France
Belgium
Luxembourg (I didn't stay overnight but I did intentionally travel to Luxembourg and spend all day there so I'll count it)
Switzerland
Greece
Turkiye
South Korea (lived there for 4 years)
Japan
China
Vietnam
Thailand
Cambodia

Posted: **Mon Jan 15, 2024 12:07 pm**

Very much not well traveled.

I believe I've hit every state on the east coast and some in the midwest or on the way to the midwest (West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky). One Louisiana trip. Other than that only California for work. And only one other country, Germany when I was a high school exchange student.

I have bigger travel plans coming up in the next few years. Strongly considering doing Vegas with some friends for my 50th birthday, a possible Northern California trip this summer, and in the next couple of years a return to Germany and/or the UK.

Posted: **Mon Jan 15, 2024 12:14 pm**

Madmarcus wrote:I can't compete with the big travelers around here...

Outside the US I feel like I'm well traveled but since I've never been to the Caribbean I can't rack up the big numbers.

Canada
Mexico
Costa Rica
UK
Ireland
France
Belgium
Luxembourg (I didn't stay overnight but I did intentionally travel to Luxembourg and spend all day there so I'll count it)
Switzerland
Greece
Turkiye
South Korea (lived there for 4 years)
Japan
China
Vietnam
Thailand
Cambodia

I would gladly trade my visits around the Caribbean for a lot of the places you've been around the world. The islands have beautiful beaches, but they're a lot of the same thing. Your list seems much more interesting to me.

Posted: **Mon Jan 15, 2024 12:48 pm**

Obviously I have some kind of subconscious bias against the northern parts of the country.

39 total, not going to list all those, but almost all for work in a previous life.

Lived in Argentina, spent a summer in Mexico, and have been to both Brazil and Portugal enough to feel like I have lived there (at least a year in both if you total all the time up)

Edit: why do my posted graphs look so crappy compared to all of yours?!

Posted: **Mon Jan 15, 2024 12:57 pm**

Skinypupy wrote: ↑Mon Jan 15, 2024 10:24 am
Blackhawk wrote: ↑Mon Jan 15, 2024 10:00 am I have to admit it - I'm envious of the world travelers here. I've spent so much of my life studying history and mythology, and getting to see those places in person must be an amazing experience.
Travel was a huge part of my career for over 10 years. Pre-pandemic, I was on the road 2-3 weeks a month. It was most often to DC (since I work with federal government clients), but took me all across the country.

In some ways, it was a fantastic experience. I got to see so many cool places around the US, even if most of them were simply from the airplane window or the back of an Uber as I rushed to and from meetings.

In other ways, it completely burned me out on traveling. If I never got on another airplane or stayed in another hotel for the rest of my life, I’d be perfectly ok with that. I’m very much a homebody by nature, and got very, very tired of the endless parade of airports and hotels.

Constant work travel also had huge impacts on my health. i lost 30 lbs in 4 months when I stopped traveling and could focus on exercise and a decent diet (instead of eating crappy hotel bar food or delivery pizza at 10pm every night because it’s the only thing available after meetings). I realized I was sick with generic “travel gunk” nearly every weekend when I got home. My stress level was through the roof because I would spend 3-4 days on the road, then try to cram all the rest of my work into the remaining couple days. I’ve often said that anyone who says they love business travel rarely travels for business.

I also find that I do fine as a solo traveler, but going with others - especially taking the entire family - causes me MASSIVE stress. I about lost my damn mind taking the wife and kids to Nashville over the holiday. I guess I’m just not a good traveling companion.

Yes, all of this 1,000%, including the solo vs non-solo travel. I've had to apologize to people in advance when I go with others...20 years flying around the world solo tends to set very specific patterns of behavior, and at least in my case (and apparently yours), those patterns are not amenable to groups (or even another person!).

The irony is that I stopped traveling for work (constant flying, at least, internationally), about 7 years ago, around the time my wife started working again. She always loved to travel, and being a stay at home mom almost killed her (especially watching me fly all over the world, but then again, everyone thinks it's so glamorous until you do it for a few years, or 20). Now our roles have switched, and I am at home, and she's the one flying all over the world. Although it's a different beast at 50 than when I started doing it at 21, and not just the mental/physical toll it takes on you, but the state of the airline industry in general (much more domestically than internationally though).

Posted: **Mon Jan 15, 2024 12:57 pm**

My own wishlist for international travel:

Top tier, in order:

England
Italy/Rome
Greece

Second tier, no order

Southern Spain (Andalusia)
Germany
France
Estonia

That's based mostly on the places that I've read about or studied, with the exception of England. Most of my pre-US family history is Britain, leaning heavily into England.

The one thing that's always been an extra hassle is that my biggest interests shy away from the tourist-heavy areas. England? Sure, I'd like to see the Tower of London, but I'd be just as interested in a couple of ancestral castles that aren't well known, the everyday countryside, and - well, you get the idea. My desire to see the shopping hubs, tourist hubs, and modern attractions is fairly low.

Posted: **Mon Jan 15, 2024 1:00 pm**

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Mon Jan 15, 2024 12:57 pm My own wishlist for international travel:

Top tier, in order:

England
Italy/Rome
Greece

Second tier, no order

Southern Spain (Andalusia)
Germany
France
Estonia

That's based mostly on the places that I've read about or studied, with the exception of England. Most of my pre-US family history is Britain, leaning heavily into England.

The one thing that's always been an extra hassle is that my biggest interests shy away from the tourist-heavy areas. England? Sure, I'd like to see the Tower of London, but I'd be just as interested in a couple of ancestral castles that aren't well known, the everyday countryside, and - well, you get the idea. My desire to see the shopping hubs, tourist hubs, and modern attractions is fairly low.

I only spent one day in Tallinn (took the ferry from Helsinki), but I felt like I was in a different world. Like a fantasy novel, really. Unbelievably beautiful, and I only saw 4-5 hours worth. I wish I had had the time to spend a night and explore more, but I didn't realize before popping over just to check it out, how beautiful and cool (it felt like I was in the middle of a party, downtown) it would be.

Posted: **Mon Jan 15, 2024 2:25 pm**

I don't know if I'd say I'm well-travelled, as I haven't been outside the continent, but I've been to at least half the States and Provinces. Most of those have been via roadtrips, ie to California to visit an Uncle, for the 2017 Eclipse in Oregon, and a future trip to Ohio this year for this year's eclipse. I've been mostly out to the West. I've only gone about as far East as the Easternmost point of the province of Quebec and into Acadian country.

Posted: **Mon Jan 15, 2024 2:46 pm**

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Mon Jan 15, 2024 10:00 am I have to admit it - I'm envious of the world travelers here. I've spent so much of my life studying history and mythology, and getting to see those places in person must be an amazing experience.

Still waiting for the VR experience to create some amazing travel opportunities.

Posted: **Mon Jan 15, 2024 3:16 pm**

Jaymann wrote: ↑Mon Jan 15, 2024 2:17 am
Looks like you have a serious aversion to the Deep South.

that was my parents' doing. my first travels all around the US were with them, and they had no desire to go there, at the time. (they've since traveled everywhere in the US, but i haven't gotten around to the SE)

(tho i'm still struggling to remember if we actually did visit AR- i think i actually HAVE been to Little Rock...)

Posted: **Mon Jan 15, 2024 4:27 pm**

Alefroth wrote: ↑Mon Jan 15, 2024 2:46 pm
Blackhawk wrote: ↑Mon Jan 15, 2024 10:00 am I have to admit it - I'm envious of the world travelers here. I've spent so much of my life studying history and mythology, and getting to see those places in person must be an amazing experience.
Still waiting for the VR experience to create some amazing travel opportunities.

There are a few 'visit ___' apps in VR, but they're pretty wanting. Steam VR actually has some interesting photogrammetry locations, although the tech still needs a lot of work. Still, I think the closest you can get right now is actually YouTube VR. Check out Baz Travels, for instance.

Posted: **Tue Jan 16, 2024 4:41 pm**

17 states, Canada and Aruba. I'm assuming I am the worst travelled?

Interesting to note, my older brother lives in Germany and has two adult children... I should add that to the list some time... yeah, never going to happen.

I am not a tourist. I have no interest in travel, seeing the sites or experiencing other cultures except through eating Americanized versions of their food.

Posted: **Tue Jan 16, 2024 5:21 pm**

The three biggest thrills for travel to me have mostly been:
Being in unique locations on Earth geographically or historically.
Laying my own eyes on antiquity.
If you do your homework right, the food (which if you did your homework right will then have a 'people' element to it).

Lately, what travel has meant for me:
Logistic nightmares, real or imagined, and way too much money.
Family grief, my oldest just does not travel well at all and it took us like 10 years to admit that.
Shuffling around with a ton of other "people" which I've never enjoyed but now I'm just really done with it.

Posted: **Tue Jan 16, 2024 5:41 pm**

disarm wrote: ↑Mon Jan 15, 2024 12:14 pm I would gladly trade my visits around the Caribbean for a lot of the places you've been around the world. The islands have beautiful beaches, but they're a lot of the same thing. Your list seems much more interesting to me.

I can't argue with that! I'm not a big beach person so I've never even really thought about the Caribbean other than when I had to make the call on two job offers - Trinidad or South Korea. It was an easy choice for me.

Posted: **Tue Jan 16, 2024 5:57 pm**

Unagi wrote: ↑Tue Jan 16, 2024 5:21 pm The three biggest thrills for travel to me have mostly been:
Being in unique locations on Earth geographically or historically.
Laying my own eyes on antiquity.
If you do your homework right, the food (which if you did your homework right will then have a 'people' element to it).

That is more or less my list also. The flip side is that any travel that involves going to a destination that involves just relaxing (a cruise or a beach vacation for example) bores me since I can relax at home.

This thread makes me want to plan another trip. As long as it is just the two of us (and perhaps our son since he is very good at going with the flow) I don't find travel to be too bad even now. Expensive for flights but not horrible.

Posted: **Tue Jan 16, 2024 6:03 pm**

Where you live also makes a huge difference. If you live in or near a large metro area, international travel at least, if not domestic, is going to be significantly cheaper, easier, and you will have the opportunity for some crazy occasional deals if you are adventurous and spontaneous.

Just adding an extra leg from a much smaller local airport to get to a large hub is a HUGE pain in the ass (especially over time, considering lost connections, canceled flights, drive time, parking, etc).

It's one reason I regret not moving us to a large metro suburb 20 years ago when I had the capability and chance to do so.

Posted: **Tue Jan 16, 2024 6:19 pm**

24 States (All east of the Mississippi) and 8 Countries: Canada, Bahamas, England, France, Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland.

I've lived in 5 States: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, New York, Connecticut. The only state I've lived in for more than one year is Alabama.

The only other country I've lived in was Italy (USN).

The Most Impressive Thing I ever saw in my travels was the Cologne Cathedral in Germany.

Posted: **Tue Jan 16, 2024 6:33 pm**

Unagi wrote: ↑Tue Jan 16, 2024 5:21 pm Lately, what travel has meant for me:
Logistic nightmares, real or imagined, and way too much money.

Using some of the money mom left us when she passed, we did a family cruise over the summer. It was so ridiculously expensive that I was left wondering several times how normal people could ever afford to do this.

The cruise itself wasn't terrible (although we were one of the smallest Royal Caribbean ships), but the flights, hotels, meals, excursions, and everything else was absolutely insane. I never would have been able to afford it if it hadn't been for that unique circumstance, but we were talking with several other people on the ship who do multiple cruises every year.

I just have no idea how people afford to travel with any sort of regularity.

Shuffling around with a ton of other "people" which I've never enjoyed but now I'm just really done with it.

Mrs. Skinypupy is a terrible traveler. She is always the one who the rest of the tour group is waiting for as she leisurely moseys around looking at things, or decides she needs to stop in the gift shop just as their finalizing the bus to leave. She figures that if we're on vacation and paying to be there, she's going to get every penny's worth out of the experience.

It's always a source of huge stress for me and one of the reasons I really struggle when we travel as a family.

Posted: **Tue Jan 16, 2024 7:46 pm**

I mostly hate the process of traveling -- especially flying. And once I finally reach my destination, I start counting the hours and days until I can go home...while dreading the prospect of having to travel again to get there.

I tolerate road trips better, and to a lesser degree trains.

Posted: **Tue Jan 16, 2024 8:36 pm**

If I had to name only one place I haven't been, but would like to visit I think it would be New Zealand.

Octopus Overlords

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