Do you know what it would take to complete your dream trip? Have you really planned out how you would go about it, much time you would need, and how much money it would cost?

If you haven’t, you might be surprised at how little it would really take.

My Dream Trip

I want to visit the lower 48 states, plus D.C., on the motorcycle.
(note: This is only one of my trip goals, but it’s a good place for me to start.)

This always seemed like a really big goal… until I decided to start actually researching it. I figured that I would first look at the most complicated way, so that every following discovery would be an improvement. And so, I calculated the distance from Lexington, KY, to every state’s capital. Fourty-nine individual trips.

Total mileage: 88,390
Assuming I get 40 miles per gallon, that’s 2,209.75 gallons that I’d need to buy. At $3 a gallon, my trips would cost $6,629.25! That doesn’t include any lodging, food, new tires, or anything else.

After doing a bit more research on others who have already done such a trip, I stumbled across this guy who managed to visit all of the lower 48 states in just 10 days. (Now that’s darn impressive!)

His mileage? Roughly 8,000.
Same numbers as above (40 mpg, $3 a gallon) and my trip now costs about $600. Whoah! That’s less than 1/10 of the original numbers. Even though this figure still doesn’t include food, lodging, or anything else, it is far less intimidating. Now this goal seems far more realistic and achievable.

Reaching an achievable goal

Now that I know this goal is actually within my reach, I’m far more inspired to figure out how to make it work. I don’t have to visit all of the states in a single trip. Breaking it up into different legs might raise the overall cost a bit, but each section would require less money saved ahead of time. Shorter trips would also take less time to plan and be easier to fit into a busy schedule.

With our practice backpacking, my wife and I could both comfortably camp during the trip, enabling us to keep our costs down for lodging. Even using a free stove we could make some delicious meals while on the road, so our food expenses wouldn’t be any greater than if we stayed at home.

Break down excuses

I’ve shared what I think about excuses before. In short, I’m against them. They only serve as artificial limits. My excuses for the motorcycle tour caused me to put off even researching it for some time. Once I did, however, I realized how silly most of them were. If you really want that adventure, you can find a way to overcome any excuse that you put in front of yourself. Maybe you have to embrace minimalism in order to save some money (or earn some from selling some unused possessions). Perhaps the tv needs to go so you can find the time.

My next steps

My wife and I have decided to spend our spring break next semester on a motorcycle trip. We don’t have it planned out yet, but we know that we’re going. We’ll cruise through a few states over the week, enjoying the scenery and company. One leg of the journey will be completed.

What about you?

What about your dream trip? Don’t you owe it to yourself to find your one place and start making plans to get there? Don’t let any excuses get in your way! I’d love to hear about your dream trip.