Let's start out by saying this: I love America. I don't love America in the same way that gun-toting Trump supporters love America, but I love my America. This is a statement that I probably wouldn't have uttered three years ago, but it's one that I say now.
I have an old co-worker who lived in Germany for 9 months, and started out 99% of his sentences with, "When I lived in Germany..." and I've tried my hardest to not be that person, but seeing as this is an integral part to this story: I lived in the United Kingdom. For 15 months. I spent 370 consecutive days away from America before I returned (for two weeks, and then I returned to London for another 3 months). But for those 15 months I proudly answered questions about the States, mostly from intrigued Europeans who for the life of them, could not handle the concept of living in a country so large (I on the other hand, still have a hard time grasping the concept of driving for days and going through seven countries, but whatever).
It didn't dawn on me until recently of how much I love this little (or large) country of mine. My co-worker, bless her 18-year-old heart, spent two weeks in the UK last Christmas and is now an expert on all things Britannia, claiming it to be her true home. She asked me one day if I ever thought I was born in the wrong country and my instant reaction, much to her dismay, was a resounding "no". I was born right where I needed to be.
Now that I've dived into the world of, and excuse my millennial-ness, travel blogging, I've realized how little of this internet community revolves around US travel. Go onto to Pinterest and you'll find every which way to pack a suitcase for 10 days in Italy. Or how to fly to the Polynesian Islands for cheap. And most importantly, how to book the best resort in Morocco. Yes, okay. You can find a lot about an American road trip and information on National Parks, but I think as a whole, it's hard to come by.
I've also recently (millennial!) started an Instagram account for this blog, and most "travel bloggers" (ugh, again, so sorry) are jaunting their way around Europe or hiking the trails of South America. And that's cool. Pretty fucking cool. But have you ever seen a picture of Zion National Park? Google images alone of that place give me goosebumps. And I have a difficult time thinking I'd rather go to Italy than tote around Utah (sorry Italy).
I may be alone in this. Maybe I'm the only one fascinated by the geographical anomaly that is the US (muggy swamps, crazy mountain chains, cities that rule the world, and then some cover this space, isn't that awesome?! No?) Maybe I'm just not looking in the right places (and I should probably know better than to trust Instagram on these matters) but where are all my American travelers at?! And wherever you are, please come find me. Let's go see our America together.