Having an interest or theme when you travel can add a dimension to your travels. It helps plot your journey as you find nearby or yet unseen places in your area of interest. Here are some ideas:
Independent bookstores: We don’t go out of our way (except for a special few like Powell’s) but George and I do enjoy browsing local, independent bookstores. They often pick interesting books for their shelves, not just the mass media popularity winners, and often independent bookstores feature local authors.
Baseball stadiums: One couple we met had a goal of watching a baseball game in every stadium.
Nascar aficionado: Watching races at each track is another possible goal.
State capitols: Janet and Barry’s goal was to visit every state capitol in the lower 48.
History themes: Chuck and Ginny followed the Oregon Trail, the path of the Lewis & Clark Expedition, Little House on the Prairie sites, and others.
Bead stores and more: Beaders and quilters love to see the selections available in shops wherever they travel. Donna sells her beadwork, but can easily spend the profits in one visit to an interesting bead store.
Fishing: Often Workampers pick their spots by the fishing available nearby. They may even get the use of a boat on off-hours. Other RVers enjoy fly fishing or lake fishing too.
Rails to Trails: Bikers often seek out Rails to Trails paths. You can find locations throughout the U.S.
Geocaching: Caches range from easy to hard to find. You can add geocaching to hiking to increase the exercise component.
National Parks: Collect cancellation stamps from all National Park entities in your passport book or the larger Passport Explorer edition.
Workamping or having a focus as your travel could even stave off Alzheimer’s or dementia. Read more here.
What sort of things do you seek out as you travel? Share your ideas in the comment section! Jaimie Hall Bruzenak
Explorer edition of the NPS Passport Book