I was lucky to be able to travel with my family when I was young. My parents instilled in me the love of travel that has not gone away. Since going to college, I haven't had the monetary ability to travel as much as I have wanted to. With friends living all over the country and traveling to places that I have never been to, my mother gave me an idea to continue to further my traveling even if I can't stay for long in those places.

For every year that goes by, I will try to go to one new state. This way, I am not only exploring new places, but I force myself not to just travel to the places that I already know and love.

I am currently 21 years old, and I returned from my 21st state about a month ago. While I was there, I learned an incredible amount about the politics of the region as well as the culture. Every state is different and has a different story to it, and to learn that story is important in being able to more broadly understand people as a whole.

I don't think I would have ever known about how politics play out in different cities if I hadn't been there myself. The people in Kansas don't care about the same things in North Carolina, and it's all for a reason.

I've always had wanderlust, even when I was a little girl. When I was little, visiting my family "out in the country" was traveling for me, and I loved every second of it. Now that I'm older, I understand that traveling takes hours to do and can be expensive.

Staying in hostels and taking the "no-frills" airlines helps with the cost, and they honestly aren't that bad.

Maybe try taking a flight with a layover in a state you've never been and spend the evening in it before taking off again for the next morning. Drive for long periods of time and stay in hotels in cities you've never seen before on your way to your destination.

It's difficult to do that, I know, especially with working a full-time job, having school and being otherwise broke. But even if it's not a new state you can go to, maybe it can be a nearby city that you've never been to but have wanted to see. Just keep exploring and keep working towards a goal as it goes to experience more.