My friend KevinIL [most of you readers know him as Kapgar] posted a blog post recently with the following questions:

  1. Where are you from?
  2. What is the furthest you have lived from friends and family?
  3. How close do you live to your parents or siblings?
  4. How many states have you visited? How many have you lived in?
  5. How many countries have you visited? Lived in?
  6. Where do you want to live next?
  7. Bonus: What country would you retire to if America isn’t an option?

The Answers

Where are you from?

I was born in Fullerton, CA. Grew up in Garden Grove, CA and lived there until I was 20.

What is the furthest you have lived from friends and family?

Two states away [Washington and California].

How close do you live to your parents or siblings?

Since both of my parents are gone, my closest sibling lives in Nampa, ID [5 hours away]. My brother is in Mohave Desert, which is a good 14 hours from here.

The States Map

How many states have you visited? How many have you lived in?


visited 29 states (58%)
Create your own visited map of The United States

I’ve visited 29 states so far, which I define as staying at least one night. Airport visits don’t count [as much as I would love for them to, just so I can add to my numbers].

As you can see, I’ve pretty much got the entire western part of the US visited. And almost all of the east coast I’ve been to as well. But as you can see, I’ve pretty much avoided all of the midwest [except for Iowa] and about half of the south. Nothing personal, my friends in those places.

UPDATE I totally forgot to add what states I’ve lived in: California, Washington and Utah [in that order].

How many countries have you visited? Lived in?

I have only visited two countries: Canada and Mexico. I need to get crackin’ on my world travels here. I’m 50, goddammit! I must add to this list before I turn 60.

UPDATE I have only lived in the United States.

Where do you want to live next?

To be honest, I had to think about this one. For most of my life, and pretty much currently, I would love to live in Newport Beach, CA. But since I’ve not been to the world outside North America, I might find a nice villa in France or a nice beach house on the coast of Portugal. I tend to favor a beach residence, so that much I know.

Bonus: What country would you retire to if America isn’t an option?

Since I recently traveled to Mexico, I would have to say Cabo San Lucas. I really enjoyed it there and could see myself retiring to their laid back way of life, sipping on Pacificos and tequila, eating chilaquiles.

Your Turn

Let’s pass this on. If you blog, create a new post and link to this one here. Otherwise, feel free to comment away below.