Travel Within the USA Is Underrated - Here's Why You Should Do More of It

Earlier this year, a group of friends and I took a weekend trip to New Orleans. My first trip to the Deep South amazed me; we got a good look at the aquatic landscape on a swamp tour that departed from Slidell, LA. Churning down a river that leads into the Gulf of Mexico, we passed wooden homes on stilts, shrouded in flora and fauna I had never seen before. We saw a wild boar splashing in the swampy brush and the bumpy backs of alligators poking through the water's surface. I saw so many things for the first time that day; it was nothing like any other place that I had visited prior.

For my friend Allison, who is from Austin, TX, traveling in the US demonstrates to her how diverse, exciting, and unique the country truly is and is an ongoing reminder to respect the people who enrich the United States. Visiting areas such as Little Persia in California and Little Somalia in Minnesota were experiences that stood out to her.

According to my friend Laura, who is from Dallas but has familial roots in the Southwestern US, a must see in New Mexico is the Turquoise Trail, a bypass road of (the less picturesque) Highway 24, which connects Albuquerque with Santa Fe. The distinct culture of New Mexico is on display during a drive along the trail, which takes you through the scenic Sandia Mountains just east of Albuquerque and on to the small "ghost-town-turned-artist-mecca" of Madrid. Continuing on, Laura recommends stops in Golden and Cerillos on your way to Santa Fe, a cultural and historical terminus she feels best "represents the spirit of New Mexico."

When the grind of New York City is wearing on me, my mind often wanders to images of international beaches. But I have come to realize that you don't necessarily need to leave the continental United States to find your piece of beachside paradise. In Surfside, Miami, a small, walkable, and low-key beach town just a few miles north of bustling Miami Beach, my mother and I found a slice of bliss on the Floridian coast. During an impromptu mother/daughter weekend, we relished our time at The Four Seasons Hotel at The Surf Club, a stunning hotel with a rich historical backstory that evokes the glamour of the mid-20th century. With a room over looking the uninterrupted coastline, I couldn't have been further from the concrete jungle.

During the warmer months in the Northeast, my family and I head to New England when I need some water time. My childhood and adult life are both full of memories made on the beaches of Narragansett, RI, as well as the Six Ponds Area nestled in Plymouth, MA. Both areas have a special place in my heart, and during those times away, I have come to love the laid-back attitude of New Englanders.

Do you like food? How about delicious and interesting food? Well, good, me too, and luckily there is a lot of it to be found here in the US. The diversity of the country lends itself to colorful regional specialties.

For example, after the swamp tour in Slidell, LA, my group happened upon Keith's Seafood, a local spot selling cooked seafood by the pound. My friends and I sat outside at picnic bench as the sun was setting, a platter of boiled crawfish, shrimp, corn, and potatoes set in the middle. Afterward, we stopped at a drive-through selling 25 different flavors of frozen alcoholic drinks and bought some Styrofoam tumblers of boozy slushies for later.

In Surfside, Miami, a town that is only a mile long (and only eight blocks wide), I was faced with more than 31 restaurants to choose from, mostly within a pedestrian-friendly three-block stretch. One morning, I had crunchy latkes topped with sriracha cream cheese and thin slices of spicy, seared tuna at Josh's Deli, a Jewish-style deli "done wrong" that put a delicious twist on the Jewish comfort food I am familiar with from my childhood. I also had some delicious eats at Serendipity Creamery and Café Ragazzi, experiences that further cemented the notion that good restaurants serving high-quality food are not something exclusive to major urban centers like NYC.

In Michigan, my friend Zach, who is from Charlotte, NC, frequents a town called Hamtramck. He describes it as "a Polish enclave in the middle of Detroit [and] an area where Polish is still widely spoken." As an individual of Polish descent, "it was always a stop on family trips to pick up Polish staples like duck blood soup," a unique food product that you can't find just anywhere! Some of the best food around can often be found in areas where its residents share a strong cultural tradition.

The national parks provide some of the most jaw-droppingly beautiful vistas in the country. My friend Mackenzie, from Brooklyn, NY, observed that "while driving through Arizona and Utah [during a visit to] the National Parks, [she] was amazed by the extreme difference in terrain within a short distance of travel." Throughout a 200-mile drive, Mackenzie experienced "barren desert, snow-capped mountains, lush forest, and an incredibly vast lake." Richly varied terrains created unforgettable experiences, including "the contrast between the steep mountains hikes with breathtaking 360-degree views and the water-filled gorges of The Narrows" in Zion National Park.

For my friend Zach, the presence of international tour groups made him reconsider the importance of being an American tourist visiting the national parks. "When I was in Yosemite, there was a tour group from almost every continent." He felt that it was powerful to see people from all around the world so engaged in our national parks because it's an attraction he realized, based on his own outlook, that some Americans take for granted.

If you are used to the congested Northeast like me, the rolling openness of the Southwestern United States may be hard to believe. My friend Laura counts New Mexico, Arizona, West Texas, and Southern Utah as her favorite part of the country. She laments that "the land is so sparsely populated that it is feels entirely possible to disappear in the vast desert among the never-ending landscapes."

In a country as big as ours, there is always something that has been left to be discovered. Let's get out there!