It is almost the 1 year anniversary since we set out on our Trans America road trip from our little island hometown to New York City. A week doesn’t go by that Jay and I don’t talk about the time we packed all we could fit into the back of a crossover and set out across country. So far it has been one of the best adventures of our young lives. I chronicled the entire adventure on the blog, and all those posts were and actually still is the most viewed entries on the Jordan Project. They are still being pinned again and again on a daily basis. I keep getting asked to map out the route we took to get ourselves across this great nation. So in honor of the requests and in encouragement that everyone really, really should take this trip here is the route we planned.
Before leaving we fielded comment after comment about how fun it will be to take it as it comes and stop where the wind takes us. Clearly these people under estimated my sheer level of A-type personality and the utter thrill I get in planning. Every detail was accounted for. I had mapped our route 10 months before we left, researched and booked the perfect hotel in each location and even devised an itemized list of where to eat and what to see (including a route on how to maximize our time in each spot so we could do and taste it all). Here is the result of my madness. It was sheer, perfect bliss. 12 days of bliss.
Start
Home! Victoria, British Columbia Canada.
My mom was sweet enough to trundle us off on the Ferry to Port Angeles and then drive us into Seattle where we could pick up our rental car. From there we transferred our goods into our new whip and set off behind very teary eyes.
First Stop
All we wanted to do was eat and eat we did. It was amazing. We have lived so close to Portland our entire lives and yet this was our first visit.
Second Stop
We arrived than expected since I forgot my cell phone at a store and didn’t realize until we were an hour down the road to Idaho. So truth we told we didn’t get much of a chance to explore Boise. However the drive through Idaho was gorgeous with winding rivers, mountain peaks and open plains. Sheer beauty.
Third Stop
We arrived on a Sunday (my abundant research forgot to inform me that the entire city shuts down on Sunday’s). However, I have to be honest it was a totally cool experience to see even Macy’s and Starbucks close their doors in observance of a religious tradition. So with that in mind, if you can plan to be in SLC on a Sunday. You can’t imagine the level of quiet in what is normally such a bustling city.
Fourth Stop
Boulder rivals D.C. as our favourite stop. I think because Boulder is like our hometown except in the mountains rather than on an island. I can’t say anything more other than we loved it (and their food)
Fifth Stop
Everyone rolled their eyes when we told them we were staying in Nebraska. So we started defending our choice by explaining you had to stop somewhere between Boulder and Chicago. Turns out when we arrived it is a really, really great city too. It may not be fancy and it may not be sparkly but it really has a great vibe
Sixth Stop
Just go and eat everything you can get your hands on. Be it popcorn, be it pizza, be it coffee, candy or smoothies I promise you will love it.
Seventh Stop
Such a great city. We rolled in during an off season football game. I highly recommend coordinating your visit with any game day in the city. Even if you aren’t a sport fan you will love seeing the city swath in team colors. It is pretty surreal.
Eighth Stop
Being new Canadian expats we took our time to brush up on American history and learn all the new cultural leanings. It was a total blast.
Ninth Stop
We had a bit of a breakdown in our carefully orchestrated plan. We had planned on staying in Philly at the sweetest little heritage hotel in Old Town. However, I left Jay to book the hotel and never followed up. We arrived at the hotel with no reservation. Instead we decided to drive a little further up and stay in the Princeton area, which is adorable and the iconic American small town. So Philly or Princeton.. either are a great choice
Finish
Then at last we arrived home to our little apartment in Harlem, with full hearts after a full trip. Then every subsequent post seemed to be colored with NYC living.
Hope that helps and inspires you to get behind the wheel and drive. This is such a crazy wonderful country to explore.
Raising Jordans 
Hey Jordan, the trip seems great! My family and I were planning a similar trip sometime in April/May, I wanted to ask you a few specific questions regarding the trip. (We’re from India and we are planning on attending my sisters graduation in May, post which we wanted to do a similar trip. Do let me know the best way to get in touch with you.
Best,
Aditya
Hey that is a great time of the year to do the trip!! You can reach me by email 🙂 I am happy to answer any questions you have!