Do you want to explore new states or new places but don’t have the money to spend on a hotel? Or maybe you have a fully packed schedule that doesn’t allow you to take a week off of your busy overloaded life. About a year ago, I was in the same boat. I had a desire to see different places and go on amazing adventures but felt like I never had the time. With excuse after excuse, I eventually found some courage to get out. What I found was a wonderful new love. Adventure. Yes, this is going to sound crazy but I wanted to see new places so thats exactly what I did. Josh and I like to think of ourselves as a spontaneous couple that is up for anything. With our work and school schedules it was nearly impossible to do anything or go anywhere. One day we decided it was time. Luckily, Josh had a Jeep Liberty that was perfect for a road trip. So, heres what we did.
We started off small. Any day we had off, we made sure we went somewhere outside. We would go to state parks, lakes, and rivers and we would find our way off of the trails. This indeed was the best decision we made because we found incredible scenic views and the most beautiful parts of nature that we never would have found if we didn’t create our own path.
McConnells Mill, Portersville Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is only an hour away from where we live so we were able to go to Pittsburgh freely without spending too much time in the car. When we went to Pittsburgh we would fill our entire day with activities. The great thing about this area is that there are so many things and do and places to see that aren’t too expensive and are friendly to all ages. Anyone can find something for they love here.
Pittsburgh Pennsylvania
We explored every place we could that was in a 2 hour radius of us. It was such a wonderful experience getting to see some of the hidden treasures of Pennsylvania that we never really knew about.
Moraine State Park, Pennsylvania
We love being outdoors so finding places to go in western PA wasn’t necessarily a hard task. This was also a great way for us to save money during the summer months because we never had to pay for the activities we did. The only time you will have to pay is if you are renting a boat or a bike.
Ohiopyle is one of the most beautiful places in Pennsylvania. With rushing water to gorgeous views, an outdoor lover will find so much happiness here. Ohiopyle is awesome because it offers adrenaline rushing activities like white water rafting and zip lining in the warmer months.
Ohiopyle State Park, Pennsylvania
Another place we went to see was Lake Erie. This isn’t very far from us either so we didn’t struggle getting to this destination. Lake Erie looks like the ocean. As we all know, Lake Erie is one of the great lakes. But did you know that it is the 13th largest lake in the world? Pretty cool, right? While you are there you can lay in the sand and dip your toes into the water, just like you are at the beach. So if you live close by and are looking to get away but can’t quiet travel the distance to the beach, I would strongly recommend going here.
Lake Erie, Pennsylvania
Cooks Forest was such a peaceful escape! Here, we took a canoe down the river where we were able to swim in the water and float through the day. The quiet canoe ride allowed us to relax and step back from our busy lifestyles and enjoy the beautiful outdoors.
Cooks Forest, Cooksburg Pennsylvania
After all of our Pennsylvania adventures we decided it was time to invest in a GoPro to help capture every minute of our journey in high quality picture and video.
Our brand new adventure toy.
The next place we ventured to was Cleveland, Ohio. My favorite part about this trip was the giant park we went to, to get to the lake. There were families everywhere playing in the park, and having picnics. It had a very homey vibe that a lot of people enjoy.
Cleaveland, Ohio
Nelsons Ledges, Garretsville Ohio
After exploring Ohio, we wanted to take our travels to the coast. Josh and I both love the ocean so we decided that it was time to go. We each took a day off of work, left the night before and drove 8 hours to get to our destination. We would spend the entire day laying on the beach and soaking up the sun. We would also find activities to fill our day with so that it felt like a weeks worth of vacation packed into one day. We would visit aquariums, find mini golf courses, and even just take a stroll near the water. These trips were a blast. around 9:00p.m. we would travel 8 more hours back to PA. Believe me the experience was tiring but it was 100% worth it.
Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Josh’s car was always full of snacks, water, and Starbucks iced coffee so that we would stay awake for the entire trip. These trips make us so happy because we get to leave our normal comfort zones and explore new places.
Our most recent trip was to NYC. This was by far my favorite trip we have taken. The city is full of amazing wonders that you could never get bored of. There is always something new to do or see in New York City. Read about my trip to New York in my previous blog post “All about New York City”.
Central Park, New York City
So grab a friend, some strong coffee and an optimistic attitude and go explore.
Have fun!
Sami
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