A TRAVEL expert who visited all 50 US states has revealed the four he would “never go back to”.
Lee Abbamonte, 45, has even visited all of America’s 63 national parks and claims to be the youngest person to visit every country in the world and the North and South Poles.
Lee Abbamonte, 45, has visited all 50 of America’s states at least three timesInstagram/leeabbamonte
Instagram/leeabbamonteThe seasoned traveller also claims to have visited every country in the world[/caption]
Abbamonte riding a horse in New Jersey – his 28th favourite stateInstagram/leeabbamonte
But having visited each US state at least three times each, he’s made an impressive list ranking each one from best to worst.
And while he admits the list is subjective, he’s based it off his own personal experience nonetheless.
The California-based nature lover ranked all 50 states on Instagram earlier this month.
The caption read: “I’ve been to every U.S. state at least 3 times. I’ve been to every national park and most good state parks. I’ve been to every major and most minor cities in America.”
He added: “Obviously every list is subjective and personal preference.
“I love nature, varied landscapes, scenery, cities, and a general feeling, amongst other criteria-my list reflects my preferences and many in the middle are somewhat interchangeable.”
At the bottom of the post, however, viewers would notice that Abbamonte had listed Louisiana, Kentucky, Kansas and North Dakota as his four least favourite states.
Explaining his decision to put North Dakota at the very bottom of the pile, the seasoned traveller said it was because the state is the “least accessible” from other parts of the US.
He told Business Insider: “When you fly to North Dakota from other states, you usually have to take connecting flights. There’s not a lot going on there.”
But even though he ranked North Dakota 50th out of 50 states, Abbamonte says it isn’t because he dislikes it.
“There are good things there, like Teddy Roosevelt National Park. The problem is it is such a hassle getting there,” he said.
“And when you leave the park, you’re like, ‘OK, I’m in North Dakota now. What do I do?’”
He added: “You’d have to give me a good reason to go back to North Dakota simply because of the effort it takes to get there.”
As for the rest of his bottom four, Abbamonte said the only thing he loves about Kansas is that it has the basketball arena in America, while Kentucky is only great for those who love horses and fishing.
“It’s one of those things where maybe you have to live there to appreciate it,” he said.
As for Louisiana, Abbaomonte said it would’ve been farther down if it wasn’t for New Orleans.
On a more positive note, the travel blogger ranked California as his most favourite US state.
Having moving to the west coast three years ago following more than two decades living in New York City, he said his new home state is his favourite because it has everything.
“It has beaches, it has mountains, it has deserts, it has islands, it has great cities, it has good cities,” Abbamonte said. “No matter what you like — I don’t care who you are — there is something for you here.”
A minor asterisk next to California’s name, however, is San Francisco.
Abbamonte said it’s the only place he’s felt a bit unsafe, although he’s been back several times and still thinks it’s a “pretty great city.”
His full list of Americas’s 50 states ranked from best to worst is listed below:
1. California
2. Colorado
3. Utah
4. Arizona
5. Hawaii
6. Nevada
7. Oregon
8. Washington
9. Montana
10. Alaska
11. New York
12. North Carolina
13. Florida
14. Massachusetts
15. Connecticut
16. South Carolina
17. Maryland
18. Idaho
19. Virginia
20. Michigan
21. Minnesota
22. Georgia
23. New Mexico
24. Texas
25. Vermont
26. Rhode Island
27. Wisconsin
28. New Jersey
29. Tennessee
30. Wyoming
31. Maine
32. Illinois
33. Pennsylvania
34. Delaware
35. New Hampshire
36. South Dakota
37. Ohio
38. West Virginia
39. Missouri
40. Indiana
41. Alabama
42. Arkansas
43. Iowa
44. Oklahoma
45. Mississippi
46. Nebraska
47. Louisiana
48. Kentucky
49. Kansas
50. North Dakota
Abbamonte in Los Angeles in California – his favourite stateInstagram/leeabbamonte”}]]