I want to visit all the USA Amusement parks by road trip!

Photo by Christina Boemio on Unsplash

I love amusement parks. I love rides. I especially love rollercoasters. I also love meeting characters, watching shows, and eating special food. Oddly, I've only ever been to 11 amusement parks, and only 8 of them within the last 5 years.

This trip was inspired by Trip of a Lifestyle's cross-country roadtrip to visit all of the US National Parks. I was listening to their episode of ChooseFI and immediately got excited. I'm not big on nature, but I am big on rollercoasters! Why not do a similar trip that follows my own interests? My first task was to find out exactly how many parks there are with in the US and where they are. This was easy, since a website exists for that!

Now for problems that I need solutions for.

1. I don't know how to drive. I had driving lessons when I was 16, and then a friend tried to teach me last year at 30, but I never went further than that. My first step is going to have to be learn how to drive and get my driver's license, or else, how the heck am I suppose to have a roadtrip?!
2. I'll need a van. What kind would be best? What's available in my area? How much will it cost? What work will it need to make it roadtrip ready?
3. My mom is going to think I'm insane. She was uncomfortable enough when I went to Disneyland by myself for the first time. She was okay when I went to Disney World alone. She was nervous to let me go to Japan solo, but thanks to COVID-19, that was cancelled. How is she going to react to me driving back and forth across the country, sleeping in a van?
4. Making money while on the road. This one, I did have an immediate idea for. It was just a matter of actually getting the work.

Once I can get through these barriers, this trip is totally possible. When will it happen? I have no idea. Most of the parks are currently closed due to the pandemic, so it's anyone's guess as to when everything will be open and fully operational.

Visiting All 12 Disney Parks in 2022

In Fall of 2022, I want to visit all 12 of the Disney parks worldwide in one trip. Crazy? Yes. But I've been thinking a lot about this, and I want to do it. I'd love to do it this year, but of course, with the pandemic going on, that is not going to be happening.

I'm still trying to get to Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea after my May trip was cancelled. 2021 would be a good time to reschedule, but will travel restrictions be lifted by then? Will the parks be fully operational? Who knows, but I doubt it.

My tentative plan for now is to start in Disneyland on my birthday in mid-October and spend two days there. Then I'll fly off to Shanghai and Hong Kong and spend two or three days in each park, before arriving in Tokyo at the end of October.

I'll go to Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea for Halloween, then sightsee for the next week or two before the park switches to Christmas. This will help me with my ultimate goal of visiting all of the parks for all major seasons. In mid-November, I'll go to Paris and spend three or four days there, and then end my trip with 4-6 days in Disney World for Christmas! Depending on exactly how many days I spend in each park, I should be home by Thanksgiving. Or the week after at the latest. That's about 6 glorious weeks of Disney vacation magic!

This trip is going to be exhausting, but probably the most fun I'll ever have in my life.

Tokyo Disney 2020 is a Go!

I just booked my trip to Tokyo, Japan! I've been obsessing over Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea for months, and now it's really happening!

I'll be staying on-property at the Hilton Tokyo Bay, which was unexpected. It was the main hotel I was looking at based on recommendations from other blogs, but I felt it was too expensive and a little boring. However, it popped up as the Travelocity deal of the day (I know, I know, they do that to get you to book!), so I just went for it. My mom also feels much better knowing I'll be staying on-property rather than somewhere cheaper a little further away. I must admit, I feel a little better too.

But, I'm super nervous now! This is really happening! I'm going to Japan! I've never been out of the country before, so this is going to be a whole new experience for me. And if all goes well, I'll book that HalloXmas trip for later in the year. But definitely staying somewhere cheaper and more centralized, since I'll be sightseeing.