The 50/50 Tour: An Extreme Family Vacation Across All 50 States

Plenty of families spend their vacations relaxing at the beach. Not this family. When Paula and Bill both turned fifty, they transformed their family vacation into a yearlong quest to visit all fifty states. But with two demanding jobs and two active kids, they could barely find time for dinner, let alone a trip to Nebraska. They pushed their logistical skills – and their marriage – to the limit by scheduling family travels around Little League games, business trips, and high school exams. At times, they pushed their collective patience to the limit. Can you imagine convincing a teenager that it would be fun to take a family vacation to a neighboring state… or two… or fifty?

Despite the challenges, the rewards were great. The family visited our nation’s cornfields in Iowa, oilfields in Oklahoma, and battlefields in Pennsylvania. They sought out the unique and unusual and found things like the Potato Museum, the Butter Cow, Carhenge, and a state park full of diamonds. Along the way, they feasted on everything from steaks cooked on pitchforks to pies blended into milkshakes.

This book chronicles the family’s escapades, highlights their quirky discoveries, and wonders how they managed to maintain their sanity throughout a wild and tumultuous year. This true story will make you laugh, cry, and want to hug your country!