Suitcase packed: Check.
Airline tickets booked: Check.
Plans for the trip: Wide open.
From California to Maine, sophomore Kaelin Siddons has been to 48 of the 50 states – everywhere except Alaska and Hawaii. However, it’s not because she doesn’t want to go to those two states; she does. So far, though, they have not made it onto her travel agenda.
“I would really love to go to both of those states because both of them are so different from each other. I think it would be cool to tell people that I have been to all 50 states,” said Siddons. “I want to see how those states are and how different they are compared to every other state.”
Siddons was born in Indiana but moved to California at a young age. She returned to the Hoosier State a couple of years later. Because she used to live in California, it was no surprise that it was her favorite state to visit. “Whenever I go and see that place, I really like to go see my friends and hang out with them,” she explained. “I like all the activities there are to do. I could go to the beach one day and then the next go to Disneyland or somewhere else.”
Having lived in two different states, she has seen the major differences between them. “It’s brighter and sunnier in California,” explained Siddons. “Here in Indiana, I get all four seasons, but in California I just get summer.”
Of course, traveling was not the only thing that took up Siddons’s time. Golf was something that she has played since 6th grade, participating on the school’s team. “It’s a nice sport that you can continue in your life,” said Siddons. “And it’s something you can go out and do, and relax for most of the time, but it’s also competitive.”
Having been all over the country, Siddons has occasionally played golf in other states. “I really liked this golf course I went to when I went and visited Tennessee,” said Siddons. “The golf course had a lot of hills. I was able to hit from really high up hills and watch it go through the air.”
As much as she loves golf and traveling, the two don’t always connect. “To be honest, golf doesn’t play too big of a role in my travels because I am the only person in my family who golfs,” she explained. “But, if the place we are at has a golf course nearby or something, my dad will take me to it and I will play a round of golf.”
Between the two, traveling has a slight edge over golfing for Siddons. “If I really had to choose one as my favorite, I would have to say traveling,” she said. “I love seeing how different every state is in its own way. I also like to do different things according to the certain place I’m in and I just love a nice vacation. But if golf is a part of that vacation, I like the travel aspect even more because it’s definitely something I can do when I’m traveling, no matter what.”
Story by Christin Gregory