We're sort of in that "whole lot of nothing going on" time of year for the next few weeks, and a few of us have saved a considerable amount of cash this past year as a somewhat positive result of having to stay home. You can either invest that money in the labile stock market or gamble it on your mental health and build memories for the future.

No matter where you live in the United States, you can physically immerse yourself in either picturesque landscapes or the thriving epicenter of a metropolis. With that said, if you have the time and the capital, hop in the car, RV, or motorcycle and take in our nation's extraordinary cities and natural trappings.

How far your journey takes you depends entirely on your audacious inclinations. You can hit every corner of the country like a pinball machine, or you can take the slow approach and explore in bite-size road trip chunks.

The Northeast Corridor

Many small states make up the Northeast Corridor area that runs along Interstate 95 from Washington D.C. through New England. People who have the luxury of living here can visit multiple cities on the same day without driving long distances or stepping foot on a plane. When heading north from Philadelphia, you can stopover in New York for a quick lunch and have dinner in Boston. Driving south from New York will get you into D.C. just in time for happy hour with old college classmates.

If a barrage of cityscapes isn't your thing, then head east until you hit the Atlantic Ocean. The beaches of Maryland, New Jersey, and Massachusetts work out well for the day-tripper, and many people open their homes up for summer rentals by the week or the month. Each town along the coast offers something different. You can find open-air nightclubs and restaurants, surfing, lazy beach days, lighthouse tours, and all the fantastic seafood you can handle.

Southern Selects

As you drive south on I-95 past the Nation's capital, the states become more spread out and rural. Hitting up city after city in a short amount of time is no longer a feasible option. However, there are some beautiful panoramic landscapes for your reveling pleasure and quaint towns like Savannah, Georgia, with its historic squares and Spanish Moss-laden trees, and sip some drinks while walking down Charleston, South Carolina's battery. And the food! My goodness, the food! Southern comfort food is a treasure and a delight.

There are barrier islands that hug the coastline From South Carolina to Georgia. Descendants of West Africa inhabit the coastal islands along South Carolina and Georgia called the Gullah people who speak a Creole-based language, have specific fishing and farming methods and folk traditions. You can choose the mainland experience or learn a different culture by the sea.

Mountainous Marvels

For all you beach lovers who are half-human, half-fish, we know the idea of being landlocked is insanely terrifying. We promise visiting the Rocky Mountains will be an adventure well worth leaving behind your paddleboard and Acapulco lounger.

Colorado is a haven for outdoor sports like skiing, snowboarding, rock climbing, and mountain biking. It may take a few days to adjust to some of the steep elevations like Pike's Peak at a whopping 14,000 feet above sea level! You can start slow by soaking in some of the areas of many natural hot springs like Steam Boat Springs and stopping in for a beer at the local breweries. 

 The Best of the West

California is an absolute beast of a state with extreme variations in climate and topography. Warm and arid, with low lying and high elevation deserts in the south with little rain, a long gorgeous coast of cliffs and towns like Big Sur overlooking the Pacific, and the NorCal filled with wineries and lush forests. 

With delicious restaurants and charming beach towns like Coronado Island, San Diego is the gateway to Mexico for those of you seeking a quick jaunt to a different country. Los Angeles, a city unlike any other in the United States, can supply challenging hikes in the mountains surrounding the city, boating in Malibu, loads of multi-cultural culinary dishes, and random interactions with wildlife like green parrots peacocks, and coyotes.

The opportunities to see something new and scenic in America are nearly exhaustive. One should never bypass the chance to bear witness to natural beauty or creations from the human mind.