This Scientist Has Made it Easy to Plan Your Cross-Country Road Trip

If you have been dying to take a road trip across the U.S. but don’t know where to start, don’t worry. A Senior Data Scientist at the University of Pennsylvania has already mapped your whole trip for you. Dr. Randy Olson started mapping “the optimal road trip across every state in the U.S.” shortly after a friend recommended he use his special algorithm to finally cross another goal off his bucket list. What’s better, the road trip includes stops at a majority of the nation’s most popular and historical landmarks while ensuring the shortest routes from one place to the next, saving travelers more time for exploring. “The result,” according to Olson, is "an epic itinerary with a mix of inner city exploration, must-see historical sites, and beautiful natural landscapes.”

Traversing 48 states, Dr. Olson’s road trip requires spending 13,699 miles in a car and is projected to take roughly 224 hours or a little over 9 days. If you stop and enjoy each place, he calculates that it can add up to two to three months of travel, depending on how much time you decide spend at each location.

But Olson didn’t stop there. Aside from mapping this epic U.S. road trip meant to appease all travelers with various interests, he also used his algorithm to map other specialized journeys across the nation. For those simply interested in visiting major cities, the Senior Data Scientist generated a 12,290 mile journey which hits 47 well-known U.S. metropolises. For outdoor enthusiasts, Olson also mapped a cross-country road trip of the U.S. National Parks, which includes 14,498 miles in the car and stops at 47 of the nation’s most scenic locations. Even if you are not fond of each destination on the list, Dr. Olson has also made it possible to map your own epic journey across the U.S.

To learn more about Dr. Randy Olson’s project and start planning your road trip, click here!

Top photo: Mr.Lujan/Flickr/Creative Commons License