States, provinces, and countries I've been to... show off your traveling scoreboard!

AndyBees

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 27, 2003
Location
Southeast Kentucky
TDI
Silver 2003 Jetta TDI, Silver 2000 Jetta TDI (sold), '84 Vanagon with '02 ALH engine
Taking a cruise to Hawaii

Well, that is an awesome idea. However, I'm still trying to get her to agree to a cheap cruise (Ferry) up the inside passage from Port Hardy (north end of Victoria Island, BC) to Hanes/Skagway, Alaska. Although we have done the Ferry from Skagway to Hanes a couple of times, she's still pondering the idea.:D

I recall our first trip to Key West, Florida, 1998, in the ol' '83 Vanagon... my wife was a nervous wreck until we got there. We've been back a couple of times and she handled those trips much better.

Back to the cruise to Hawaii, doubt that will ever materialize.

(Hey, I'm still trying to get her to agree to tour the highway that goes through Bear Tooth Pass just outside Yellowstone National Park ..... In 1980, I left her at the 11,000 foot level (visitor center I believe) on Pike's Peak as I drove the 1980 VW Rabbit Diesel on to the top, 14,114 feet.);)
 

IcedTeaNinja

New member
Joined
Nov 24, 2015
Location
San Diego, CA
TDI
'14 JSW TDI
Hey Guys, new to the forum. We just completed our first real road trip in our '14 JSW TDI.
San Diego through Las Vegas to the 5 National Parks in Utah (Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef, Arches and Canyonlands), then the South Rim of the Grand Canyon on the way back to San Diego. We pulled a 4'*8' travel trailer throughout and averaged about 35 mpg's. Kept it at 60 and below due to the small trailer tires but couldn't be happier with the cars performance throughout the trip.
 

Mike in Anchorage

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 4, 2009
Location
Anchorage, AK
TDI
2016 Touareg Lux, 2015 Golf Sportwagen SE, new 4 Sept 2017;2009 VW Jetta TDI Sportwagen (Ruby) sold to VW on 22 SEP 2017
Well, that is an awesome idea. However, I'm still trying to get her to agree to a cheap cruise (Ferry) up the inside passage from Port Hardy (north end of Victoria Island, BC) to Hanes/Skagway, Alaska. Although we have done the Ferry from Skagway to Hanes a couple of times, she's still pondering the idea.:D
I'm confused how you took a ferry from Haines to Skagway without getting to Alaska by air. Have you taken the inside passage before? :confused:
In 1980, I left her at the 11,000 foot level (visitor center I believe) on Pike's Peak as I drove the 1980 VW Rabbit Diesel on to the top, 14,114 feet.);)
Without a turbo, that must have made for lots of smoke and really low speeds. :eek:
 

romad

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 27, 2011
Location
Prescott, AZ
TDI
2005 Jetta GLS Wagon "Cranberry"
I'm confused how you took a ferry from Haines to Skagway without getting to Alaska by air. Have you taken the inside passage before? :confused:
Remember, Andy has DRIVEN to Alaska! Look at a map of AK, BC, & YU. From YU Route 1 you can take YU Rte 3 to BC Rte 4 to AK Rte 7 to Haines. Alternately you can go from YU Rte 1 on YU Rte 2 and BC Rte 2 to AK Rte 98 to Skagway.
 
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cmitchell

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 8, 2002
Location
Central Oregon
TDI
2002 Jetta GLS black / black leather
I'm confused how you took a ferry from Haines to Skagway without getting to Alaska by air. Have you taken the inside passage before? :confused:
When I was a bit younger I drove the Alaska Highway, spent six weeks up there & had a great time! To get home I drove to Haines where I took the Alaska Marine Highway (inside passage) to Washington State. I got to Haines three days early. Honestly, there wasn't much to do in Haines, so I made the trip from Haines to Skagway on the ferry one day & back to Haines the next. I didn't spend the entire time on the ferry on the return trip either ... I got off in Juneau, Sitka & Petersburg and spent three days in each town. I wasn't driving a Volkswagen on the trip though. I was driving an Isuzu P'up. It WAS a diesel though so it counts! ;) So yes, it is possible to take the ferry from Haines to Skagway without getting to Alaska by air ... been there done that! :D
 

freakmike3

Active member
Joined
Sep 21, 2010
Location
VA
TDI
Jetta 09
I did my first road trip in my TDI about 5 years back. We drove from Richmond Va to DisneyWorld. Straight through with a stop at South of the Border (don't stop if you can help it.) Coming back was brutal. Almost 13 hours due to terrible traffic around Savannah. I timed our departure wrong and hit all the traffic. Luckily the Jetta is super comfortable so all those hours on my ass didn't bother me.
 

VeeDubTDI

Wanderluster, Traveler, TDIClub Enthusiast
Joined
Jul 2, 2000
Location
Springfield, VA
TDI
‘18 Tesla Model 3D+, ‘14 Cadillac ELR, ‘13 Fiat 500e
I picked up another state at this year's TDIFest - Wisconsin. :cool:

I have five states remaining now... North Dakota, Alaska, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.

 

VeeDubTDI

Wanderluster, Traveler, TDIClub Enthusiast
Joined
Jul 2, 2000
Location
Springfield, VA
TDI
‘18 Tesla Model 3D+, ‘14 Cadillac ELR, ‘13 Fiat 500e
Nope. Not yet! I need to plan a trip down there so that I can pick up the three missing Gulf states (and to have a good time, of course). :)
 

ATR

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jun 18, 2005
Location
Baltimore
TDI
2011 Golf TDI 6MT
I've been to all three golf states... if you like seafood they are some of the best places I've been to. And the gumbo is amazing down there :D
 

kjclow

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 26, 2003
Location
Charlotte, NC
TDI
2010 JSW TDI silver and black. 2017 Ram Ecodiesel dark red with brown and beige interior.
Driving through Nebraska is just about as thrilling as driving through Kansas!! you really haven't lived until...


Yuri
At least driving across Nebraska, you run along the Platte River and see civilization. Running across Kansas you see noting but tumble weeds.

I've been to 46 states and 6 Provinces and 3 European countries. We passed up the trip to Four Corners a few years back since the weather was starting to really turn to crap. Utah and New Mexico are the only remaining of the 48 contiguous states. For Canada, I've covered from Quebec to BC.

Decided to add a slight twist to the conversation. I've also biked in 13 states over the last two years.
 
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VeeDubTDI

Wanderluster, Traveler, TDIClub Enthusiast
Joined
Jul 2, 2000
Location
Springfield, VA
TDI
‘18 Tesla Model 3D+, ‘14 Cadillac ELR, ‘13 Fiat 500e
At least driving across Nebraska, you run along the Platte River and see civilization. Running across Kansas you see noting but tumble weeds.

I've been to 46 states and 6 Provinces and 3 European countries. We passed up the trip to Four Corners a few years back since the weather was starting to really turn to crap. Utah and New Mexico are the only remaining of the 48 contiguous states. For Canada, I've covered from Quebec to BC.

Decided to add a slight twist to the conversation. I've also biked in 13 states over the last two years.
You're really going to enjoy Utah and New Mexico. There are some great national parks in both, especially Utah.
 

AndyBees

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 27, 2003
Location
Southeast Kentucky
TDI
Silver 2003 Jetta TDI, Silver 2000 Jetta TDI (sold), '84 Vanagon with '02 ALH engine
I'm confused how you took a ferry from Haines to Skagway without getting to Alaska by air. Have you taken the inside passage before? :confused:
In 1980, I left her at the 11,000 foot level (visitor center I believe) on Pike's Peak as I drove the 1980 VW Rabbit Diesel on to the top, 14,114 feet.);)
Without a turbo, that must have made for lots of smoke and really low speeds. :eek:

Sorry for such a late reply to this comment.

Look at my post, I said we did the ferry from Skagway to Haines, not the other way around! Back in July of this year, we drove down to Skagway again (3rd time) but never did the ferry over to Haines. I doubt I'll ever be back to Haines unless we do the inside-passage from Port Hardy on the ferry.

Edit: Yes, this recent trip made 9 times to Alaska since 1986... all in a VW Vanagon!
 
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Jake Brake

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 20, 2013
Location
southern IL
TDI
2005 Passat GLS tdi wagon
As a former over the road truck owner operator I have traveled through all states except AK, HI, RI and VT. I have also been to Quebec.
I have been out west through Glacier Park in a tdi also.
 

NebraskaTDI

Member
Joined
May 8, 2017
Location
Omaha
TDI
2015 Golf Sportwagen S
Toronto to LA

I really would like to long drive to Los Angeles from Toronto. Any tips on the best route.
Having a TDI, I have to make sure there are gas stations with diesel. Many of the smaller stations, specially in country areas, I wonder if they carry diesel.
Ron S
the road warrior
with my car pillow
car seat pillow
401 West to Windsor, cross at the bridge. Pick up I-94 towards Hammond, IN and stay on it when it becomes I80/I90. Stay on I-80 just over the IL line, and stick with it across the next 150 miles of IL, 306 miles of IA, and about 350 miles of NE. At about mile 103 in NE, jump on I-76 to Denver - 180 miles. At the end of I-76, merge onto I-70 west and take it to the end, in Utah. Then just ride into LA on I-15. You CAN do it in 2 days, but 3 is more realistic. Have fun!
 

romad

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 27, 2011
Location
Prescott, AZ
TDI
2005 Jetta GLS Wagon "Cranberry"
It was too far to go especially only a couple of weeks after the 2016 Flyin' Miata Summer Camp! Maybe I'll have to route a flight via Milwaukee to knock off Wisconsin. :D

If I hadn't been pressed for time in June, I could have hit Rhode Island and just possibly New Hampshire.
 

Mike in Anchorage

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 4, 2009
Location
Anchorage, AK
TDI
2016 Touareg Lux, 2015 Golf Sportwagen SE, new 4 Sept 2017;2009 VW Jetta TDI Sportwagen (Ruby) sold to VW on 22 SEP 2017
I'm lucky to have visited all 50 states. Still several provinces to go. I've begun a new list of states I've ridden a bicycle. Up to 27 so far. Countries visited - 28 so far. The TDIs are limited to North America so far.
 

kjclow

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 26, 2003
Location
Charlotte, NC
TDI
2010 JSW TDI silver and black. 2017 Ram Ecodiesel dark red with brown and beige interior.
I'm only at 20 states for bike riding. Added 4 since my last post in this thread two years ago.
 

GerryInLaPaz

New member
Joined
Sep 17, 2016
Location
Nanaimo BC (Canada) and La Paz BCS (Mexico)
TDI
2012 TDI Wagon Highline
Nanaimo BC to La Paz BCS and back

Nanaimo to La Paz Nov/2017, La Paz to Nanaimo May/2018. About 4000km each way. Did the entire trip on about 4 tanks of diesel! Nanaimo to Victoria, MV Coho ferry to Port Angeles, then I5 thru Washington (loved the Olympic Peninsula!), Oregon and California. Hit LA at 1:00pm on a Tuesday, took 5 hours to get thru the city.
Just outside Guerro Negro in Northern Baja, hit a huge pothole at about 80km/hr. Blew out both front tires, bent a front rim, damaged a sidewall on a rear tire... they were Pilot Sport 3's about a month old! Ended up putting the 2 Sports on the front, a new Uniroyal and the space saver on the rear -- combo of 16 and 17 inch rims and 3 different tire sizes. Didn't drive nice. Had to go about 1800km with this, thru some pretty bad roads.
In La Paz, got the rim repaired and purchased new rubber. Could not get Sport 3's, instead got Sport 4's. Later purchased the suspension parts from Tire Rack. They had a sale on with free delivery anywhere in continental US. Had them shipped to San Diego, where my VW mechanic in La Paz had them brought to La Paz (he has a friend who makes frequent deliveries). Two mechanics worked on the car (one front, one rear) for the entire day. Cost about $250CAD for the labour!
Would I do it all again? You betcha!
 

GoFaster

Moderator at Large
Joined
Jun 16, 1999
Location
Brampton, Ontario, Canada
TDI
2006 Jetta TDI
Every province except Newfoundland, and I haven't been to the northern territories.

NY, PA, VT, NH, DE, VA, WV, IN, OH, KY, TN, NC, SC, GA, FL, IL, IA, MO, NB, KS, AL, WA, OR, CA, AZ, UT, CO and I may have missed a couple. I'm not counting sitting in an airport waiting for a connecting flight.

Denmark, Mexico, Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Italy, Slovenia.

Australia coming soon.
 

bmc1980

Well-known member
Joined
May 25, 2019
Location
California
TDI
2014 Jetta Sportwagen TDI DSG (bought 5.29.2019)...2002 VW Jetta wagon GLS 2.0L (gas) RIP 5.19.2019 due to accident
About to move to Colorado from Southern California. I just bought my 2014 JSW TDI last month, and am anxious to get it out on the open road for an extended period to see what mileage and range I get in an exclusively highway driven condition.
 

Jetta_Pilot

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 14, 2005
Location
West Hill, Ont.
TDI
2015 Passat Highline TDI Candy White (SEL Premium) long gone 2002 Jetta TDI
Just outside Guerro Negro in Northern Baja, hit a huge pothole at about 80km/hr. Blew out both front tires, bent a front rim, damaged a sidewall on a rear tire...

I'd be willing to bet that you have those tires where the rim is barely 2" above the road surface. If I'm right no wonder that you had all that damage.

I've been driving to and within Mexico with 3 different cars since 2002. My current Passat I bumped my tires up from 235x45x18 to 235x55x18.
I have more clearance for the topes as well better cushioning between the road and my car.
 

CheapBastard

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 12, 2019
Location
California
TDI
2014 JSW
Had mine for a month now and have only gone on a 50 mile trip up to the city

I travel to Asia a lot and VW’s are pretty non existent, only in Malaysia and Singapore did I see any in numbers.
 

Jetta_Pilot

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 14, 2005
Location
West Hill, Ont.
TDI
2015 Passat Highline TDI Candy White (SEL Premium) long gone 2002 Jetta TDI
Had mine for a month now and have only gone on a 50 mile trip up to the city

I travel to Asia a lot and VW’s are pretty non existent, only in Malaysia and Singapore did I see any in numbers.

All kinds in mainland China and Hong Kong. In fact VW's are built in China !!!
 

Jetta_Pilot

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 14, 2005
Location
West Hill, Ont.
TDI
2015 Passat Highline TDI Candy White (SEL Premium) long gone 2002 Jetta TDI
Never been to mainland China but been to HK 4 times, didn’t really see too many

See Wikipedia for more info on Chinese VW's




The Volkswagen Group is represented in China with 12 brands and has delivered over 35 million vehicles with its joint venture partners FAW (FAW-Volkswagen) and SAIC (SAIC VOLKSWAGEN) since entering the Chinese market in 1984. Volkswagen Group China has over 100,000 employees at 34 Chinese production plants in 23 locations. In 2017, approximately 3,000 dealers (with 330,000 employees) sold 150 different Volkswagen Group models totalling 4.18 million vehicles in the People's Republic of China – this represents an increase of 5.1% as compared to the previous year. As of August 2018, the Volkswagen Group holds an 18.3% share of the Chinese passenger car market.
 
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kjclow

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 26, 2003
Location
Charlotte, NC
TDI
2010 JSW TDI silver and black. 2017 Ram Ecodiesel dark red with brown and beige interior.
I think the funny thing with the Chinese market is that each of those joint ventures and VW themselves, all offer slight twists on the same product. There are three slightly different Jetta sedans available based loosely on the NCC vehicle available here.
 
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