Jul 2013 JetHiking.com
Ladies, remember back to the time before we got our pilot licenses and tell me why we didn’t think of this?! It’s something that involves airplanes, is incredibly adventurous, outrageously fun and surely would be a blast. Let me introduce you to Amber Nolan from New York (and Florida) who came up with a plan to try and hitchhike her way across the United States in GA aircraft & jets—– and stop in all fifty states in the process.
Amber, the self appointed JetHiking Gypsy, is a veteran travel writer (non-pilot) and wanted to see if it is possible to travel the country (all 50 states) by “hitching†rides with pilots.
She kicked off her JetHiking project last summer and since then has been zipping her way around the country by air, meeting interesting new friends and learning about aviation. I’ve been reading Amber’s blog http://jethiking.com/ and think there’s a really interesting effect the trip is having on her. She’s fallen in love with general aviation and all the wonderful aviators she’s met across the country. So much so, she plans on getting her license after the project is finished!
It may sound like fun but Amber’s had some ups and downs along the way. She is operating on a shoestring budget, sleeping on a lot of people’s sofas and taking an assortment of jobs along the way to fund her adventure. Amber says she stays with pilots and their families, friends around the country, hostels, farms, campsites, and occasionally a hotel when she’s really stuck. When she’s not flying she spends time hanging out at airport FBO’s, meeting new people and explaining her mission. She must surely be the queen of networking at this point.
Good luck to you Amber. I, for one, suggest you drag this adventure out as long as you possibly can. If you’ve got a book up your sleeve, save it for later. For now, fly as often as you possibly can with every pilot who invites you along. Come to Indianapolis and I’ll get you to at least one more state. Check out where our lady taildraggers are based Lady Taildraggers Google Map . I’m sure many of us would love to have you visit then fly you happily on your way to a new destination.
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