Daniel Seddiqui, who claims to be, “the most traveled person in American history," completed his mission of visiting every city in America with a trip to Hickory.
“I’m 42 now and I’ve been everywhere, except where I’m planning to go next week,†Seddiqui said during a phone interview June 28. “It’s a big weight off my shoulders to be able to finally plan to check off the last pinpoint on the U.S. map.â€
Seddiqui, a California native who now lives in Oregon, visited Hickory July 4 before the launch of his new book, "Jammin’ Through the South."
Hickory is the last city Seddiqui said he has made an intentional effort to visit.
Seddiqui’s passion for travel began after not being able to find a job he liked out of college in 2005. He was inspired to tour the country and try to land a job in 50 states.
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He worked as a logger in Oregon, a cheesemaker in Wisconsin, a surfing instructor in Hawaii and a model in North Carolina. “Out of all the journeys I’ve gone on, that was the one I’d really label as a journey, a personal development journey,†Seddiqui said.
That first journey led him to write the book "50 Jobs in 50 States: One Man’s Journey of Discovery Across America."
Seddiqui said he has traveled to all 50 states more than 20 times. On other journeys, he has joined the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, produced music in Nashville and built furniture with the Amish.
He said his journeys promote immersion into cultures and sometimes last a week or months.
“There’s so much to discover," Seddiqui said. "My curiosity has kept growing and growing and just never stopped."
In addition to books about searching for a job and traveling through the South, Seddiqui is also the author of "Crossing Borders in Search of Jobs," "Going the Extra Mile" and "Piecing Together America."
This interview was edited for clarity and length.
What’s been the best part of your travels?
During my first journey across America, when I decided to work 50 jobs in 50 states in 50 weeks, my employer in Minnesota at a medical device manufacturing company threw me a surprise party. All the employees wished me well on the rest of the 45 jobs. They also designed a logo for me that was plastered on the side of my Jeep.
What’s been one of the lowest points?
Witnessing an axe fight at a gas station in Booneville, Kentucky. I drove over to the next town, looking for police and they said, “That’s Booneville for you.â€
Why is Hickory last?
I’ve been close before, having been to Asheville. It’s just the way it’s working out. This year I was looking at all the places that I haven’t been, such as Durango, Colorado, Brownsville, Texas and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. This happens to be last.
It was nothing intentional until this last year. I was just doing my thing, getting over these journeys related to what was going on in our country…It just happened to be the tri-cities of northeast Tennessee, Boone, and then Hickory. It’s the last city in America for me to visit with over 10,000 to 15,000 residents.
What is 'Jammin’ Through the South' about?
It aligns with the type of travel I tend to do, immersive travel. It’s a self-guided travel book for people who want to learn and discover different genres of American music. Blues in Mississippi, jazz in New Orleans, country music in Bristol and Tennessee.
What will you do while you’re in Hickory?
I usually go into cities with nothing really planned. When I did a recent journey, I did piecing together America, my goal was to craft a symbol of every major city in America. For New York City I decided to make graffiti art in Brooklyn, but everything else revolving around that I was open-minded to try. For this journey, the only thing I have planned is the book signing at the museum (the Birthplace of Country Music Museum on July 6) in Bristol and everything else is kind of like just going out there with no expectations. I like to have the feeling of going into a place where you don’t have any biases. I want to go in with the element of surprise.
After this journey, what’s next?
I don’t know if retired is the right word, because I’m not going to be retiring, but my yearning for travel is not going to be the same. It will be like, “been there, done that,†the curiosity has kind of peaked.Â
I don’t really take vacations either. I’m not someone that wants to book a trip to Florida and relax on the beach. I always kind of need a bigger purpose to travel than relaxation.
