Kentucky Couple Traveling To All 50 States Stops In Point Beach

POINT PLEASANT BEACH, NJ – A Kentucky couple with a shared goal of visiting every state in the U.S. has made their stop in New Jersey at Point Pleasant Beach.

Since their first trip in 2018, Austin Cox and Donna Zelenika have been to 32 states, and after this most recent trip, they will have 36 states crossed off their list.

“I think that we decided to do this back in 2018, when for my 21st birthday, Austin planned a trip to Charlottesville, VA, where we went on a picnic and visiting a winery,” Zelenika said to Patch.

The couple arrived in Point Pleasant Beach Tuesday night and stayed at an Airbnb hosted by Point Pleasant Beach resident Kitty Stillufsen and planned on spending Wednesday checking out the shopping and restaurants in Point Beach before heading to Philadelphia, Delaware, then finishing their current trip in Baltimore.

Both Cox and Zelenika prefer staying in Airbnbs than hotels as it gives them more of a connection with the place they are staying in than a hotel would.

“We like Airbnbs because they‘re roomy, and you get to be in a local neighborhood and see how the locals live,” Zelenika said.

The couple also feels that it is totally worth exploring this country as there is so much variety when it comes to different places to see and check out.

“You live in this country, and it would be a shame not to see it all,” Zelenika said. “You can go to the beach, go to the mountains, hike through a forest and go to a big city.”