( CNN ) Amber Nolan is stuck . The 30-year-old is in Alaska and she needs to get to the lower 48 -- `` or Hawaii . '' She plans to leave Alaska by plane and it likely wo n't cost her a dime . Nolan 's not a stowaway . The aviation enthusiast calls herself a `` jet hitchhiker . '' Since 2012 , she has hitched rides on jets , planes and the occasional B-17 bomber all across the United States . `` So far I have been to 46 states . All I have left on my list is Utah , Oklahoma , Kansas and Hawaii , '' says Nolan . In this age of tough airport security , something as casual as hitchhiking might seem out of the question . But Nolan says it 's easy . `` The way it works is , I just hang out at small airports talking to people . There are about 14,000 general aviation airports across the country . There is a whole community there and if you are passionate about flying , they love to talk to you . '' Nolan finds out where her new friends are headed and catches a ride . `` I have no agenda or time frame to get anywhere and I 'm completely on other people 's schedules . I just get rides in the general direction I need to go , '' Nolan told CNN . The flights may be free , but the ride is n't . Nolan has no sponsor for her adventure , so when money gets tight , she picks up odd jobs . `` I 've worked at restaurants , youth hostels , housekeeping on yachts , '' says Nolan . `` I even worked with the AIDS healthcare foundation for a while . I take whatever I can get and I stay with whomever I can . I have been basically couch-hopping this entire time . '' Nolan has also been blogging about her experiences on JetHiking.com . Like all good journeys , Nolan 's will come to an end . Eventually , she 'd like to write a book about jet-hiking and get a pilot 's license of her own . `` That whole free spirit nature , your Amelia Earharts and Charles Lindberghs , are hard to find these days , '' she says . `` People only really hear about plane crashes and negative flying stories . '' So far , Nolan 's story is anything but negative , filed with chance encounters and friends new and old in towns and airports across the country . And , of course , for Nolan that 's the point . `` It 's more about the journey , the whole thing is actually the goal . '' CNN 's Tony Marco and Dave Alsup contributed to this report .
Still to go on Amber Nolan 's list : Utah , Oklahoma , Kansas and Hawaii . She hangs around general aviation airports and befriends pilots to get rides . Along the way , Nolan works odd jobs to earn some money .