stay in school. go to college. get a job.

>>440325
follow your heart, don't let culture or anyone else tell you otherwise
>>440332
fagit

a (married?) couple was traveling from new orleans, and said they were not sober the entire week they were there. apparently, there's this large alcoholic drink called the "hand grenade" worth the $8 it costs. many passerbys would fill their empty cup with money.
i smoked pot with them i a ditch, were they were camping out with their dog and kitten, who got along well.
they traveled by train.

This is relevant to my interests.

More then likely I will be homeless next month. Any advice on how to live and travel without money?

I'm in FL, near Jacksonville. I have no idea how to get food or where to sleep when homeless, so any help would be appreciated.

i met a drunken "vato" on the other side of a fence by and alley behind a gentleman's club. (i live on the mexican border) and he told me that the homeless shelters we have are bad. that it's safer sleeping behind some bushes than there.
when it snowed here for 2 days, the worst weather we've ever had, him and an elderly drifter i met rented a hotel room for $62 from money they collected "flying signs" - holding up a cardboard with writing asking for donations.

>>440339
I would just walk in the direction I wanted and everything was taken care of. It's crazy, people would offer me rides in between towns (i didn't have my thumb out). And I made friends who let me join a barbecue and got me drunk. Then drove me 30 miles up to gainsville. I only did this for a short period but the only time it ever sucked was when I would "hurry" instead of enjoying the journey. It's all in the attitude.

If you've never done anything like this before, you'll start getting really restless after two or three weeks, and craving a comfortable/safe place to stretch your legs where you can have privacy and peace of mind. "A fireside far from the cares that are" and all that. I went vagabonding (started out hiking, moved into more urban areas so was basically homeless) for six weeks after high school, and found that a nice one-person tent can lose its cosy feeling.
Also I think it's a bit extreme to resign yourself to that kind of lifestyle directly after graduation. Get a couple jobs and go backpacking for a few weeks at a time inbetween.

>>440345
>>440336
this is pretty cool

>>440347
As for technique, I'm no veteran but despite the eventual gloomy feeling, I got along very well. No matter how poor you are, invest in a decent tent, one that can fit your pack inside as well as yourself. It gives you a hell of a lot more freedom. Keep yourself halfway presentable; talk to everyone you meet. Learn to resist the urge to slpurge on junk food. Importantly, have a goal, even if it's completely arbitrary.

with the rate of cheap hotels, i wonder if it would be more likely to rent and share a room with others down on their luck. perhaps even an apartment. would it be possible to live like that on a part-time job?
i also have no job experience.

gainsville TX? If so that's cool.

And my drifting experiences have gone much the same way. A decent appearance helps, if you look like a hippy drifter (who probably has pot) then rides, shelter, and good times can be had for days at a time.

If you look shabby and homeless, expect a few run-ins with lesser desirable parts of drifting.

>Learn to resist the urge to slpurge on junk food. Importantly, have a goal, even if it's completely arbitrary.

Some of the best advice you'll ever get.

Your goal can be truly simple, so long as you don't aim too high. Food will always be scarce, learn to conserve and above all else, do not dump your funds on gas station crap, no matter how tempting, hold out for a grocery store.

Funny how little changes in 1000 years or more, but a loaf of bread(the hard unsliced kind) and block of hard cheese, plus some dried meat will last you days and weeks depending.

Most important of all, as others have said, is YOUR OUTLOOK. Keep your head up, look on the bright side and all that other motivational crap, it's corny but true. It's important to be friendly to everyone, NO MATTER how hungry you are, or how bad you want a bed. Never beg, never seem desperate. Just act like you're going with the flow. Remember you don't want to seem homeless.

I'll add more as I remember.

>>440373
nice

Sup trv...figured I'd just post here instead of making another vagabonding thread.

For those with experience... what do you usually do at night? Do you just sleep on the side of the road? What if you're in the city at night and "trapped" in it so to speak?
How much money was able to get you by and for how long? Reason I ask is because I plan on saving up a bit then possibly backbacking across the southwest and northwest U.S once spring comes around since I'm currently living in Minnesota. Thanks

Whatever you do, DON"T get a pet. You'll have a hard enough time feeding yourself, nevermind a pet.

I live in Cali and I'd like to do this along the coast, on the beaches.

>>440414
like the other guy said, a tent is really the way to go. Some people 'bivvy' with something minimal like a tarp, and while it can feel nice to be travelling ultra-lightweight, if it's windy or you can't find a flat place to sleep you can get soaked, which leads to a hundred other problems you shouldn't need to deal with. I've also done the thing where you just look for shelter where you can find it; sometimes you get lucky, a lot of times you don't.
I too could use some info on city living. In the past I've opted for well-lit park benches, but I'm a very heavy sleeper and I have woken up with some real creeps sitting beside me.

>>440537

Either find a place so secluded you're sure you won't be bothered by anyone, or find a place busy enough so no one would dare bother you.

>>440537
>In the past I've opted for well-lit park benches
Holy fuck how much of a dumbass can you be. Try a sewer or dumpster next time. You'll be warm with all the rats fermenting shit.

Another high school senior here. As graduation approaches, I'm leaning much harder towards vagabonding for a few years than going to college. The debt would be crushing for me, even to go to a state school. Not to mention all the degrees I've looked at, although important subjects to me, are useless and irrelevant in today's job market. And I won't study something I'm not passionate about.
In the act of forsaking an education, a job, a house, meals, and a bed, we're taking a massive risk, that may well be worth it. The biggest issue will be monetary.
By the end of summer, I'll have saved about $2000. This will cushion my lifestyle and carry me through the first year or so. My plan is to stay in North America for the first year or two, because there is a good amount of work, and food is free (dumpsters are loaded, seriously). Not to mention there is great fishing here, and I know many of the local plants.
Following this, I want to work my way south, and who knows from there.
That was a long-winded way of saying that this thread is relevant to my interests. Also, does anyone see any obvious flaws in my plan?

>>440564
>we're taking a massive risk, that may well be worth it
It's not really a risk. And it's not really worth it as a long-term plan.

What would constitute a risk would be going to college and majoring in something that may not be lucrative. Because there, there's a potential for a big payoff. If you go vagabonding, the payoff would be surviving. Winning as a vagabond is like kind of losing as a college graduate.

If you're worried about making a living, you should go to college, or travel to a state with a better community college program like California, where you can transfer from a community college to a UC after 2 years (and in some cases with a guarantee from the UC in question).

If you can't pull together the money to attend a community college, then you're hopeless, and if you can't afford UC, then that should make you eligible for some grants and scholarships and shit. I mean FAFSA alone could pay for a huge chunk of UC tuition for a resident.

The point is, if you're interested in getting an education, then fucking get an education. Even a totally bizarre college degree would be better than 4 years as a fucking hobo.

The vagabond lifestyle is a fun one! The longest i've been out on the road is a month but im saving money up right now to go on a year long! if anyone has any questions or is looking to start out like that send me a message on skype id like to find someone to start with and plan

skype: saccharinewasteland

Invest in an Amtrak pass, they aren't "cheap" but affordable and the best way to get around and getting out where ever you like.

Because they are trains it takes ages to get around so provide a sheltered and fairly comfortable place to sleep for the night (or more depending how far you travel).

You can meet some very interesting people on the trains too, especially from my experience on the east coast.

>>440571
>worried about making a living
nope. Not at all.
I live in NY. We have a decent university system, one of the best in the country. But total cost of attendance (between tuition, lodging, and fees) is like $12,000ish. I get $7000 in state and federal money (as much as they will give you), but the other $5,000 is unaccounted for, meaning, I'd go into debt. Fuck that, I'm not doing that. Once you carry debt, it's way to easy to get swept up into a lifestyle you didn't ask for.
And really, I could easily go to college a few years down the road, if thats what I opted to do. I'm not aiming any higher than state schools, and I could get a near 4.0 in community colleges (which aren't an option for me right now, as my parents are moving directly after I graduate). I might as well travel for a while at least, because this seems like the best time to do it. And hell, if I stick with it, that wouldn't be so bad either. Hopefully I could rake in a couple hundred dollars a month from various internet gigs, writing about my lifestle and reviewing gear. That'd get me through basic food and lodgings in a less developed country. I could visa-hop in SE Asia for a while, and not worry about working visas, so long as my income was through the internet. I could rig something up, is what I'm saying.
I've grown up poor and have come to love poverty. It's calculated, and minimalistic. Why own anything more than what you need?

Tent makes sense, but where to put them?

I briefly knew a guy who drove around various free camping sites at national parks, and set up his tent there. But those are fairly far apart, and he had a car. Where to sleep when you're on foot an inbetween?

>>440697
dense hedgerows between roads and farms. chance are no one is going to notice you.

>>440645
i fuckin love your attitude man

I'm currently at a pass, I don't have money atm, but I'm currently saving up from my Mcjob. I"m currently buying my knife and hatchet, I need to go to a camping store to get some shoes,sleeping bag, going to get a bivy sac and backpack from the internets. But should I keep saving and working at my current job then set out with whatever I have once the weather warms(Canada), or should I go into the army for 5 or so years (whatever my contract is)Then set out since I'd be more in shape and would have basic survival training.

The Reason I'm so hesitant is because I only really have an armchair knowledge about camping/hitchhiking as I've never been, I'm currently planning some trips to a patch of brush near my place to see how I fair for 2-3 days. So any thoughts? Should I just wing it and head wherever the road takes me or should I calculate this trip best I can first?

>>440778
wing it, you don't need the army, you'll learn everything you need to as you go along

Is a sleeping bag needed. Could you not use a good merino blanket. I understand it will be bulkier but...sleeping in sleeping bags kind of sucks.

Aside from one extra stury pair of pants, a long waterproof coat, and two weeks worth of dry meat and bread, I am taking the clothes on my back. No ID, no money, nothing. I'll have a prepaid cellphone with just enough credit to text a few people and let them know what I am doing once I am too far away for them to do anything about it. I expect to stink, and will be hopping trains as my main mode of transportation. I don't expect to survive forever, but I will die before I come back.

Tents are for yuppies.

>>440890

>No money

This is a recipe for disaster.

>>440923
I've had to dumpster dive to survive before, and I plan on doing it again.

I find you can travel and very cheeply most places in the world, it's usually flying that fucks you over. Right now im staying in a free hostel in Jerusalem, that also has free meals if you know how to get them. Try couchsurfing.

>>440890

what, are you on a suicide mission?

>>440890
Yuppies? There's no reason not to enjoy yourself while you're on the road.

>>441069
it sounds like Israel is a super travel-friendly destination, particularly for the low-budget vagabond. Working on a Kibbutz sounds so fun.

>>440325
Apart from visiting friends in different cities and crashing with them, I've never traveled on an almost-nothing budget, but I traveled internationally quite extensively on student/budget traveler/backpacker budgets, and had good experiences. Since that phase in my life, I have also traveled marginally more expensively (cheap guesthouses, but not the cheapest), and also on business (much more expensively, at least in terms of accommodation). The middle of that scale has been the most enjoyable for me. Yes, good experiences can always be had for not that much money, but traveling when you have at least a little bit to spend (staying in a guesthouse instead of sleeping rough, drinks in a bar rather than out of a bag, eating places in addition to street hawkers) is much nicer. You have a wider range of options, some of which are undeniably more comfortable than the very cheapest. I'd say that becoming a vagabond right out of high school is almost certain to be exciting, but not as valuable as, say, going to college and improving your future chances. You can travel on the cheap during breaks, or during a year abroad, and wind up with an opportunity to enjoy better-quality travel down the road. Dumpster-diving might be badass at 19, but it's pretty scuzzy at 40.

>>441246
I agree wholeheartedly. The only issue here is debt. Incurring that much debt right off the bat, at the beginning of one's life, is to submit to a feudalistic debt pyramid scheme, willfully stunting yourself of a chance to grow, free of economic oppression. There is no law saying you can't go to college two or three years later, should you decide to make a re-entrance to a normal lifestyle. And like I said, if you don't, and you manage to rig something better up, then fuck it, more power to you. If anything, a solid year or two of vagabondage after highschool is giving oneself the chance to thrive debt free, rather than making a transition to college life in a manner that could be too hurried.
If you could possibly make a good life without a prohibitive amount of debt, then do it. Yeah, it's not ideal, but neither is a state school total cost of $12,000.
Like they say, throw some tea and bread into a bag and hop the fence out back. No matter how you cut it, you'll come out on top when you return, whether you decide to keep doing what you love, or that college is the ideal choice.

go train hopping and get dont spend your money and get drunk alot cuse time will go to slow if ya dont

>>440890

>No ID, no money, nothing

Ah, the naivete of youth. You ride trains without ID you're going to jail when you get caught, and since you sound like a total fucking oogle, you'll get caught lots of times. You're better off with fake ID than no ID.

I enjoy these threads. Sometimes some of the posts are interesting. Oftentimes someone will try to convince someone else to do something (university vs. hobodom is the typical debate). And always, without fail, there are a few kids who want to do it. And rightly so, it's an awesome way to get around. But remember this please: it's not really something you can learn from other people. Some people get raped hitchhiking, some don't, some kids get their legs cut off riding trains, some don't, some get robbed and some steal... it's a personal learning curve. Every no-budget traveler I've met has their own style and I've been on the road on and off for about ten years, never met someone that knew all the tricks out there. There's a million ways to do it.

That said, if there's one thing I wish I'd known about ten years ago when I was hauling tents around it's a siltarp. Easily stolen from camping stores. Dries instantly. Waterproof. Tough enough. Light. Inconspicuous. Bit of bug dope during that season and you're good to go.

>>441625 con't

Sorry just two more things:

1. p38. You need one or your life is shit.

2. Given enough time, you will always, always, always see other travelers again. If you're both on the road you will always see them, no exceptions. I wish I'd been friendlier the first time in some cases, would have saved me a lot of long-term grief.

>>441625

How do you set up your siltarp?
Do you use poles or sticks, or just paracord it like a really basic tent?

All the set up ones that i've seen all have hiking poles to keep them up

>>441628
>>441625
Solid advice from a seemingly experienced traveler.
Out of curiosity, what did you do? Did you take to tramping immediately out of high school, did you work, did you go to college first? What's your story?

>>441628

Good info, but I'm wondering. How is your life now? I assume you did all this right out of highschool, and now you're "adult", right? Did you go to college, afterwards, and if not, do you think tramping ruined your view of "professional" life? I've seen this happen with other people. They travel for a while, be it a year, be it 5, and when they get back, they just can't hold on to something. They drop out of college after a few months, or they quit their jobs, or they just randomly pack up and leave again, because they can't sit still anymore. Did this happen to you?

And what's a P38? The thing in the picture? Looks a bit like... A knife? Give a link to a product page from a site that sells it, if you can.

>>441625
siltarp seems to me be hugely expensive, like $75 for a small one. I would think it would be a lot cheaper to buy the ripstop nylon fabric and impregnate it with silicone yourself, if youre not into stealing it.

>>441731
Yeah that would totally be a good idea. You actually have to treat the seams of the tarp yourself with a silicone sealant and it's a huge pain in the ass. Anyways, a tarp is a tarp, the siltarp is just the best one and the only actual waterproof one I've found.

>>441684

That's pretty much me. I'm a bum, man. I'm only 29 though so there's plenty of time to consider my retirement. My feeling is that in the long run, it's not what you know, it's who you know, and I've had a number of interesting offers to go live in intentional communities or work at ridiculous hippie businesses, and someday I'll take 'em up on it. One thing I will say is that traveling of any kind makes you a more interesting person (gotta be interested to be interesting, that kind of thing) and it's become easier to talk myself into a job over the years than when I was a kid. I don't know how that works, I guess it's just my white male privilege waxing as I get older.

>>441659

I just take a cord, stretch it between to points about 2.5' above the ground, stretch out the tarp and weigh it down with rocks or whatever, then fold it down at the high point and tuck it under my gear/pillow. Keeps the rain off my head.

>>441750

>>441684 here again. That's pretty much what kinda scares me about travelling. I'm 18, and I want to travel, a lot. It's actually the main thing in my mind now. But, I'm also probably going to go back to college soon. On one hand, if I travel now it's going to be (mostly) debt free, without much worry, but on the other, if I wait till after college I'm going to always have something to fall back on, if I do decide to quit actively travelling.

I don't want to get even more restless about staying in one place (and I've got this already in some amount) in a way that might ruin all possibility for a college level career, but I'm also a bit afraid of that after college, I'll just get a job and drop knee deep into the "real" world, without fulfilling my travelling aspirations.

>>441768

And I messed something up with greentext. Blech me.

>>440339

Damn son. I live in Jacksonville. Graduated from Frank H. Peterson. Where you going to school at?