Hello Facepunch
I wanted to talk about hitchhiking and maybe other forms of free traveling. I've hit a point in my life where I'm depressed all the time and even pondering suicide, but thats not the point of this thread. I just feel like my life has hit a dead end and I need to find a way to get away from everything, like travel to a foreign country and start over. As an unemployed student with no more than a high school degree I have absolutely no money to just hop on a plane and rent a room at 4 star hotel in Rome and have a nice vacations there so I seriously started considering just going with my childhood dream of taking off to the road one day, stick my thumb out and see where life takes me. It's not like i have anything to lose st this point even if it goes horribly wrong.
I recently met a few people who have done (and are still doing) this. and they've been everywhere you could think of in Europe, seen everything, met a lot of people and overall had an extremely rewarding and enriching experience, even if at times you can end up sleeping under a bridge or otherwise having to live under extreme conditions.
i'm just curious to know what Facepunch thinks about hithhiking and possibly other forms of cheap/free travel, and if anyone has tried traveling long distances like this.
Sorry for tldr/bad english/wrong section /bad thread. First time posting thread.
What I think? You will not survive, it takes a certain kind of person to handle this kind of life.
There's a fine line between being a trekking across Europe in an ambitious adventure, and being a hobo.
read "how to work your way around the world" and other such texts
don't go to facepunch for help
Don't you will get raped and die.
Check out [url]http://www.couchsurfing.org/[/url] you can also look into staying on organic farms with [url]http://www.wwoof.org/[/url]
This also looks to be rather promising
[url]http://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/blog/cheap-travel/[/url]
Have fun, don't get raped.
I would love to do something like this, but then again, you gotta think realistically.
[QUOTE=G3rman;37337711]What I think? You will not survive, it takes a certain kind of person to handle this kind of life.[/QUOTE]
OP, he is right.
The kind of person who wanders as a nomad needs to have solid steel determination and motivation to boot. I'm sorry to say if you're depressed and contemplating taking your own life, it's highly unlikely you posses these sorts of mindsets. I know this is doing nothing for your motivation but it is true. You need to be headstrong. From my experience, those that suffer from depression are trapped in a void which is extremely hard to get out of. That void negates all self belief and brings your motivation levels right down.
My friend did this for a summer. He went to every state west of the Mississippi river, starting in Illinois. He said he had some crazy times and met crazy people, and he was dead set on dropping out of college and doing this. So he did it, but now he's back home working and going to school.
He told me it's not all what it's cracked up to be, nor is he particularly proud of what he did.
You could also try interrail.
Also hitchhiking in USA is probably very different from hitchhiking and traveling in Europe.
All I know is hitch hiking is illegal in the U.S. and for good reasons.
[editline]like a bitch[/editline]
Though I've always wanted to travel the world as well. I just don't have the money.
[QUOTE=Chubbles;37342646]All I know is hitch hiking is illegal in the U.S. and for good reasons.[/QUOTE]
What? That's ridiculous
[QUOTE=Chubbles;37342646]All I know is hitch hiking is illegal in the U.S. and for good reasons.
[editline]like a bitch[/editline]
Though I've always wanted to travel the world as well. I just don't have the money.[/QUOTE]
only in a few states iirc
Sorry I wasn't clear in my post, I didn't want to ask for help about my particular situation, but what you guys thought of the idea in general. I've read some comments about this kind of lifestyle, some say it's exciting and fun but dangerous and other people compare it to being hobos (I guess it can be like being a hobo at times) and wanted to know what Facepunch thought about it.
But I agree that I would never make it out there. I still wanna say fuck it and go sometimes, since worst case scenario I end up dead somewhere and sometimes I don't really care about that that much. But I think if you're doing this type of travel with a friend and with enough safety cash to make sure you're never hungry or sleeping on the streets, it could really amazing to do this.
Also to clarify I live in Europe, I don't see the point of long distance hitchhiking if you live in the US to be honest (also because it is illegal some places)
Worst case you end up dead?
Worst case you stick your thumb out on the highway and a rusted pickup truck cruises past, slowly, and keeps going. One hour later, he's back.
The passenger door opens, you get in.
Long story short;
The rape scene from Pulp Fiction.
[QUOTE=plants;37343648]Sorry I wasn't clear in my post, I didn't want to ask for help about my particular situation, but what you guys thought of the idea in general. I've read some comments about this kind of lifestyle, some say it's exciting and fun but dangerous and other people compare it to being hobos (I guess it can be like being a hobo at times) and wanted to know what Facepunch thought about it.
But I agree that I would never make it out there. I still wanna say fuck it and go sometimes, since worst case scenario I end up dead somewhere and sometimes I don't really care about that that much. But I think if you're doing this type of travel with a friend and with enough safety cash to make sure you're never hungry or sleeping on the streets, it could really amazing to do this.
Also to clarify I live in Europe, I don't see the point of long distance hitchhiking if you live in the US to be honest (also because it is illegal some places)[/QUOTE]
Get a summer job or something and raise several hundred euro.
Then interrail with friend.
Edit: You could probably pay for an interrail trip spanning a few countries, without sleeping under bridges and possibly even while eating actual food if you just save money for a while.
My friend worked for a year, then traveled around the world the next. Man I was jealous of him. He traveled around Australia, went diving and skydiving there. Was in Moscow and got free alcohol (vip lounge thing), then to Kazakhstan. Then to JFK Airport (again texted me a picture from VIP lounge if I recall right) and onward to Texas and Mexico. Then he flew back to Thailand where his family waited for him. And just recently he's back at Sweden.
And that's just the "shell", imagine all the experiences, must have been amazing.
I'm thinking of doing this myself 2014, if you wait long enough we can hook up :v:
I just wanted to check the history on my alt, man I was a shit user.
Anyhow yeah, you should definitely go do it. I'm thinking of traveling through Europe, down to like Egypt, then China, Japan and to the US and back again. I mean when else will you have time to do anything like that? I wanna see the world.
i'd say i'm fairly well travelled, but to be fair it's mostly been to countries and then around them, not often between them. i think travelling is an amazing thing to do, and like a lot of people have been saying, if you really want to do it then you really should. it'll also likely give you a new perspective on your own life once you've experienced living as others do for a while.
but as for doing it all for free? that's not going to happen. sure, you might get lucky here and there, but you will always need at least a small amount of money. if you're happy to work whilst you're away then that should do you well, but ideally you'd have at least some money behind you before you go. you might be able to get some travel for free, food too, but there's no getting around things like visas - and personally i would feel a little strange going anywhere and not having a ticket/money for travel back home, if anything were to come up
but good luck, i hope you make it!
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QO3-AAVTeDA[/media]
Watch this and the other parts, it teaches you an AWFUL-lot about hitchiking.
[QUOTE=Speedfalcon;37345277][media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QO3-AAVTeDA[/media]
Watch this and the other parts, it teaches you an AWFUL-lot about hitchiking.[/QUOTE]
Fuck I was about to post that.
I only didnt post that because I feel I've been spamming that everywhere
Remember, non-commercial fishing boats are your friend. You'd be amazed the places you can go if you're up to being a deckhand for a couple days.
If you're gonna try hitchhiking, try really hard to be an attractive blonde white girl
[QUOTE=BrownTown;37349011]If you're gonna try hitchhiking, try really hard to be an attractive blonde white girl[/QUOTE]
It's not real hitchhiking if someone doesn't try to sexually assault you at least once.
I recommend reading in Into The Wild, fantastic book, and, it's about a hitchhiker or "supertramp".
[QUOTE=The Aussie;37353585]I recommend reading in Into The Wild, fantastic book, and, it's about a hitchhiker or "supertramp".[/QUOTE]
~spoiler~
[sp]but he ends up starving to death in alaska because he didn't take a compass/read his map which could have easily led him back to civilisation. that was a silly move.[/sp]
D:
Just join the military
[QUOTE=Don Knotts;37348928]Remember, non-commercial fishing boats are your friend. You'd be amazed the places you can go if you're up to being a deckhand for a couple days.[/QUOTE]
from what i've heard, asking for a ride this way is pretty much like asking the crew for a free cruise, free food, a free bed, free space and free boating lessons
which usually doesn't pan out
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