# What do STPers do in winter months?



## DuHastMich (Oct 2, 2018)

Just wondering what folks tend to do in winter months (specifically in colder states). Do many of you have homes/apartments to go back to, does the scope of your travel change, are you "hibernating" indoors and saving money back for next spring? 

I used to hustle up money for the next year by working at YMCA's or cook at burger joints (free food all day + take home messed up orders at night) - the Y was an excellent place to rent a room back in the day, too.


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## Deleted member 2626 (Oct 2, 2018)

I still get around a bit, between families places and my own where I am now as I plan to spend at least part of winter off grid, hunting and surviving in my one room shack. Then if I don’t stay all winter, in December I’ll go down to my grandparents a few hours south of me and house sit there for a month or two which I’ll spend my days walking around with my dog, trapping squirrels, looking for odd jobs hanging with any family and friends here and there, reading a lot.


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## Gwasher (Oct 2, 2018)

I try to get work. and like you said food places are awesome. I managed to get a asst. manager job last winter at a deli and I was fat after a couple months haha I used to take whole boars head roast beefs and hams and chicken, like 7 pounds at a time. I also used to try getting overnight shifts so I wouldn't be outside at the coldest point. Now im in GA. so the cold isnt what it was compared to CNY. The Y is still pretty big in a lot of upstate northern states, I miss it too


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## Matt Derrick (Oct 2, 2018)

for most of my travel life, i would hibernate during the winter and pick somewhere south where it was warm to stay and find a job. save up money and when things warmed up again i'd hit the road with whatever cash i managed to save.

all that kinda got flipped on it's head when i discovered slab city, and started staying there over the winter each year. this kind of forced me to start working over the summers instead, which is less ideal, but being able to live in the slabs during the winter was worth it most of the time.

this year i'm only visiting the slabs for a week (the jamboree) and then spending the rest of the winter in walla walla where i have an apartment this year. im working trying to save up for a van and hopefully getting back on the road in the summer and resuming my old cycle of summer = travel and winter = hibernate/work.

to answer your question about a place to stay, i usually just found a room i could rent where a friend was on the lease or sometimes i would just set up camp in the woods and live out of my tent.


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## train in vain (Oct 2, 2018)

Soent some winter time in tucson and nola and visited slab city here and there like a decade ago.
For some years I would end up staying in northern cali awhile after my trim job wrapped up in november. Before i got into weedworld Id usually be in texas biuncing between houston san anto and austin either living with friends or just crashing on couches in a big rotating loop of party time graffiti fun. The last 4 yrs i lived in little rock so i had a place. Although that first year was cold af and the house i moved into was colder inside than it would be outside. It was terrible. Fully dressed boots jacket and a hat cooking breakfast and still freezing my ass off. But $156 a month for the biggest bedroom ive ever had wasnt bad haha. 
This year ill be ridin trains at least till the end of the year if not until spring time. Definitely in the southern part of the country. I planned on being in pdx but things didnt end up that way. 
I spent about 9-10 days squatting a building in muscle shoals and ive been considering holing up there for awhile in winter and makin art. The main reason i stayed there so long without much to do was just to test the waters and see how chill the building really was. Seems very doable for a long term situation. Now if i can just get a bike on a train with me haha...


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## Thor and Broomhilda (Oct 2, 2018)

Headed to Arkansas where my mom has a trailer for me to stay, gonna work and save for a van or bus like Matt, then travel back to Oregon and other places. Either kitchen or whatever work doesn't drug test. I smoke a lot of pot. . . especially over winter lol. . . . .


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## roughdraft (Oct 2, 2018)

last couple years i have been working for spring and summer in the northern hemisphere .. then spending most of that money over spring and summer in the southern hemisphere .


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## train in vain (Oct 3, 2018)

Thor and Broomhilda said:


> Headed to Arkansas where my mom has a trailer for me to stay, gonna work and save for a van or bus like Matt, then travel back to Oregon and other places. Either kitchen or whatever work doesn't drug test. I smoke a lot of pot. . . especially over winter lol. . . . .


Where in arkansas?


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## Deleted member 16701 (Oct 3, 2018)

I'm gonna spend most of my time working in Tucson like I did last year and take a short trip to NOLA. I should be able to save enough money to not have to work for spring and summer. Gonna live in a cave this spring and ride trains in the summer! Fuck winter though..


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## nivoldoog (Oct 3, 2018)

If I am in full blown travel mode then I got north for winter because snow is better then rain. Last two winters I been employed with the help of coolworks.com and word of mouth from people I met working resort jobs.


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## rustyshackleford541 (Oct 3, 2018)

usually just head south, but this year got a cheap room so im trying to stack cash to get somewhere outside of north america. Used to grow dope and run crews in oregon, but that shit isnt worth it anymore.


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## Thor and Broomhilda (Oct 3, 2018)

train in vain said:


> Where in arkansas?


East end little rock, but all of central Arkansas is my old stomping grounds.


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## Thor and Broomhilda (Oct 3, 2018)

Thor and Broomhilda said:


> East end little rock, but all of central Arkansas is my old stomping grounds.


Little rock in general can be awesome or shitty.


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## Thor and Broomhilda (Oct 3, 2018)

rustyshackleford541 said:


> usually just head south, but this year got a cheap room so im trying to stack cash to get somewhere outside of north america. Used to grow dope and run crews in oregon, but that shit isnt worth it anymore.


I want to go to Canada and see Jesse stewart


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## Bedheadred (Oct 3, 2018)

This year Im gonna go do trim work the next 2 months and am thinking about going to beach bum it in Mexico for the winter..that sounds pretty cool


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## Jackthereaper (Oct 6, 2018)

I much prefer to freight hop in the cooler months, i absolutely hate being hot and sweaty. I have no idea why any sane person would take up residence in florida. 

I usually go work for summer at my air conditioned shop and take winters to sail / explore / freight hop. I am doing a paris trip in january this year to camp in the catacombs for a week.


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## Chazten (Oct 6, 2018)

We work while it’s hot and do whatever in the winter, still undecided where to travel this winter


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## DuHastMich (Oct 8, 2018)

Bedheadred said:


> This year Im gonna go do trim work the next 2 months and am thinking about going to beach bum it in Mexico for the winter..that sounds pretty cool



Be safe down there - they're putting travel advisories all over Mexico (even in the traditionally "docile" areas).


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## GrEeNegGs (Oct 9, 2018)

Bedheadred said:


> This year Im gonna go do trim work the next 2 months and am thinking about going to beach bum it in Mexico for the winter..that sounds pretty cool




I've been kinda wanting to check out the beaches south of Mexico myself .... Headed towards Austin now to make a lil cash hopefully


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## Bedheadred (Oct 10, 2018)

DuHastMich said:


> Be safe down there - they're putting travel advisories all over Mexico (even in the traditionally "docile" areas).


Hmm, do you know why?


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## Matt Derrick (Oct 11, 2018)

thread moved to off the road


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## Mj23 (Oct 11, 2018)

A few years here and there I did a permy job and stayed indoors for the most part. But primarily winter is when I spend the most time outside. Sometimes finding work but more often than not just bumming it like I never planned anything ahead in my life, feeling stupid for letting things fall through how they tend to. I dislike most of the southern states so usually wind up roughing it in the snow and rain. Fun for the first couple weeks, always.. but then it gets old and I get despondent and wait for the sun to come back out when works easier to find/manage. It's not so difficult finding farms, even during the winter, but always a pain in the rear checking into anything last minute. Gotta plan ahead of time.. plan way, way ahead of time so fingers and toes don't have to get burned and maimed every year.


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## DuHastMich (Oct 11, 2018)

Bedheadred said:


> Hmm, do you know why?



Well, cartel activity is picking up everywhere. The bullshit going down in Sinaloa and other Mexican states is spreading like wildfire. Tourists are being kidnapped and used as leverage in drug disputes. True story. 

The government is saying to avoid travel to Colima, Guerrero, Michoacán, Sinaloa, and Tamaulipas states. (Guerrero's capital is Acapulco).

In fact, many states on the Mexico travel list are at Threat Level 2-3 (exercise caution or avoid). That list is here.

Just be safe, or perhaps get a passport and head down to Argentina/Brazil.


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## Jackthereaper (Oct 11, 2018)

DuHastMich said:


> Well, cartel activity is picking up everywhere. The bullshit going down in Sinaloa and other Mexican states is spreading like wildfire. Tourists are being kidnapped and used as leverage in drug disputes. True story.
> 
> The government is saying to avoid travel to Colima, Guerrero, Michoacán, Sinaloa, and Tamaulipas states. (Guerrero's capital is Acapulco).
> 
> ...


 Brazil is just as wild right now.


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## DuHastMich (Oct 11, 2018)

Jackthereaper said:


> Brazil is just as wild right now.



Yeah, just read that after I posted. I officially recant that suggestion.


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## SOT (Oct 15, 2018)

Well i don really think that its more "dangerous" in the south of mexiko for gringos*as or wuerras. if youre first nation thats a different thing. you hear a lot of stories, i overwintered there last winter, on the road and sometimes in the tent, as wuerra. the only thing is the fuckers militarycheckpoints, so if you dont have id you should sure be careful. otherwise most people in the south of mexiko (not meaning yucatan) neither have a dollar a day to live, nor land to sustain themselves, fuckedupcapitalism, smashthesystem. but theres rel good organized anifacist structures around


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## mumblz (Dec 30, 2018)

Digging holes in the winter months for money ... although this last year I also worked through the summer and through this current winter again, and probably another round of the same, as I yearn for an extended time on the road without having to worry TOO much about hustling and shit. Idk, I'm getting into my mid-30s and I'm starting to think about how long I can keep this up...tearing my body up year-round whether it be through living rough or working rougher.. Idk It's just like, all that shit I've been talking about not giving a fuck , as long as I'm free, it's starting to be tested now so....we'll see I guess


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## Deleted member 14481 (Mar 22, 2019)

I usually get addicted to social media because it's so fucking cold. But, the yea MN hosted the Super Bowl I gtfo of town, and traveled through the southeast.


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## xpolx (Mar 23, 2019)

I been couriering in glasgow and working on my van wich is parked up at housing aco op wich used to be a farm about 40 mins south of the city


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## paiche (Apr 27, 2019)

This winter was crazy, I just lugged wood and split wood and chopped wood and burned wood, oh and shoveled snow and lugged water. Fucking so happy the snow is almost all gone!


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