19 y/o artist in search of freedom

[ThatBitch]

hello! i have never gone camping, killed and prepared an animal, backpacked, hitchhiked, or traveled outside of the US. but i am painfully tired of this society and i'm ready to take the plunge and reconnect with the earth in the way our ancestors once did. return to our roots with me looking for travel companions and teachers. currently located in upstate new york. im headed west towards washington. once i'm tired of the west....well, if you come with me you'll be in on the plans i probably wont leave until after the winter, as this is my first time doing something like this. any tips, tricks, or tools are appreciated!! hmu if you wanna come with if you have any questions please ask! i have no idea how this website works lol if there are more communities like this please please please let me know. i am very friendly, hilarious and intelligent. i learn and adapt quickly and i'm always down to clown. looking to make my life an adventure!!! 420 friendly (duh lol)

 

[Dmac]

Hi, welcome to the site. Hope your trip is awesome!

 

[roughdraft]

all things considered do a lot of reading and research.

this site is a major boon - use the search bar!!

being overly prepared starting out is not a bad idea

 

[Thewalkindude]

Go camping! Get a back pack, sleeping bag and a tarp and go fuck shit up in the wilderness. Once you're comfortable sleeping outside start hitching. Experience is the ultimate teacher. I suggest you start heading south sooner rather than later if you want to hit the road this year

 

[Deleted member 8978]

There are still ways to get around if your luck ever runs out while hitchhiking. See me or anyone else if you want to learn how to ride freight trains.

 

[Deleted member 21429]

Welcome. Love your username, easy to remember. I will second the advice of using the search bar on this site and add... Returning to your roots is a noble quest and worth persuing but takes a lot of fortitude. Since you're going to be hanging around here this winter.... deer season starts in a couple weeks, try calling or stopping by some Rod & Gun clubs near you and see if anyone will take you along on a hunt or show you how to fire a weapon safely. Also, try foraging around for wild edibles or dumpsters for that matter. lol Start collecting things for your journey. Many good lists on this site for reference. Load up an mp3 player or whatever with good music. Get a second pair of glasses, etc etc.
Traveling is the best education. Taking the first step is the key. ~ peace

 

[Anagor]

I would suggest start with small steps. Like first a week long backpacking trip in the local area. Just visit a few cities nearby, stay in hostels or motels or alike. Then perhaps try hitchhiking. Then perhaps a longer trip, including camping outside. And so on.

You'll find tons of info here on this forum, so read a lot. And always trust your gut feeling!

 

[Deleted member 22934]

Down south is the place to be until after winter. I hated hitch hiking. I'd rather find a bike and just start pedalling. But I've heard it's much easier for woman... But the danger is high. And travelling alone is over rated. I suggest finding someone experienced and hit the road together as long as their not a druggie or alcoholic... I've travelled alot and consider myself a pretty experienced Traveller, except on trains, I've never hopped a train. But I never had much luck finding travelling partners or companionship... ISo when I see people travelling together or in a group, I almost get a bit of jelosy... It's hard to find someone who wants to live a nomadic life either on foot or in a van, that you enjoy being around and travelling with. I've picked up many hitch hikers in my van, and I've regretted stopping about half the time. Some were drunks, some were spun out... One guy scared the holy shit out of me. He was all spun out and wouldn't sit still and was behaving very eradical and dangerously. I couldn't help but think to myself, this guy might actually kill me. He was crazy. An hour drive felt like days and when we finally got to his exit, he grabbed the steering wheel real tightly and I thought he was going to pull us into the ditch.. he didn't, but he was freaking out and twacked out of his mind. When he finally got out of my van, it was like the biggest relief... I don't know if you've ever been around someone who's been up a few days and just smoked some meth and is freaking out about something, but this guy was spun!!! And it scared the hell out of me. He was desperate and didn't have a place to go and get was high as a kite! He was trying to get back to his mom's house apparently and he wasn't even sure he could stay there when he got there.

Anyways, that was a trip. I met a few people that I got along with great in Oregon, but I wanted to leave and head south for winter, and they wanted to stay, or had to stay for court.

Good luck on your travels, and I hope you have better luck than me at finding companionship and friends. It really makes all the difference in the world to have someone to share the experience with.

 

[Pdog]

Let me know if youre ever in California. I can show you some cool spots out here!

Ive been wanting to drive out to New York. Any tips?

 

[Deleted member 22934]

What part of California? No I've never been to New York. I've been to nearly every state on the Western half tho. Well, 14 of them anyways. It's the wrong time of the year to be headed back east tho... Unless you stay down south for a few months.

 

[spoorprint]

Here's a piece of good advice I WISH I had followed.. don't start buying up gear until you are ready to go. You don't need 3 stoves, more cloths, etc, than you can carry. Its a trap people fall into when they are housed up and aren't sure what their next move is.

 

[Deleted member 22934]

I second what he said. Have the right gear, but only bring what you absolutely need. I don't know how many times I've taken off all loaded down with a bunch of crap that I wanted to bring, only to ditch it along the road because it's too heavy to carry, or I decided to sell the vehicle and switch to being on bike or on foot... I've lost so much shit going down the road it's not even funny. Leave all that at your mom or dad's house.

In a backpack, all you really need is
Tarp, tent or bivy
Sleeping bag
Metal cup
Toothbrush
Extra shirt, socks, shorts
Bic lighter and phone charger

And BAM! Your fuckin ready to hit the road. Anything more than that is either luxury or dead weight.

Some luxury items I like to include are folding wood saw, Paracord, a bicycle with panniers if I plan to be on bike and a fork/spoon.

It really depends on what kind of trip your trying to take. I prefer to bike packing and use Craigslist or rest areas to find long distance rides. Some people are into hitch hiking, which is my least favorite way to get somewheere. Some day I'll try train hopping, but I haven't yet

 

[roughdraft]

Here's a piece of good advice I WISH I had followed.. don't start buying up gear until you are ready to go. You don't need 3 stoves, more cloths, etc, than you can carry. Its a trap people fall into when they are housed up and aren't sure what their next move is.

this is very fuckin good advice

as well you will never guess what you get kicked down along the way or even dumpster

i have only paid for maybe a third of my gear and im stocked up quite quite fuckin well

 

[Deleted member 21429]

Hey ThatBitch! Just a heads up annnndd if ya have the money, Amazon is having big deals on books this week and I am suggesting author Dan Brown. He wrote field guides. Four I think, back in the 70s, Anyway, they taught me a lot back when I was your age thinking about doing what you are thinking about now. That's it. Have an New Year full of Wonder and Exploration if ya can. ~ peace and yeah, those books served me well.

 

[Swim]

Hey, I am in the exact same boat as you are rn. If you are still searching for a partner I am definitely the one you want to do it with. I’m a protector and I’m intelligent. I’m only 18 years so I have vitality, flexibility and no baggage at all. Add my snap chat @ wokehipsterr or dm me on instagram @ your.daily.drug

 

[ThatBitch]

update:
i’m 23 now and i never took that trip lol. thank you for all the suggestions. my life took a different route. the idea of leaving and never coming back still romances me, but i have responsibilities now. modern day corporate capitalist society makes me wanna cry lol.

now my plans are to beat the game by winning the game instead of opting out of playing. good luck out there

 

[Wermi901]

hello! i have never gone camping, killed and prepared an animal, backpacked, hitchhiked, or traveled outside of the US. but i am painfully tired of this society and i'm ready to take the plunge and reconnect with the earth in the way our ancestors once did. return to our roots with me looking for travel companions and teachers. currently located in upstate new york. im headed west towards washington. once i'm tired of the west....well, if you come with me you'll be in on the plans i probably wont leave until after the winter, as this is my first time doing something like this. any tips, tricks, or tools are appreciated!! hmu if you wanna come with if you have any questions please ask! i have no idea how this website works lol if there are more communities like this please please please let me know. i am very friendly, hilarious and intelligent. i learn and adapt quickly and i'm always down to clown. looking to make my life an adventure!!! 420 friendly (duh lol)

I fucking absolutley agree on reconnecting with the earth. Main reason I want to travel is to be more in touch with nature, go to sleep when the sun goes down (sometimes) wake up when it comes up. Being outside all the time, exploring forests and mountains. Waiting til after winter seems like a good idea, hopping trains or hitching while freezing your ass off doesn't seem like the best way to do all that for the first time lol. I'm also a newbie at all of this shit so if you're ever down in Austin or we're in the same state id be happy to link up! Best of luck on your travels!

edit: lol just saw you're last post, Have fun beating the system from the inside out!