20 years away from the road, and now might be forced to be on it again. Need advice. | Squat the Planet

20 years away from the road, and now might be forced to be on it again. Need advice.

up2eleven

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So, here's my situation.

I'm very likely going to lose my job because I've missed too many days due to medical issues. Haven't been there long enough to get on FMLA. I've already been trying for several weeks to find another job with no luck at all, and it used to be damn easy for me to get one.

I was out of work for about a year and a half for the same medical issues before I got my current job. I thought I was going to be well enough to work. During that time off I was staying with a couple of friends who were kind enough to help, and while I was able to get on my own and transition into that with integrity and on good terms, it's understandable that it would be a bit much to expect the same generosity again.

So, the way things are looking, I'll probably end up on the road. The last time i was on the road was the mid-90's. I was a rainbow hippie kid in my 20's, hanging with friends, laughing, getting high, going to Rainbow Gatherings and having a great time. I was young and hot and carefree. Now I'm older, bald and stressed the fuck out.

Now I'm in my late 40's after trying for about 20 years to live the "normal" life working in cubicles and paying bills and it made me miserable and suicidal. The only time I was ever really happy was on the road. But, now things are a lot different. Society has changed a ton, with the economy gone to shit and more and more desperate people rolling people for their shit and being selfish. I'm not very physically strong and I've been softened by my time with all the comforts and conveniences of mainstream life. I've forgotten how to live on the road.

To be honest, I'm scared shitless.

I've been lurking these forums on and off for a few years as I keep thinking about hitting the road on purpose and then getting too scared to just jump and do it. Now I may be forced to. Hell, after the first few months, it may even be a relief.

What the fuck do you do when you're in your 40's, diabetic and with Meniere's Disease, and your medical shit makes you basically unemployable?

I may just have to face it and toughen up and deal. I could, but it would be a hell of a transition. I'm also worried that things are more rough now and from what I'm reading a lot more sketchy and more thieves and other fuckery that used to be a lot less.

So, any tips on how to adjust would be really helpful. I'm reading the forums and learning what I can, but I'm curious if anyone else here has had to go back to the road after a really long absence. I just feel angry, lost and scared, and I'm being open and just laying it out here in hopes of some good advice.
 

Anagor

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Hmm, don't know if I can be of much help, cause I'm not from US but Germany and traveled only in UK so far, but ...

  • I'm 42 years old
  • I was never abroad until about one year ago
  • I never was "on the road" until about one year ago
  • I was never really on the road until about half a year ago
  • I'm not physically strong (see avatar)
  • I was a computer nerd before
  • I was always "playing it safe" before
  • I think I suffer from a mild form of anxiety
Now I'm at home, looking forward to hit the road again in a few days. Sleeping rough, trying to make some money on the streets (busking or spanging), meeting friends, hitchhiking ...

Just think "Fuck it!" and be done with it. ;)

As said, don't know if that helps you, just what I can share ...
 

Mankini

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Read adventure stories from people who walked the walk, a la Thor Heyerdahl and Jack London. Inspired. Practicality. Thrift. Frugality. Asceticism. 50 million Buddhist monks can't be wrong. Am I right? Fuhgeddaboutit.
 
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What the fuck do you do when you're in your 40's, diabetic and with Meniere's Disease, and your medical shit makes you basically unemployable?

I would apply for SSDI & EBT/SNAP while you still have an address. The SSDI can take as little as 6-8 weeks (that is how long it took me to get approved for my wifes SSDI with medical documentation & luck). It seems that your medical conditions may be prohibiting you from effectively working & keeping a job. EBT/SNAP you can emergency assistance within a few days & approval within a few weeks that lasts a few months that you can travel on. The EBT/SNAP is a life saver both on & off the road & many of us travel with food stamp cards now.

Perhaps you can hook up with some sort of intentional community, collective or coop to reduce your housing costs. Perhaps with your medical issues being on the road full time isnt your best option. I wonder if relocating to such a situation will allow you to live less of a "normal" life with others. Perhaps the sense of belonging & identity of being on the road & attending Rainbow Gatherings is part of what was good in your life. I dont know what your whole situation is but I assume that you would benefit from having other like minded people to live with in a communal setting. I routinely find situations like this on craigslist. I am not bashing the idea of work & who knows to live in a communal setting with others you will have to pay your share. You may have to work a part time job to live but that doesnt mean that you have to chase financial wealth & live a solitary life on the hamster wheel. I would love to live somewhere where there are some shared meals,chores & lots of stuff going on.

Are you able to Drive? Do you have a drivers license? Vehicle? If so maybe you can think about becoming a rubber tramp. I would find a mini school bus, van or minivan within your budget & rig it up to do some boondocking aka stealth camping. You can live off of the SSDI & live comfortably in your vehicle without having to pay housing costs. I am clueless about the actual medical conditions & how much treatment & appointments are required. Perhaps you are unable to get SSDI but I would try anyway. I am unsure if you had to surrender your drivers license or if you can still legally drive?

I think that tossing 20 years worth of a life & consolidating your life into a backpack is always an option. I think that we ll have options, just often with all change there is anxiety, fear & doubt. I am sure that you will be fine & can land on your feet regardless of what you choose to do. I think traveling is like riding a bike at times & survival is a natural instinct that stays with us. You sound like a survivor to me sinc eyou are putting your situation out there & talking about your situation.

I too am out of work, but my wife does get SSDI we get SNAP so we have postponed hunger & homelessness for us & our daughter at least temporarily.

Sometimes a change of scenery & or outlook can do wonders to turn negative situations into either a neutral situation or ideally into a positive situation.


Good luck
 
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Mankini

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Yeah Highwayman you hit the nail on the head. I'm 40. Only about 10 of those years have produced any survival skills. Yeah, once you're unhooked from the matrix it can produce an oh fuck wtf initial reaction. A la Plato's Cave. But think in terms of practicality and comfort. Watch Artopium Mikes vids on YouTube. Mike wanted to prove that a man of true mettle could emerge from homelessness. So he inflicted it upon himself and emerged victorious after only a year or two!!! So do it. Work smart not hard.
 

up2eleven

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I would apply for SSDI & EBT/SNAP while you still have an address. The SSDI can take as little as 6-8 weeks (that is how long it took me to get approved for my wifes SSDI with medical documentation & luck). It seems that your medical conditions may be prohibiting you from effectively working & keeping a job. EBT/SNAP you can emergency assistance within a few days & approval within a few weeks that lasts a few months that you can travel on. The EBT/SNAP is a life saver both on & off the road & many of us travel with food stamp cards now.

Perhaps you can hook up with some sort of intentional community, collective or coop to reduce your housing costs. Perhaps with your medical issues being on the road full time isnt your best option. I wonder if relocating to such a situation will allow you to live less of a "normal" life with others. Perhaps the sense of belonging & identity of being on the road & attending Rainbow Gatherings is part of what was good in your life. I dont know what your whole situation is but I assume that you would benefit from having other like minded people to live with in a communal setting. I routinely find situations like this on craigslist. I am not bashing the idea of work & who knows to live in a communal setting with others you will have to pay your share. You may have to work a part time job to live but that doesnt mean that you have to chase financial wealth & live a solitary life on the hamster wheel. I would love to live somewhere where there are some shared meals,chores & lots of stuff going on.

Are you able to Drive? Do you have a drivers license? Vehicle? If so maybe you can think about becoming a rubber tramp. I would find a mini school bus, van or minivan within your budget & rig it up to do some boondocking aka stealth camping. You can live off of the SSDI & live comfortably in your vehicle without having to pay housing costs. I am clueless about the actual medical conditions & how much treatment & appointments are required. Perhaps you are unable to get SSDI but I would try anyway. I am unsure if you had to surrender your drivers license or if you can still legally drive?

I think that tossing 20 years worth of a life & consolidating your life into a backpack is always an option. I think that we ll have options, just often with all change there is anxiety, fear & doubt. I am sure that you will be fine & can land on your feet regardless of what you choose to do. I think traveling is like riding a bike at times & survival is a natural instinct that stays with us. You sound like a survivor to me sinc eyou are putting your situation out there & talking about your situation.

I too am out of work, but my wife does get SSDI we get SNAP so we have postponed hunger & homelessness for us & our daughter at least temporarily.

Sometimes a change of scenery & or outlook can do wonders to turn negative situations into either a neutral situation or ideally into a positive situation.


Good luck
Lots of good points there. With the communities, I've had that experience as well, and I'd have to find one that doesn't require a specific belief system or diet or whatever and is mainly about off grid/sustainable living as a lifestyle of necessity rather than some kind of woo.

I have a car, but the worth of it wouldn't afford a van worth a shit, sadly.

I know it would take a long time to get on SSDI, and I'd have to be not working for at least 6 months, I think, in order to be eligible, but the medical and SNAP shouldn't be a problem to get.
 

creature

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learn how to fucking snare.

no fucking kidding.

get whatever assistance you can, but get a goddamned good knife or know how to make one.

scary is fucking nothing.

fuck the internet, fuck pixels, fuck goddamned fucking whining.

if you can't get assistance, go fucking learn.
i learned when i was fucking 11.

if you *can* get assistance *************go fucking learn***************

i love the ocean more than the hills, but i can kill fucking squirrels & know how to taste plants & find water.
learn that, or understand you are just fucking food for the cannibalism that begins when Shit Falls Apart.

Yea & Fucking Amen.

Go Fucking Learn, my goddamned fucking Brother.

no fucking pity if you whine without action.

no fucking pity at all.

what do you think it will be like, when your SSI buys *nothing*..
or may not even fucking come?

Christ..


i have my own fucking issues.


learn how to taste plants, brother..


if you want meat, learn how to kill animals.


make sure you know enough to get away from the fucks who will see you as part of their next jerky pull.


this is serious fucking shit.

government income is only a temporary fix..

when it goes, you had better be fucking ready.

get past your fucking disability bullshit & grab onto your fucking *abilities*..

be glad you are not a fucking Syrian, at the moment..

Shit hits the fan.
 

up2eleven

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learn how to fucking snare.

no fucking kidding.

get whatever assistance you can, but get a goddamned good knife or know how to make one.

scary is fucking nothing.

fuck the internet, fuck pixels, fuck goddamned fucking whining.

if you can't get assistance, go fucking learn.
i learned when i was fucking 11.

if you *can* get assistance *************go fucking learn***************

i love the ocean more than the hills, but i can kill fucking squirrels & know how to taste plants & find water.
learn that, or understand you are just fucking food for the cannibalism that begins when Shit Falls Apart.

Yea & Fucking Amen.

Go Fucking Learn, my goddamned fucking Brother.

no fucking pity if you whine without action.

no fucking pity at all.

what do you think it will be like, when your SSI buys *nothing*..
or may not even fucking come?

Christ..


i have my own fucking issues.


learn how to taste plants, brother..


if you want meat, learn how to kill animals.


make sure you know enough to get away from the fucks who will see you as part of their next jerky pull.


this is serious fucking shit.

government income is only a temporary fix..

when it goes, you had better be fucking ready.

get past your fucking disability bullshit & grab onto your fucking *abilities*..

be glad you are not a fucking Syrian, at the moment..

Shit hits the fan.
Well, you're right. I'm just hoping there's a way to manage insulin when shit goes down. Sometimes the tough love is needed.
 

creature

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yah.
i may die, too.

no way to get what can't be had.

blown head gaskets in the desert are a bitch.


not being mean.

just saying.

sorry..
 
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If I was a single guy without children & limited responsibility I would be able to live off of SSDI. I would be living in a communal setting with a sense of community. The ability to have a fixed income for ever is a benefit that anyone with a legitimate inability should take advantage of. If the SSDI kicks in & there is any retroactive (which is usually the case) you will be able to find an affordable place on your own: public housing, room in a rooming house etc or as a roommate in an apt. Once you get on SSDI your housing options greatly improve. I personally wouldnt want to isolate & live in a rooming house as my first option. My world gets real small & boring when I am constantly alone. I think as we get older we have to accept the fact that we may actually live longer than most of us originally expected. We may also have medical issues that require a stable housing situation.

If the benefits come thru you have so many options. Longterm rubber tramping or buying a stationary camper to live in an RV park (most places have opportunities for live in managers that get a free spot for light duties round the park).

@creature seems to be on another drunken tangent! Lol. I personally dont eat squirrels or will be snaring any time soon. We live in the richest country in the world & many survive off of the capitalist excess. Food pantries, EBT/SNAP, dumpsters, guerrilla gardening, soup kitchens, spanging etc,etc,etc There is some wisdom in his post that encourages you to do something! Anything. Most likely your life will work itself out just as it always seems to do with all of us. Maybe it isnt how we planned but Life goes on! being an insulin dependent diabetic isnt the end of the word for many. Most likely we can all expect to experience health issues such as this & worse as we get older. Sometimes accidents happen too.


I dont believe their is an apocalypse coming today. If SSDI is or isnt approved then so be it, move on & reapply when you become more disabled. There is no fault in filling out some forms. Free money is free money. You will have enough to live on if you are creative. Where you live & how you live depends on you. Not only does it provide income but it opens doors to many housing options because of it. If you dont work, people call you lazy; but if you cant work for medical reason then you are disabled. Id rather be disabled with a monthly check, housing options, free health insurance & automatic approval for food stamps & fuel assistance every year for the rest of my life than lazy with nothing. Maybe the whole Social Security system will change & you can evolve with it or around it. I know plenty who function in life despite their disabilities but they still accept the money. Many work part time gigs/jobs under the table to earn extra cash.
 
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creature

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HighwayMan is pretty rational about this..
(kev is fucking solid..)

What i'm getting at, though, is that SSI is in no way guaranteed..

if you think you might live for another 20 years, and you can't save up enough money to have a solid Get The Fuck Out plan (which SSI will *not* give you), then learn how to get food from fucking rocks.

I am not fucking kidding.

seaweed, lichens, mushrooms, roots..

learn it.

money in the bank or mark zuckerberg's 45 billion are not even as strong as what happens tomorrow.

i've paid for whatever ssi i'll eventually get all my fucking life.

if i fucking live to get it.

hopefully i will save enough for a boat & be able to eat shit out of the water to keep me alive, & fuck the trap i was loving born into.. fuck you uncle sam, keep my ssi taxes & let me die where i was meant to be if i could have been what i most loved, had not the people of war demanded all life to serve them....

it isn't just about living off ssi..
it's about the future..
*EVERYONE* deserve a minimum income.
*EVERYONE* deserves a reasonable, natural place to sleep,
SO LONG AS THEY ARE WILLING TO CREATE OR WORK TO THE EXTENT THAT EQUALS WHAT THEY RECEIVE.

if fairness were reality, there would be no "free money".

there would be no 45 fucking dollar billionaires.

there would be fucking simplicity.

the apocalypse is not today.
but in 1934, neither was WWII.

i mean, there is wisdom in cheap land & burying you shit & yerself.
maybe the next 30 years will be ok, which i hope, because if i dun get a boat & Get The Fuck Out, i will be on ssi for the 20 years that follow the 10 after i collect, & can grub from whatever shed or RV i have *decided* to choose as home.

30 fucking years.

i do not want to guess past 6..

everything Sir Highway says about basic skills & the resources you can provide for yourself are correct.

But learn your fucking wild foods.

if for no other reason than that it gives you options.

when you live on ssi, you live on the edge.

that is a mere fact.

you have *no* immediate control over your paycheck.

you can't say "fuck you, i won't work this week if you don't fucking pay me".
& that is jack fucking shit fucking *fact*.

god help us if the republicans give us fucking trump.

god fucking help us, but that shitwad running in the polls is a fucking sign on the walls..

learn your fucking wild foods.

a steady head is best, for sure.
the only thing the ocean does not have..

get yer ssi, if you can, for sure!! & more power to you, please..

but get ready, because it isn't tomorrow & may be 50 fucking years..

FIFTY FUCKING YEARS..

this fucking country is only ~250..

maybe our shit will come together.
maybe we will get a true revolutionary into office.

until then?

everything is a gamble..

so make sure you can grasp what you can control...
what do you think *that* motherfucker will do to ssi, if he wins??
 

Coywolf

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Watch Artopium Mikes vids on YouTube.

Dude i've never heard of this guy, he has some great info, i'll pass this on to people, thanks for the heads up
 
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KnowOneGnome

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years as t1d here man and until I got a job offer (6 days ago) I was about to be forced into rubber tramping with wife and 2 mutts. Best bet is like they said while you HAVE an address hit up ebt/snap as you've no income you should get ebt in a few days. Hit up obamacare for medical they hooked me up with medicaid card for me and my wife surprisingly that covers 100% of my insulin pump supplies, test strips and insulin.

If you hit the road grab a carrying case for you insulin, and try to get an insulin pen so tweakers don't gank your needles n shit.

Talk to your endo (I assume you have one) and they can often hook you up with "Samples" of insulin and shit like that to help maintain you for a month or so. Also check out lilly cares (they can hook you with free insulin too for a year I think.)

Sometimes court systems can buy you a month of insulin as well (at least they did a few years back here in Northern Ky)

As long as you have food and insulin and test strips you should be golden from that standpoint. Also BEGIN the process of getting ssdi (grab one of those no pay unless you win layers)
 

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