Hello from Michigan!

[maura]

My name's Maura, I'm 17, and I'm from Ann Arbor. I haven't done much traveling as of yet, but I'm itching to go. I want to finish the welding program I'm in, and as soon as that's done, I'm planning on WWOOFing for a bit, and then exploreing. I guess I joined StP to get more information, and to make connections for when I hit the road.

 

[creature]

well i'll be. i get 't be the 1st to reply..

woofing is cool..

check out your farms very very carefully... definitely network..
avoid old men in large white vans ; )

if yer looking to work & travel, it's probably best to stay in the woofing network..
woofing is a different animal than being blown by the wind..

roaddawg relationships are notoriously unstable, and you can find yourself traveling with someone who seems 150% absolutely dependable, only to find out they need to help a friend bury their gerbil 1100 miles away, but they'll be back in a week or so, which means you *might* see them in 3 or 4 months..

i kid you fucking not.

you have to be physically prepared for & mentally ready for that kind of shit, because it's just a fact.

stay in a support network, or rubbertramp..
if you don't have a license, ***get one***.

being able to legally drive is a huge advantage.. if yer woofing, it's at least a plus.

avoid trains, until your older, and have no qualms about fighting for your life.
avoid hitching alone & be ready for assholes.. as a guy it's bad enough (hence i rubbertramp), for women it's worse.

i was the victim of two rape attempts, & one of them i had to stand down a bonafide psycho with a knife in the middle of a texas desert in the middle of the goddamned night in the middle of fucking *nowhere*...

if yer a noob, avoid hitching alone.

avoid road dogging with anyone you don't solidly know, & who doesn't have experience..

otherwise organize your rides from woof to woof..

furthermore, you can look on craigslist or rideboards & see who is going where..
lots of girls roadtrip & look for partners..
also, that gives you the chance to start communicating by email & at least check somebody out..
if the vibe is good, you can work on working stuff out..

just my 2 cents..

not that you aren't ready or resourceful, but there's more to the idea than just the idea..

bow wow..

C

 

[maura]

Thank you!

 

[urchin]

If you are really THAT worried then hitch, but carry a working cell phone with you. Before you get into the vehicle take a picture of the car complete with license plate and send it to someone you know in case something happens.

Really hitching isn't that dangerous. Just use common sense and go with what logical analysis tells you. If there is red stuff in the back seat for example, don't get in even if they say it's paint.

As far as stable road dogs go, what was said is true but when you find someone real reliable (they are out there) stick with them. You'll know who they are by their actions.

 

[creature]

it's true about the cell phones.. dinna have 'em back in my day..
you got punched in the jaw or cut with a knife, you stayed where you were until found..

this is first hand.

punched, but not cut & some other crazy shit that only makes for good stories because you either survive or don't get seriously injured.

everybody knows somebody who's taken a fall, though not everybody has, granted.

on the cell end, it may pay to keep the location function on, while hitching, or even travel with a small (terrier size) dog, because that's probably enough to deter most creeps.. keep the dog clean & brushed.. (yeah, yeah, i know).
i've had a lot of dogs in my vehicles, some friendly, some crazy, some that just sleep, some that unblamabley love taking the best of the human spots..

i've had a lot of folks snap my plate, no problem.. it really is a good idea.
maybe keep the gps location on, too..

there's a tradeoff (i think) nbetween guys & girls hitching..
girls get rides faster (an assumption of being less dangerous, or males hoping for the mythical easy pick-up)
guys get a lower percentage of offers from creeps.. i may be wrong, but as many times as i was hit up on, i had a hella lot more rides that were great.
also, women are more likely to be picked up by women, so the ride base is larger.

NEVER take a ride you have a questionable or bad vibe on, no matter how desperate, unless you are prepared to at *LEAST* be uncomfortable, and quite possibly ready to jump out the door, if suddenly required.. most assholes will slow down when they see this & then stop, but make sure your gear is NEVER out of reach, when possible... a real shithead may let you out, while they slow the fuck down, but they won't wait for you, so you'll have to make sure you can open whatever door you gear is next to, if you have too much to keep next to you.

i'm not saying bad shit will happen to you.
i am only saying assume the worst can happen at any moment, until you have cause to relax..
always give a friendly, helpfull vibe..
remember too, that while you want to travel, other people just want to get where they are going.
if you are going off track, be prepared to walk, & be most carefull when yer in the boonies..

this is not paranoia, this just being aware,

a good traveling buddy is great.

2 guys can take forever to get a ride, but a guy & girl or 2 girls will do okay, & the fact there are 2, will help filter the shitheads.
plus you can confer & confirm between each other.

at 17, you understand the idealism that makes human existence beautifull..
dunno where you've been, but hopefully nowhere so harsh as that you've learned that trust is a dangerous commodity to openly expend..
trust is great when you are in control of your options, & tremendous things can be done with it..
it's when the idealism of peace & trust meet the random (or not so random, being on the road) distribution of the avaricious, *without* the ability to harmlessly withdraw, that that idealism comes into challenge with the experiences that make us wonder if it is no more than an expression of foolishness, or a means to merely transport us to harm.

anyways.. yeah.. be smart.
if you can avoid it, don't fucking hitch alone, if yer a girl, unless you are completely prepare to fucking cut somebody, in order to keep them away.
if you don't have qualms with that, you should be ok.
that or a dog who'll die fighting for you, or get a partner.

if you do get a dog, protect it, too..
there are a lot of mean, fucked up, violent regular dogs out there that enjoy hurting other dogs.
get a female & have her fixed, & that should avoid most of that.

traveling is not easy.
traveling requires wisdom..
there is the balance of knowledge & action that yield the greatest degree of enjoyable freedom, & that is what it's all about.

i would getting an old geo, small 4 cylinder toyota & taking her as far as you can..
there are ways to do that cheaply, as far as insurance goes, & if yer willing to work & save a little here & there, you can go where you want, when you want, & stay fucking dry & able to cook, pretty damn cheap..
*you'll* be able to pick up road dawgs, learn from them, dumpster dive with them, jug with them & tell them to get the fuck out, if they're early shits.

you owe no one anything when they are being a dumb shit.
dumb shits on the road are fucking untrustworthy & shady, no matter how friendly & laid back they may seem.
if a dumb shit cannot be truthfull or do the work they need to do in order to travel safely (i.e., no random or irresponsible shit that leaves you hanging), then that dumb fucking shit needs to be dropped, so that they can hang with *other* DFSs..

whatever we give to each other is a gift, simply because we *can* give it, and other than kindness & mercy & hopefull generosity, no one has any right to expect you to endanger yourself so that they can indulge in *their* stupidity, no matter how cute, funny, experienced or 'wise' they may seem.

if you travel, make sure your thread is short.
short but strong.
be loyal to loyalty, but don't take any shit..

shitheads can cost you everything with one.. just *one* dumb fucking action..

anyways.. travel safe & travel strong.
always try to be in the position to give, rather than to need.. not from pride, but because if you strive to have enough to give, if even a little,
it means you are *really* free, because no one can *ever* stop you from being kind, if that is the way you choose to be.

that's where the real fucking power is..

that's why i love anarchy..

it only works when we know we have to always try to give.

unless it is to dumb fucking shitheads.

they need to get something fucking else.

anyways..
peace, love & good luck..

ramble ramble ramble...

c

 

[marc]

You will probably have to deal with shitheads more in a city then on the interstates. If your worried about getting raped or something just only take rides with females. Traveling isn't hard if you have common sense