Hello!

[Deleted member 20725]

Hi there, everyone. I'm Ian.

I graduated college in August, I'm living with my mom, and have a few thousand in savings. I'm forgoing getting a job for right now as I'd love to hit the road and have been trying to learn as much as possible since I don't have to worry about a roof over my head during the winter.

I'm about halfway through the STP book and would love to know the best way of getting out of South Jersey and if there are smart ways of leaving during the winter or places to go. While I've heard it's good to leave when it's warmer since there's wider room for error, I'm going stir crazy, feel a need to stop living based on family expectations, and don't want to stall out of fear of becoming complacent.

I majored in environmental policy and have increasingly witnessed how fragile modern society is and want to experience the world from a hands-on view. I'm tired of spending more than half of my day inside and in front of a computer. I know I can be more and want to do so.

Other than my reading on STP, /r/vagabond, other related communities, and Boy Scouts from years ago, I have no knowledge or experience of the lifestyle. Any advice would be wholly welcome.

Thanks for reading!

 

[BelleBottoms]

If you're used to NJ weather, it will feel like Spring in the southern states right now. (Plus, no bugs down there right now!)

I did a lot of map collecting, funds collecting, and contemplating before my first big trip. I even took a two week mini-trip to get used to traveling alone and sleeping in the car. In the end though, you just gotta plot a course and go. I learned right away that planning a direction worked fine, but an itinerary was a waste of time.

Have you thought about a "thesis" for your travels? Just something to give you direction on a map full of possibilities... I don't know much about environmental policy, but perhaps seeing some National Parks, Army Corp of Engineering projects, or environmental disaster sites of our recent past might interest you. (I found that locals were always ready to discuss the rebuilding process.) Besides helping to pick the next place to go, a loose theme gives you an easy answer to the "what brings you to (our town)" question you'll be asked constantly.