Heyo!

[AnActualFrog]

Hey everyone! My name is Rowan (or Frog), I'm 17, he/they pronouns, and I've been pretty interested in this lifestyle for a while.
When I was little, I used to read books and dream about traveling on foot, maybe having a dog, sitting by a campfire and eating beans I've saved in my bag for the last week. Bit romanticized, I know lol, but that's not everything that's drawn me in.
I've always been kind of a loner. I don't have many in-person friends, over the pandemic I've grown a part from the ones I've had. I'm not close with my family, and I'm not super interested in living in the areas my family has lived in, so there's not much tying me down here.

Anyways, a bit about me. I'm a pretty big science nerd. Specifically, I'm super into paleontology and zoology, animals are my jam lol. My favorite animals are frogs, my past excessive frog profile pics on discord is why my online friends call me Frog. I'm pretty into cartoons, my favorites consist of literal kids shows, such as my favorite, Amphibia (and its not just because of the frogs I swear). Good show, I recommend it if you'd like to have something to play in the background until you get super invested in the plot and characters.
If I had to settle, I'd love to be somewhere cold, in the mountains, in some remote location. Somewhere far from my family hopefully.

In the future, if I were to settle down with a job I might go with some science. Maybe veterinarian science, or paleontology. I can see myself in sciences, or even technology. I have an internship at my school where I work at a help desk, and I fix students electronics. It's not much of software, more of hardware, physical stuff, so I have some small experience with fixing computers.

Anyways, thanks for reading, I know I kinda rambled. If you found any of that interesting and want to chat, let me know!

 

[bip]

be careful. dont trust anyone all the way. know you may be a means to an end for some people. always be benevolent. animal science is dope. if you cant find a traveling partner just fuckin go lol but do a lot of research on your route so you appear knowlegeable about where youre headed, ¨oh that town is 20 miles from here, theres two gas stations on the way daddadaadadaada" u get the idea. theres no way to know what your life will turn into from here just be a good person and also BE STRONG. WORK OUT FOR LIKE A MONTH OR TWO AT LEAST BEFORE YOU GO. I GOT INTO SO MUCH SHIT BECAUSE I THOUGHT GETTING HIT IN THE FACE WAS THE WORST THING THAT COULD EVER HAPPEN TO ME. for real box with a few friends or something so you can access that part of you if u have to. you probably wont have to though. also being sober is much easier when you travel because youre engaged and i cannot stress the value of sobriety either.
take care

 

[bip]

hitchhiking is 90 percent sike o logical lol. u gotta appear ready to fight or do anything and a lot of people who are looking for victims would rather scare someone and not take the risk of actually having to fight. just be vigilant.

 

[AnActualFrog]

be careful. dont trust anyone all the way. know you may be a means to an end for some people. always be benevolent. animal science is dope. if you cant find a traveling partner just fuckin go lol but do a lot of research on your route so you appear knowlegeable about where youre headed, ¨oh that town is 20 miles from here, theres two gas stations on the way daddadaadadaada" u get the idea. theres no way to know what your life will turn into from here just be a good person and also BE STRONG. WORK OUT FOR LIKE A MONTH OR TWO AT LEAST BEFORE YOU GO. I GOT INTO SO MUCH SHIT BECAUSE I THOUGHT GETTING HIT IN THE FACE WAS THE WORST THING THAT COULD EVER HAPPEN TO ME. for real box with a few friends or something so you can access that part of you if u have to. you probably wont have to though. also being sober is much easier when you travel because youre engaged and i cannot stress the value of sobriety either.
take care

Thanks! I'll keep this in mind. I didn't much about about working out, I guess I always figured I was pretty strong but I've got some stuff I can work with. To be honest, trust is my weakness. I'm way to quick to trust lol, hopefully on the road I'll be to nervous/excited to trust someone I shouldnt

 

[Scat]

Oh hey, I think we'd have a ton in common if you ever wanna chat! I went to school for animal sciences but love all things biology. Thought about going the vet route too but wasn't financially cut out for that, sadly. Paleontology is a major passion of mine (I am waaaay too into ancient marine reptiles). If you ever wanna geek out and share random facts about fossils or evolution, hit me UP. You ever read The Sixth Extinction? Really struck me hard getting into the research about the decline of amphibians. ): I also have interests in technology and programming. My discord is jouska#7839 - feel free to reach out. Been traveling for years if you have any questions about the lifestyle 'n such.

 

[bip]

trust is a good thing just not like, complete trust. trust will save ur ass. just dont like fall asleep trust

 

[AnActualFrog]

hitchhiking is 90 percent sike o logical lol. u gotta appear ready to fight or do anything and a lot of people who are looking for victims would rather scare someone and not take the risk of actually having to fight. just be vigilant.

Odd question but is there a good way to appear more like you could handle yourself? I'm 5'4", and I'm not super big but I'm not the thinnest. A lot of people told me that I seem harmless and sweet in casual scenarios lol, I don't want to look like I can't handle myself and end up getting hurt or robbed or killed

 

[bip]

you need to box with some friends , probably get hella high on weed before so you know how to fight on even a basic level. a lot of people have come up to me and try to start a fight or scope me to be robbed but just preparing to fight them in my mind almost made them sense that it wouldnt be super easy for them or they wouldnt be getting someone without trouble.

 

[bip]

you need to box with some friends , probably get hella high on weed before so you know how to fight on even a basic level. a lot of people have come up to me and try to start a fight or scope me to be robbed but just preparing to fight them in my mind almost made them sense that it wouldnt be super easy for them or they wouldnt be getting someone without trouble.
smoke hella weed and fight w ur friends

 

[ali]

I boxed for a couple years, and i do suspect it'd help you in a real fight to understand just what it feels like to get punched really hard in the face, shake it off and keep going. Knowing a bit of footwork and how to strike could help your confidence too. But the best way to protect yourself is simply to avoid trouble altogether.

Don't hang out in sketchy places. Don't hang out with sketchy people. Not gonna say don't do drugs and don't do crimes, but at least be aware that if you do do those things, you are probably gonna end up amongst people who have less qualms about flying off the handle or getting violent, so stay on your toes. If anything feels a bit uncomfortable, just leave. You don't owe anyone anything.

If you're out alone at night, use a hoodie to your advantage. It can make you look a bit tougher to certain people, and putting the hood up is also sending a message of "don't talk to me". Walk with intention, strut and stride like you know where you're going, even if you don't. Play with your phone, pretend to be texting or calling a friend if you are really worried. Sometimes it pays off to act "crazy", like talking to yourself or gazing off into the distance, it makes you less approachable to some people. This is all basic safety stuff, doesn't just apply to traveling.

There are folks who try to take advantage of young travelers and homeless people, but there are also plenty of people who are good-hearted folks who will try help you out. Personally i don't think it's good to treat everyone with mistrust, there are honestly good people out there... But do keep your cards close to your chest. You don't always need to tell people personal details that they could use against you.

 

[NewMexicoJim]

I'm a small guy too and have found that size alone isn't a magnet for people who want to take advantage of you. The more people around you the more reason you have for concern. If you like nature and campfires, you won't be having many, if any, issues with bad people which is why I choose to live where I do. Having said that, here are are some things that have helped me avoid trouble along the way.

Practice situational awareness. Use your eyes and ears to your advantage by knowing what is going on around you at all times both near and far. Be honest with yourself about what's happening rather than explaining away a weird feeling.

Avoid projecting vulnerability. Like ali, above, said, "keep your cards close to your chest." Martial arts and boxing are good for building self confidence. So is aikido, tai chi or yoga if you want something less violent.

Avoid prickly situations by getting up and leaving. Anything that makes you uncomfortable or suspicious is reason enough to put distance between yourself and the situation.

Partying is fine but don't get so fucked up that you cannot control yourself or even worse, you lose consciousness. Chemicals are a conduit to any number of troubles so use caution.

There are more good people than bad and soon you will learn to avoid the bad ones. It's not that hard if you keep your wits about you and learn from your experiences. There's a saying that the definition of stupid is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result each time. It's ok to fuck up and make mistakes but try not to repeat the lesson.

Be safe and have all the fun you can. Good luck.