If you had to Disappear...

[ResistMuchObeyLittle]

Not sure if this is in the right forum. I've read a few book lately that have me thinking of this quite a bit.
If you had to disconnect and disappear, where would you go? Mexico? Canada?
If you didn't have a lot of cash- what would you do?
Quite a few people say how easy it is to get into Mexico, but it seems very dangerous.

 

[DrewSTNY]

Not sure if this is in the right forum. I've read a few book lately that have me thinking of this quite a bit.
If you had to disconnect and disappear, where would you go? Mexico? Canada?
If you didn't have a lot of cash- what would you do?
Quite a few people say how easy it is to get into Mexico, but it seems very dangerous.

At this point, I might go where there isn't any cell service and pay cash for everything. Get day labor jobs at the local hardware store that pay cash 50-100$ a day. Have a bike or bum rides to get around. Just stay away from the cities, blend in, and you'd be surprised how lost you can get. Just don't go getting stupid drunk or high where you can be found either.

Option 2, start hitting the rails and don't get caught.

 

[daigtohue]

I tried to disappear into Canada. don't do it. it ain't really good.
the government over there is even more watchful over everyone.
they know everybody.
US agents actually came over into Canada to get me and they brought me
back to the US without my consent.

I wouldn't try mexico either. try another city in the united states.
I stayed in Cleveland for awhile last year. Cleveland actually isn't bad
besides all of the potholes. there's lots of vacant houses in Cleveland
for claiming. Detroit has a lot of vacant houses too but the crime rate
is ridiculous. if you're not from Pittsburgh don't try it because they don't like
a lot of out of towners.

you can get food stamps in any city in the us.
you won't have any government benefits in mexico or Canada.
start applying for some credit cards too.
you can get a free government cellphone from assurance wireless
or safelink wireless.
use catalogs for buying clothes and shoes and other stuff.
you can find work through a temp service or you can get
cleaning work off of craigslist like house cleaning or office cleaning
or room painting.
have you tried taking a student loan and maybe taking some classes?
you can get free food from food banks.
there's a directory of food banks in the us called foodpantries (org)
there's a directory of homeless shelters in the us called homelessshelterdirectory (org)
this site has places in the us that will pay for blood donations. bloodbanker

good luck

 

[Carlvanguyrios]

I'm Mexican and have been to Mexico a lot. I love it. In fact I'm considering doing exactly that, disappearing in Mexico after I get bored of Florida. (This will be a while. I'm loving it here and there are so many cities and nature destinations to check out).

Mexico is a beautiful country. Yeah there's the drug cartels but they mainly stay the hell away from Americans unless you're a known rich person or rival drug dealer which I doubt you are. I mean America is why the cartels are rich. So they're generally nothing to worry about. Incidents do happen involving travelers but they are few and far between. In fact, in a lot of situations, they are more helpful than police..

Food and alcohol is cheap as hell in most of mexico. And the people there are super friendly. I don't think it would be a problem finding somewhere to work off the grid and make enough to get by.

And someone mentioned police being an issue in Canada. It's the exact opposite in Mexico. Any petty crime that gets police involved can easily be gotten rid of by casually sliding the officer 20 dollars or I guess more depending on how bad you fucked up. (Often in a police encounter they'll open a little book like the ones servers carry at restaurants. That's where you slide the 20. It's more than a day's wage for a Mexican police officer.)

I miss the shit out of Mexico even more now after typing this.. Hope it was helpful!

 

[rootmyth]

Alaska, but it wouldn't be feasible for me anytime soon considering I know not a thing about wilderness survival...yet.

 

[Deleted member 2626]

I can disappear anywhere. I rely little on stores. I didn't have a cell phone for years. And I get around pretty much at all times by walking and hitching.

 

[Odin]

I can dissapear without ever leaving... it's called never using facebook.

 

[DrewSTNY]

I can dissapear without leaving... it's called never using facebook.

I wish we could rate 2x! Funny and TOTALLY AGREE!!!

 

[Deleted member 16034]

Belize and Southern Mexico. Near Playa Del Carmen. You can pick oranges in the jungles and sell them on the side off the road.

That and there's always other things you can do for money. But you can always find hammocks at the edges of the jungles.

 

[AaronOnTheRoad]

I'd find a huge national park and go deep inside and stay there. That or buy a boat and live on the river

 

[ResistMuchObeyLittle]

Thanks for all the awesome tips, truly appreciate it. I'll think a few things over. Now that fall and winter are approaching, South of the border is sounding nice- yet, I'm more of a wilderness type. Deep in the woods, cabin and fire. Hard decisions to be made. Whatever choice I make it's going to a lasting one..

@diagtohue. They came and got you?
Wow.
I do remember meeting a guy who went into Canada and was about to get hooked up with a new ID and everything but then got drunk and the law figured out he was from the states. Not too smart. I'd be laying low. Like a ghost. Sure, enjoy a few brews but not to the point of ruining everything.

 

[ResistMuchObeyLittle]

I've heard contradictory things about needing a passport to get into Canada.
I don't have one but I have ID, Birth Cert, etc.
At this point I'm not sure I can get a passport.

 

[paiche]

I like to think I could disappear right here in Maine but I have kids so trying to disappear with them would just get us all into trouble.

 

[DrewSTNY]

I like to think I could disappear right here in Maine but I have kids so trying to disappear with them would just get us all into trouble.

I miss my home state, but heading back to Maine will probably never happen. I don't think it's affordable to live on the coast anymore, at least not in the southern part of the state where I'm from. Maybe if I took up squatting full time, I might be able to score something. Maybe after the last child moves out of the house.

 

[paiche]

I miss my home state, but heading back to Maine will probably never happen. I don't think it's affordable to live on the coast anymore, at least not in the southern part of the state where I'm from. Maybe if I took up squatting full time, I might be able to score something. Maybe after the last child moves out of the house.

I lived in an amazing little squat in Lincolnville for 4 years but I gave it up to travel. It was surrounded by hundreds of acres of preserve land, had gravity fed water from a spring, no electricity. I miss that land so much, I still go back now and then just to wander around and gather mushrooms. It's still a squat though, just has a new happy squatter.

 

[scoutwilding]

I'm in the 'deep within a national park' camp myself.

On passports: I've driven into Canada & did not have to show mine, just my license.

Good luck!

 

[Pervert Pirate]

There once was an Anarchist Book Store. It went out of business in the early 2000's but many of it's most popular books were archived or at least links to where people could still get their hands on them.

The name of it was "Loompanics". Second on the list is "How to disappear Completely and Never Be Found", by Doug Richmond (second book at the top of the list)

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/8244.Loompanics_Unlimited

This was an interesting place as the owner would participate
with customers who had skills in certain areas such as lock smithing, lock picking, cultivating marijuana, making moonshine, and all things
illegal or nearly so and pay them to write books he could publish to sell in the catalog or articles for the catalog. Much of this was pre internet
but he used the slogan, "Our Men Need Books". (not the handyman, hunting and fishing, car craft BS)

But this catalog was the go to place for anarchist, and those living
in the fringes of society to have the rights the Constitution supposedly guarantees them.

I was once in the Corporate rat race thinking it was what family expected of me. It didn't take long after I found Loompanics to start buying some books and reading. Most dealt with the art of Boss Control to insulate myself from being too controlled by the Boss.

 

[Dorkimus Prime]

Not sure if this is in the right forum. I've read a few book lately that have me thinking of this quite a bit.
If you had to disconnect and disappear, where would you go? Mexico? Canada?
If you didn't have a lot of cash- what would you do?
Quite a few people say how easy it is to get into Mexico, but it seems very dangerous.

What do you mean by disappear? Do you want to change identities and leave your old life behind or do you not want to be found by anyone?

Me personally I would buy a small plot of land in the middle of the mountains or just take a plot. Then using only basic tools I would build a small farm for veggies and animals plus my shelter.

 

[cixcell]

mexico isnt bad at all. a place like san miguel de allende or any of the hippie backpacker places in other parts of the country. ive met people who have given me different names every time ive met them in costa rica. but me? cambodia all the way. id be there right now if i could

 

[DrTPharmD]

I'd stay close to home as I know the terrain and would need to rely little on society to survive. The Mark Twain National forest is about an hour away and big enough to disappear iinto.