Introducing me, myself and I

[Mel of the Bronx]

Hello, everyone. My friends call me Mel, but you can call me Mel. As you probably guessed, I'm from the Bronx, New York. I have lived in New York City from the first moment I drew breathe. I would be lying if I said that I have no affection for this crazy fuck of a city.

However, I have grown tired of the crowding, noise, busyness and cost of living that defines the only home I have ever known. I want to see less concrete and steel. I want to hear less honking and construction machines. I want to hear more nature sounds. I want to see more brown and green. I want to see more stars in the sky at night.

I recently turned 31 years of age. I work as a custodian, a job I find very unfulfilling and monotonous. My plan is to resign from my job and leave New York City once I receive my income tax return from the protection racket at the beginning of next year. I am seriously considering living as a nomadic backpacker once I leave, but I have some doubts. I would mainly subsist by hunting, foraging for wild plants, fishing, guerrilla gardening and scavenging. However, I would like to earn some money from time to time. I would pack a 3-person tent but I would like to stay in a permanent shelter a times. How do you guys earn money on the road and where do you stay for shelter?

 

[Matt Derrick]

hey there, welcome to StP!

to answer some of your questions, most of my life I simply got a shitty (although sometimes not shitty) job somewhere and worked for 4-6 months saving money, then took off traveling for another 4-6 months. sometimes i'd spend longer working winters in new orleans, or whatever made sense. recently though, i've been trying to move into the tech field and do website administration (basically i make websites for people) which i can do from the road most of the time.

that's a pretty technical field though so i wouldn't blame you if you wanted to avoid that. other options are seasonal jobs like fruit picking, or working at national parks or doing trail maintenance and other outdoor seasonal work; www.coolworks.com is a great resource for seasonal national parks jobs. most of those jobs are really enjoyable if you like the outdoors.

you might have a totally awesome tent, i don't know, but most 3 person tents are really heavy. i might suggest getting a 1-person tent if you can. i got this 1-person tent for 100 bucks, and now it's down to 75, and it's pretty good:


and it's only 3 lbs, so it's hard to find a tent that weighs less without having to pay several hundred dollars.

anyways, there's some random advice for you, we have a ton of sections on the site explaining all this and more, you just have to do a lot of reading and using the search. good luck!

 

[Mel of the Bronx]

Thanks for the advice. Yeah, I'd rather not work in the tech field. I have some handyman skills so I could probably put that to some use. I'm also considering doing some freelance writing in the creative nonfiction genre. The options you mentioned sound good as well. I figured I could find some seasonal work. I've also heard of people temporarily working at organic farms in exchange for room and board. What type of jobs were you doing when you worked every 4 to 6 months? Were they some shitty temp jobs working from a cubicle? Also, how much do the seasonal jobs you mentioned typically pay?

I haven't purchased a tent yet, but I was thinking of getting a 3 person-tent in case I meet a woman on the road with whom I want to ... share my tent. I would like a 2 person tent at least.

 

[misanthropicrustacian]

I feel you on what you said about waiting for your tax return I'm doing the same thing working a lame job and going to hit it around the new year. Well dishwashing isn't that bad. And welcome ,

 

[Matt Derrick]

I've also heard of people temporarily working at organic farms in exchange for room and board.

you're probably thinking of WOOFing (World Organization of Organic Farming). people have great experiences and bad ones with that outfit, so definitely do a search for 'woofing' in the forums and you'll find lots of advice and experiences.

What type of jobs were you doing when you worked every 4 to 6 months? Were they some shitty temp jobs working from a cubicle?

actually, the majority of jobs i've worked over my life have been in the service industry, since they're typically the easiest to get. everything from dishwashing to running food to food delivery to bartending.

Also, how much do the seasonal jobs you mentioned typically pay?

it depends entirely on the seasonal job. fruit picking is often based on the amount of fruit you pick. when i worked at yellowstone, i worked in their warehouse for $8/hr, but the job was stupid easy and they subsidized your housing (i.e. my apartment's rent was only $180 a month, all utilities paid). but that's just one example, each place will be different. the pay isn't high very often, but you usually have other benefits to make up for it.

 

[Matt Derrick]

I haven't purchased a tent yet, but I was thinking of getting a 3 person-tent in case I meet a woman on the road with whom I want to ... share my tent. I would like a 2 person tent at least.

in that case i would recommend the 2 person version of the tent i mentioned before, as it's hard to find a lightweight tent that doesn't cost several hundred dollars:

 

[Mel of the Bronx]

in that case i would recommend the 2 person version of the tent i mentioned before, as it's hard to find a lightweight tent that doesn't cost several hundred dollars:

Thanks for the recommendation. I was looking at a 2-person tent made by Easton but I can't find reviews for the particular tent. I'll probably go with the tent you're suggesting since other Easton tents on Amazon have pretty bad review ratings.