Thus I began my week and a half trip with a grand in my pocket.
No civilization works for free. People need money for food, clothes, gas, etc. Yet I lasted a whole week by keeping to the basics like transportation, food, and shelter (TSF). It was amazing how far a man could go with so very little.
I took a trip to Texas in my own car. Before I could go anywhere, I made sure the tires were full, the oils were filled, and the car cleaned enough for a rideshare (Sadly, I regret not doing out of pure fear and using Craigslist). My car was my lifeblood and I already experienced the horrors of Greyhound and the torture of the TSA. So every town I stopped, every gas station I filled, and every placed I stayed at, I made sure my car was running at top condition.
I took very little. Just a 40 liter Molle Backpack, three pairs of clothes rolled up in vacuum bags. A cooler for the road. My toiletries. Finally, my smartphone and tablet to keep in contact with my folks.
Driving out of Florida was a real pain in the ass. It takes two days just to get out of the state. I had to crash at friends houses and Airbnb. I doubt I could drive all the way out of Florida without stopping. Especially when I was driving all by myself.
In theory, driving by yourself should not so bad.I had music on my smartphone and a five-hour energy drink to keep me awake. I should be okay with that.
However, I learned the hard way that long road trips will drive a man insane.
Firstly, the music I had all followed the same patterns. So much I thought I was listening to the same song as before. Secondly, when staring at the road I felt sleepy. I was all by myself and the only company I had was the music on my smartphone. Despite the loud music I was falling asleep. Thank God for gas stations and rest stops or I would be in another accident. Lastly...I was losing my mind like a man on a sheet of acid. Isolation kills in so many ways.
Lesson #1: Solitary confinement is a form of torture.
During my trip, I stayed at family, friends, and used Airbnb. Thus cutting my expenses on shelter by 50% in my total budget. The only time I spent the night at a Motel cost me $69 dollars a night. For Airbnb, I could get two nights for the price of $27 a night. It pays to be cheap.
Lesson #2: Thank God for the internet.
When I was passing through Houston Texas it was down right abysmal. Trash littered the highway, the city streets were riddled with potholes, and the city lights swung with the wind. Causing me to almost have another accident. When I got out of the Houston city limits I thanked God like there was no tomorrow.
Lesson #3: Houston is the Texan version of Detroit.
To my dismay, I used Uber to get around.
When I was in Atlanta Georgia, Uber was $15 dollars to get around town. Yet they allowed splitting the fees with other passengers. They had to do this for there was public transportation to compete with. The buses ran on time, the metro was clean, and the city (to me at least) was walkable. Thus Uber had to compete with public transportation.
San Antiano was completely different. There were no buses or trains of any kind. Maybe a Greyhound but basically you needed a car. Since I drove for a shit load of miles, I used Uber. I paid a total of $75 to get around the Texan city. $15 to go the Alamo, $30 to go to Natural Bridge Cavern, $15 to go to subway, and $15 to get back to the Airbnb.
To make matters worse I had Sprint so I lost signal. I had to wait a whole hour for my Uber to get me at Natural Bridge cavern. I was hungry, there was no wi-fi, and the lady did not speak a lick of English (Still I gave her a tip for she was nice to me. Thank God for Google Translate).
Lesson #4: Learn the Geography of a city before using Uber.
I asked him about Houston and he said to avoid it at all cost.
Lesson #5: Houston is the Texan version of Detroit.
Lesson #6: Adventure is addictive.
