Mental health: How do YOU deal with loneliness on the road?

[marc]

has anyone mentioned couchsurfing.com? you get people to talk to and a place to stay. i knew this one kid who only hitchhiked but every destination he went to he had numerous people on couchsurfing.com he would meet up with so he always had people to chill with and never had to sleep outside and if your lucky they get you drunk and stoned.

 

[HUMANCONTRAST]

I do my best to avoid 95% of people I run across on the road - typically, they are lousy conversation or just straight trouble.

So do I! I purposely avoid running into other travelers on the road. Usually only hang out/travel with others I already know. I mean i've only been on the road for 2 years so I know I'm still a newer kid. But damn do alot of the newer kids annoy me. Always yelling and screaming, blowing up towns and being obnoxiously drunk, acting like they know everything when waiting to catch out when they in reality don't know anything at all.. And refuse to listen when your trying to teach them or tell them something. Has happened to me when I brought a few kids on the road. Only 2, One of them ended up taking a plane home in Florida when we separated to get down to Orlando... I ended up getting housed up by these rainbow folk... went online to message him since I had no phone and he was a rich kid and had an Iphone. Kinda cool that he was loaded... Always got westies so he got me a new sleeping bag, bought me drugs and cigarettes. But he took a plane home..... fucking pussy. He later told me he thought I was ditching him... I feel kinda bad but I'd rather speprate from someone then walk the highway another mile (we'd already walked about 5 and it was August and fucking hot. but whatever.

 

[TheLoneRat]

"I do my best to avoid 95% of people I run across on the road - typically, they are lousy conversation or just straight trouble."
yeahhh, I've met a handful of awesome travelers and about four spacebags full of dumbass scummy idiots.

 

[HUMANCONTRAST]

I traveled with this one kid for about two weeks who every time we rolled into a city would right away go searching high and low for other train kids. I just stayed back by the catch out and spange in the area. I mean I have met some pretty alright taavlers while hanging out in cities, but alot of them I just end up not liking/being annoyed. Maybe it's from being alone so much.

 

[TheLoneRat]

yep. I mean if they come up to me, well I guess that's cool, depending...however, if I score a massive bag of dumpstered pastries and shit, I'll totally offer most of my findings to kids I find.

 

[HUMANCONTRAST]

Yea same here, that's usually when I talk to them. The kid I was just talking about used to yell OI!!! When he was 4 blocks away. And shout it till they looked back. Lmao sometimes they'd speed up. But yea, he is a perfect example of the people I had traveling with. Same here, or if I get kicked down a bunch of food I always stop and give them some, or if I have entirely too much dog food I'll give them a bag, another reason I had newer kids, so ungrateful! I've had some kids yell at me and call me an oogle for offering them... Or they yell at people and say fuck you if they don't kick down. You never known, maybe that person was going to go to the ATM come back and give us a 20 or two. I seriously don't understand how some travelers got the idea that people owe us something.

 

[TheLoneRat]

Those are the ones I would consider "oogles" though I generally hate the term. It usually pretty easy to pick out the cooler kids out of a bunch. I was so glad to meet a couple kids in Chicago who were awesome. One of which I got her number and later travelled with. Helluvan awesome time. I've never met someone I could open up to so quickly.

 

[HUMANCONTRAST]

Yea same here! I was having a good time in Chicago this summer, Until forty kids showed up all at once out of no where, so i moved over to the gay neighborhood hung out for a few days then caught out of the Barr yd to Nashville.

 

[TheLoneRat]

Ha cool, yeah boystown is pretty god busking from what I've heard. Did you by Anychance run into a couple kids while you were in the barr yard going to either buffalo or new york?

 

[wildboy860]

I read, observe the city or nature around me, talk to myself, jerk off, work on myself inside and out, practice music. and lots of other stuff. i tend to travelk alone less than half the time. i prefer a small group or atleast one other but it doesnt always work out.

 

[RnJ]

I deal with loneliness on the road by not traveling for too long, or meeting up with like-minded folks whenever possible -- depending on what i need, that may be trying to find other travelers, some spiritual support, people with whom I can have a certain type of conversations, people who share a similar music taste. But honestly, it can be hard just to track these sorts of things down and walk in and feel accepted. So then I just go back to where my family and most of my friends are.

 

[Alaska]

Writing music is number one for me, but sometimes the inspiration just doesn't come. I try and travel with at least 3 books, one of them being a reference book just so I can do some on the spot research. Chillin in a well with a single forty and God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater was one of my more memorable solo rides. I was just laughing my ass off by the time it stopped in Pocatello. Probably looked half fucking crazy.

I try and draw when I can. I'm by no means a talented sketch artist, but I do what I can. I just eat them afterwards so no one will ever see 'em again. Of course.

I also play Pokemon. Good stuff.

 

[RVLG]

I read, write, and compose music of whatever genre I feel like at the moment. I like to sit down with my legs in an O shape and imagine a miniature world of magic and mystery in whatever ground happens to lie in the middle. I find it very useful for treating writer's block. I also like lying down in a healthy forest and meditating on all the life around me and the infinite number of cycles each tree, bird, and insect contains and is a part of.

I don't really like traveling alone for too long. I prefer meeting fellow travelers along the way, exchanging tales of our homelands, ancestors, and our own adventures. One learns stories from all over the world this way.

 

[Sonny]

I think its a lot easier dealing with being alone on the road than being alone at home. One of the bigger reasons I wanna get out there, being by myself never has bothered me, except when im surrounded by familar faces.

 

[Alaska]

I think its a lot easier dealing with being alone on the road than being alone at home. One of the bigger reasons I wanna get out there, being by myself never has bothered me, except when im surrounded by familar faces.

Very true. I would choose a open relationship with the world over a monogamous situation with my left hand any day.

 

[HUMANCONTRAST]

Ha cool, yeah boystown is pretty god busking from what I've heard. Did you by Anychance run into a couple kids while you were in the barr yard going to either buffalo or new york?

I wouldn't know about busking. Ugh, there were these old tymy kids in wicker park and me and this kid Matty went up to them to see if they wanted to combine forces and they started yelling at us and calling us peices of shit because we didn't busk and told us they'd appreciate it if wed stop spanging on the same street they were busking... Ugh. There's really only one street to spange on in Wicker Park.

But no It was only me and my home girl Saphira and we caught out within an hour of sitting there. But I ran into a bunch of kids in Buffalo, who are you talking about in particular?

 

[TheLoneRat]

my friend alicia, she traveled with a couple kids, henry and claire.

 

[scales]

aim down for traveling with someone !! whose down to go traveling?

 

[outskirts]

It does not really bother me much except when sleeping in sketchy or unfamiliar places, where it's a safety issue.
But then again my trips are often rather short ones and I'm often striking up conversation with strangers.
I mostly hitchhike, take a bus or train(when I have money), or drive(when I do have a car)...
So I don't know, maybe it's different with train hopping, I wouldn't know, I have yet to hop a train.
I've seen plenty of people on here mention books, practicing music or writing. All excellent ways to pass
the time and improve your knowledge, skills or insight.
I don't know... we're all wired a little differently when it comes to human interaction.

 

[Xavierr]

sometimes a break from everyone and traveling alone feels good for me. things are less stressful, you get to look out for yourself and do things your way without dispute. then it can get to your head a bit, or mine. thats when i read a book. playing music is always good. or listenining to music