Moments that made everything worth it?

[lawnchair]

I wanna hear your stories about moments where you just knew that all the troubles and downsides of a nomadic lifestyle were worth it for you. Whether because of amazing views, freedom, community connections, or anything else, share your favorite moments.

 

[Katbearfoot]

I’ve had quite a few moments that felt like an intense feeling of “Wow, I never thought I’d be HERE.” Like I never could have imagined or predicted the places I’d end up. It’s kind of like a full mind/ body “woooo” feeling. I think that’s what travelers live for. Man, it’s great. I kinda wanna cry just thinking about it. The first time I had that feeling was in China (Shijiazhuang) on a rooftop surrounded by the city’s sprinkling of unfamiliar neon signs and big looming concrete buildings, sometimes that place felt like a scene out of ‘Blade Runner’. Gives me goosebumps, even though life in that place ultimately wasn’t my style. In Morocco, I ended up with an almost constant “wooo” feeling.. walking around in the medinas (old walled parts of the city) and in the desert, it was so gorgeous I felt like lightning bolts of joy were shooting out of my body. Goosebumps again! I’m gearing up for my next adventure overseas and I can’t wait for those moments that I can’t even imagine. YES! Worth every uncomfortable moment and every difficult situation.. I’ve never regretted any of my travels or any of my life EVER. Go for it! And everyone will say “oh, I wish I could do that, but... blah blah stupid excuse.” Or “Man, you’re so lucky!” When luck has very little to do with it. BLARGH! I love traveling

 

[roughdraft]

moments when i felt fully lucid in the world. having no thoughts in my head whatsoever and just feeling completely free, everything is beautiful and surprising.

it has mainly happened when i was working music festivals and going to national parks in between

so not to get too specific just that this is an experience i can recomend

to go without expectation and you will be pleased with (most) of what comes around any corner ^_^

 

[Gwasher]

I feel the most relaxed when I can set down my pack without worrying about keeping an eye on it and being anxious it will get ripped off. I walked the entire Silver comet trail almost entirely tripping on shrooms and when I got to the other end I literally felt like I completed a wizard of Oz type journey. Only downside is I had to walk back the entire way sober, worth it.

 

[starfarer]

waking up on a mountain, goign for a piss and discoverring teh BERST squatt EVER!!! an abandoned luxury home with hot tub and all teh goodies! thsi was when i had two shirts and one pair of strides! stayed in it for four months till it got bulldozed!!!LUXURY !

 

[lawnchair]

It’s kind of like a full mind/ body “woooo” feeling. I think that’s what travelers live for. Man, it’s great. I kinda wanna cry just thinking about it.

I haven't traveled too much yet but I so know what you're talking about. Every time I've been on the road or arrived at a new destination, especially on impromptu trips, I just feel amazing. Basically feels like all my problems just melting away and knowing that there's so much out there for me. I took a 19 hour bus to NYC on a whim and just walked around the city for an entire day. I was so tired by the end of it but every step just gave me more energy. One of my favorite experiences.

 

[Thomas Walker]

I took a 19 hour bus to NYC on a whim and just walked around the city for an entire day.

Man, I wish I could do shit like that. I would really love to just show up in a place and see what I can find. To not already be familiar with the place, or know which way the nearest bathroom is. To lose track of the simple things and forget that they ever mattered. That, my friend, would be true freedom.

 

[lawnchair]

Man, I wish I could do shit like that. I would really love to just show up in a place and see what I can find. To not already be familiar with the place, or know which way the nearest bathroom is. To lose track of the simple things and forget that they ever mattered. That, my friend, would be true freedom.

Yeah, I really hope I'm able to have that type of freedom again in the future. There's nothing else like it and I miss it.

 

[Deleted member 21003]

A lot of the road is really rough, but I guess all the memories kinda blur out in the long run?

I had a lot of nice evenings in North Dakota watching the sun go down over the vast emptiness from my bedroll with a beer in hand. I also remember singing to myself somewhere outside of Saint J's in Vermont on the side of the road while I waited for a ride in the morning sunshine. I think about the really heavy rain in upstate New York sometimes, and falling asleep in the back of the car listening to the huge drops hit the window and blur the street lights. I found a cat in Savannah at a truck stop and I think about her sometimes, and feel glad I was there to feed her a can of tuna and hold her in my jacket. Those kind of memories and songs make me want to leave again.

 

[Anagor]

Well, I could not refer to one or two special moments right now. Would have to think about it.

But more generally speaking:

I started all this bullshit pretty late in my life, being about 40. Before I began being interested in the normadic / vagabond lifestyle (and began reading and posting here), I had no idea about it. You could imagine me as some kind of nerd, programmer, being depressed about his life and so on.

I had no idea about living on the streets, hitching, squatting or whatever.

I could not imagine me sleeping in some doorway a few years ago. (And if, I would have seen it as a horror I would be forced to do because no alternative.) Heck, even walking through city centre of my quite hometown at night made me feel anxious.

Well, then I started traveling a bit as a backpacker. That was a huge step for me, since before I did not even go on vacation really. Then I met a few squatters/travellers/punks and was invited to the first squat like place I ever experienced. And so one thing came to another. Finally, end of 2015 I quit my job and went on the streets and I don't regret it.

What made it worth for me?

First of all, the freedom. To be able to do what you wanna do, without considering this and that and another thing. Without obligations. Just doing what the gut feeling tells you is okay.

Then, not being afraid of being brokle, having only little money or no money at all. Experiencing the feeling that "it's only money" and not such important. Because the road provides.

Letting go of contraints everyone has living a normal, "socially acceptable" life. (Mostly meaning working in a treadmill and spending lots of money for consumption and paying bills and taxes.) I mean, before I would never have imagined myself sitting somewhere playing harmonica or spanging for some change. Then I did and surprisingly I liked it. Also letting go of other more personal contraints. (I was always anxious about what people would think of me, would not share drinks and food - meaning drinking from the same bottle, eating from the same pot - even with close friends and basically would not do anything "you are not supposed to do")

Last but definitely not least: Making friends. Of course I had friends before. Like fellow students you spend some time together with. Going to movies, having barebecues and so on. Just normal. But travelling and living on the streets I met a few people who really became close friends. Much more intense that what I ever experienced before.

So yes, that is - in short - what I can think of at the moment.

 

[MetalBryan]

When I have a job and pay for my roof, it's very difficult for me to avoid distractions.

There are a lot of experiences that come with freedom, but the one that stands out is being able to give my attention to real literacy. Free books, free pens, and free stationary are EVERYWHERE.

 

[otch0z]

Traveling is awesoooommee, I've been doing it for a while as half my family is from Québec and the other one from France. One of the things I realized quite young was the smell : countries have a smell. Sometimes when I'm in France I'll get a draft of Québec, even if I haven't been there in a few years. And it just feels awesome.
Also, I dig the excitement that comes before leaving. I remember these super early mornings when we would get up at like 4:30am to take the plane, etc... Waking up is so easy when you're that excited !
Later on I traveled on my own and I just love the feeling of freedom that comes with it : I would go anywhere I'd like, do whatever I'd like, go explore on my own and feel so proud of myself for being able to do stuff on my own when I was stressed about it in the first place.
And then lately, I've been traveling more slowly. I was living in the forest in different places in BC and I realized I developed habits that I realized were healthy : having no 'easy way' to do stuff (no internet connexion or electricity, no washing machine, no shower), I had to organize my time doing a few activities that I wanted/had to do : fix and wash clothes, play music, create... No more distractions, as someone already mentioned !

 

[otch0z]

Like I never could have imagined or predicted the places I’d end up. It’s kind of like a full mind/ body “woooo” feeling.

Duuuude it might be (hope it will be !) surprising for some people here but a good friend of mine and myself had this constant feeling while traveling the USA in a van (we're both french so it's pretty exotic)... We would drive for hours and suddenly be like 'yo dude - what - we're in the USA traveling in a VAN- I KNOW IT'S SO AWESOME I FEEL SO GOOD ABOUT EVERYTHING', just realizing it was really happening !

 

[beersalt]

I'd say..
For me, it's the amazing people i've been able to meet along the way.
That feeling you get, when you come across someone that wants to have as good of a time not giving a fuck as you- and then y'all become best friends and decide to travel together. Or bum it together for days on end. That shit rules..

Also, being a road warrior alone- with my dog. The first time I ever did it like that, I felt so comfortable, and so confident. Still the easiest way to travel, I think. Alone, with an animal companion.

Which leads me to-
Hopping my first train. When I personally experienced my favorite mode of transportation for the first time... Fuck. That was within two weeks of me hitting the road just myself and my dog. I felt as though I really deserved the experience. I'd worked hard to hop freight safely. And it happened pretty swimmingly; The first train, that was.. Hahaha

 

[Katbearfoot]

Duuuude it might be (hope it will be !) surprising for some people here but a good friend of mine and myself had this constant feeling while traveling the USA in a van (we're both french so it's pretty exotic)... We would drive for hours and suddenly be like 'yo dude - what - we're in the USA traveling in a VAN- I KNOW IT'S SO AWESOME I FEEL SO GOOD ABOUT EVERYTHING', just realizing it was really happening !

I love that feeling! I got goosebumps again thinking about it. I think it means that you are absolutely free and doing exactly what you want to do/ what you should be doing. And that adventure sounds awesome!

 

[Katbearfoot]

Man, I wish I could do shit like that. I would really love to just show up in a place and see what I can find. To not already be familiar with the place, or know which way the nearest bathroom is. To lose track of the simple things and forget that they ever mattered. That, my friend, would be true freedom.

Why can’t you? If there is something tying you to your current location, you could still go someplace nearby that you haven’t been to.. even a small town with nothing going on is interesting, if you’d never been there before. Take baby steps man.. maybe there are even places in your current location that you’ve never explored! Just sayin’. If you wanna do it, you can make it happen.

 

[Thomas Walker]

Why can’t you? If there is something tying you to your current location, you could still go someplace nearby that you haven’t been to.. even a small town with nothing going on is interesting, if you’d never been there before. Take baby steps man.. maybe there are even places in your current location that you’ve never explored! Just sayin’. If you wanna do it, you can make it happen.

The main reason is helicopter parenting and lack of time. We're about halfway through the first quarter of school, so a lot of my time is spent making sure if I do rejoin society years from now I at least have something to land on. That and my parents' main hobby is tracking everything I do at any given time of any given day, so its hard to do something they wouldn't approve of and get away with it. In a year, high school is over. Then I can go wherever I want, whenever i want, with whomever I want.

 

[Gwasher]

My parents were the same way. The ONLY way it will get better is if you extricate yourself from under them. Work until you graduate/turn 18 and start your own bank account in the mean time. DOnt ever let your parents know how much money you have, get direct deposit. Ill tell you word for word what the will say. "youll come right back" or "Youre not smart enough to make it on your own aone". let that motivate you and laugh in their face as you day dream about leaving. I went from NY to GA to LA when I turned 18. Alone. And im 5'9 165 lol we are here if you need to vent. This time in your life will mean nothing in 10 years, hell even 5. If youre parents don't trust you, thats on their parenting skills and not a reflection of you.

 

[Gwasher]

I got hit by a drunk driver when I was 13. She was given alcohol at a work function and drove home. I got a 100,00$ settlement. My parents put me in a psyche ward right before I was 18. I was in there on my birthday and my mom brought papers she told me were for my discharge. I was so thorozined out I just signed. Turns out my mom got a letter notorized saying I authorized them to transfer it to her and I just signed w/o reading. As you can tell im a little sensitive to shitty parents.

 

[Katbearfoot]

I’ve had quite a few moments that felt like an intense feeling of “Wow, I never thought I’d be HERE.” Like I never could have imagined or predicted the places I’d end up. It’s kind of like a full mind/ body “woooo” feeling. I think that’s what travelers live for. Man, it’s great. I kinda wanna cry just thinking about it. The first time I had that feeling was in China (Shijiazhuang) on a rooftop surrounded by the city’s sprinkling of unfamiliar neon signs and big looming concrete buildings, sometimes that place felt like a scene out of ‘Blade Runner’. Gives me goosebumps, even though life in that place ultimately wasn’t my style. In Morocco, I ended up with an almost constant “wooo” feeling.. walking around in the medinas (old walled parts of the city) and in the desert, it was so gorgeous I felt like lightning bolts of joy were shooting out of my body. Goosebumps again! I’m gearing up for my next adventure overseas and I can’t wait for those moments that I can’t even imagine. YES! Worth every uncomfortable moment and every difficult situation.. I’ve never regretted any of my travels or any of my life EVER. Go for it! And everyone will say “oh, I wish I could do that, but... blah blah stupid excuse.” Or “Man, you’re so lucky!” When luck has very little to do with it. BLARGH! I love traveling

P.s: a note about the “no regrets” thing.. My life experiences are not universal. I have had a wonderful life, but not everyone has it so good. In fact, it seems that a lot of people experience trauma, which sucks. And yes, it’s a big and potentially dangerous world out there, so stay smart, be careful and always follow your intuition. If something doesn’t feel quite right, it probably isn’t. That being said, don’t let fear hold you back from something you really want to do.