Captain
Member
- Joined
- Aug 20, 2020
- Messages
- 6
- Reaction score
- 12
- Location
- Green Bay, Wisconsin
- Website
- captaincrusty17.wordpress.com
I guess I'm long overdue for writing this post.
My name is Greg Holbus. I prefer to go by "Captain" - a nickname my best friend gave me which I adopted as my tramp name.
I started traveling hardcore in 2016. At first, I was just fulfilling a New Year's resolution to gain more experiences as my life felt rather dull. But in the process, I got hit by the travel bug - hard. I love going on road trips. My style is very minimalistic. I pack very little. I almost always sleep in my truck in rest areas or camp in national forests. I pick up hitchhikers whenever I can. Whenever I can, I like to go on spontaneous road trips with no planning or even a destination in mind. I just love being on the road.
All of that coincided with me paying off my student loans in early 2017. I had been an attorney for 11 years and hated it, and I swore to myself that I would retire as soon as my student loans were paid off. So that's what I did. I closed down my law office, sold my house, and got rid of about 90% of my personal possessions. On July 4 of 2017, I embarked on what was supposed to be a 6 month and 13,000 mile road trip all over the western United States and Canada.
The trip ended up only lasting 5 weeks. I went everywhere I intended to, but at a much faster pace. It was especially hot that summer, and the only way to keep my dog and I cool was to always be driving and having the AC on. But with detours and adventures with various hitchhikers, the trip ended up being over 15,000 miles. I came back to Green Bay because my stuff was still in storage here and my friends were here. I had also been doing side work as a haunter, and so when I came back, I spent about 3 more weeks living out of my truck in the parking lot of a local haunted house. I debated leaving Wisconsin for good, but ultimately decided to remain here because my friends are here. As the temperatures dropped, I finally caved and got an apartment.
That time in 2017 I spent on the road - short as it was - changed my life entirely. It was unbridled freedom. Never knowing what I was going to do or where I was going to be each day. Not knowing or caring what day of the week it was. Not knowing where I would sleep each night. No responsibilities. No obligations. No home. No job. No bills (save for food and gas). Ever since then, I get a kick out of every time I hear Americans pontificating about freedoms, cuz I think - you really have no clue what real freedom is, not if you're measuring freedom by the ones enumerated in the Bill of Rights.
Conversely, the time since I returned from the road has been a frozen hell. I have felt like a caged animal. I still travel when I can, but now I have a home and a job and bills and responsibilities.
There is nothing I want more than to go back to living on the road. I just haven't figured out how to do it long-term. I've toyed with all sorts of ideas, but ultimately, it seems to come down to one of two things. Either I need to find a job that can be done remotely so I can earn income while I'm on the road. Or I need to learn additional skills so I can get by without money. So far, a specific solution that works with my skills and abilities has eluded me.
In the meantime, I want to make more friends among travel punks and oogles. Learn from others. Get support from others. Share the tips and tricks I've picked up with other fledgling nomads. I'm also trying to finish work on a book about my experiences.
My name is Greg Holbus. I prefer to go by "Captain" - a nickname my best friend gave me which I adopted as my tramp name.
I started traveling hardcore in 2016. At first, I was just fulfilling a New Year's resolution to gain more experiences as my life felt rather dull. But in the process, I got hit by the travel bug - hard. I love going on road trips. My style is very minimalistic. I pack very little. I almost always sleep in my truck in rest areas or camp in national forests. I pick up hitchhikers whenever I can. Whenever I can, I like to go on spontaneous road trips with no planning or even a destination in mind. I just love being on the road.
All of that coincided with me paying off my student loans in early 2017. I had been an attorney for 11 years and hated it, and I swore to myself that I would retire as soon as my student loans were paid off. So that's what I did. I closed down my law office, sold my house, and got rid of about 90% of my personal possessions. On July 4 of 2017, I embarked on what was supposed to be a 6 month and 13,000 mile road trip all over the western United States and Canada.
The trip ended up only lasting 5 weeks. I went everywhere I intended to, but at a much faster pace. It was especially hot that summer, and the only way to keep my dog and I cool was to always be driving and having the AC on. But with detours and adventures with various hitchhikers, the trip ended up being over 15,000 miles. I came back to Green Bay because my stuff was still in storage here and my friends were here. I had also been doing side work as a haunter, and so when I came back, I spent about 3 more weeks living out of my truck in the parking lot of a local haunted house. I debated leaving Wisconsin for good, but ultimately decided to remain here because my friends are here. As the temperatures dropped, I finally caved and got an apartment.
That time in 2017 I spent on the road - short as it was - changed my life entirely. It was unbridled freedom. Never knowing what I was going to do or where I was going to be each day. Not knowing or caring what day of the week it was. Not knowing where I would sleep each night. No responsibilities. No obligations. No home. No job. No bills (save for food and gas). Ever since then, I get a kick out of every time I hear Americans pontificating about freedoms, cuz I think - you really have no clue what real freedom is, not if you're measuring freedom by the ones enumerated in the Bill of Rights.
Conversely, the time since I returned from the road has been a frozen hell. I have felt like a caged animal. I still travel when I can, but now I have a home and a job and bills and responsibilities.
There is nothing I want more than to go back to living on the road. I just haven't figured out how to do it long-term. I've toyed with all sorts of ideas, but ultimately, it seems to come down to one of two things. Either I need to find a job that can be done remotely so I can earn income while I'm on the road. Or I need to learn additional skills so I can get by without money. So far, a specific solution that works with my skills and abilities has eluded me.
In the meantime, I want to make more friends among travel punks and oogles. Learn from others. Get support from others. Share the tips and tricks I've picked up with other fledgling nomads. I'm also trying to finish work on a book about my experiences.