Retired $1,000 a month from SS. Want to travel, no vehicle. | Squat the Planet

Retired $1,000 a month from SS. Want to travel, no vehicle.

Guy Chouinard

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OK here goes. 2 years ago I lost my job, lost my house, lost my car, destroyed my credit and am now renting a room from a friend. Lost my driver's license on a DUI and have no intention of getting it back or buying a car. There has to be a way I can travel and live off of $1,000 fairly comfortably. I want to get rid of what little I have, live a minimalist lifestyle and just have food, clothing and shelter. Too old to hop trains, hitchhiked back in the 70s' but now I'm 63. Don't care about insurance, don't give a fuck if I die just want to live what years I have left as a free man. Was bonded to corporate slavery for 40 years, did the suburban thing and I'm done with it. Essentially, I'm an old hippy that wants to live like a gypsy until I croak. Again no vehicle so maybe travel by bus but where do I find cheap lodging? Don't want to have to live on the street and dumpster dive, I'm thinking there has to be a way on $1,000 a month. Do have a bicycle but can't cover long distances. Am I dreaming? Any and all suggestions greatly appreciated. Had thought of Slab City but I heard it's going down and it's too damn hot in the summer. Pea sout.
 
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AlwaysLost

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Dude u can live like a king for 1k a month. I'd buy a van but that's just me. U might have trouble in some of the more expensive cities but if I had a 1k pension I'd be living it up in the Caribbean.

I don't mean to be condescending at all but encouraging. You can do it man!

I know some of the more experienced members will have good suggestions but there's monthly rates at dive hotels, paidncampsites etc,that housing share site bnb
 

VikingAdventurer

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My friend, you are on EXACTLY the right forum for this discussion.

I can't speak for anyone else, but if I were to have a guaranteed Grand per month, here's what I would do...

Me personally, I have fallen in love with the rubbertramp lifestyle. I'm currently working on a plan to get my second van since I started traveling full-time in 2013.

So that's where I'd start. Get on Craigslist or Auto trader, or some other similar buying/selling website, and start looking for vehicles in the $200 - $500 range. If you're not too particular, there are quite a few good ones on there. I think even Facebook has a "marketplace" feature now, so that may be another option.

Once you get the vehicle up and running; whatever that means to you, as far as vehicle insurance & such, get yourself a gas can. Gas jugging is a lot easier than most people think.

I had my first van for close to a year, and only paid for gas out of my pocket MAYBE 5% or less of the time.

Next issue: food. Most people like eating this stuff. HOWEVER, did you know that at least 40% of all food in the U.S. goes directly in the garbage? Dumpster diving and "free fooding" (going into a food place and asking if you can have the food they're gonna throw away) have been my main sources of sustenance, solidly, for the past 4 months. Also, "White boxing", which is simply asking people to are carrying leftovers down the street if you can have them, is another good resource.

If I think of any more suggestions, I'll let ya know! Good luck, and Safe Travels!
 
A

AlwaysLost

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My friend, you are on EXACTLY the right forum for this discussion.

I can't speak for anyone else, but if I were to have a guaranteed Grand per month, here's what I would do...

Me personally, I have fallen in love with the rubbertramp lifestyle. I'm currently working on a plan to get my second van since I started traveling full-time in 2013.

So that's where I'd start. Get on Craigslist or Auto trader, or some other similar buying/selling website, and start looking for vehicles in the $200 - $500 range. If you're not too particular, there are quite a few good ones on there. I think even Facebook has a "marketplace" feature now, so that may be another option.

Once you get the vehicle up and running; whatever that means to you, as far as vehicle insurance & such, get yourself a gas can. Gas jugging is a lot easier than most people think.

I had my first van for close to a year, and only paid for gas out of my pocket MAYBE 5% or less of the time.

Next issue: food. Most people like eating this stuff. HOWEVER, did you know that at least 40% of all food in the U.S. goes directly in the garbage? Dumpster diving and "free fooding" (going into a food place and asking if you can have the food they're gonna throw away) have been my main sources of sustenance, solidly, for the past 4 months. Also, "White boxing", which is simply asking people to are carrying leftovers down the street if you can have them, is another good resource.

If I think of any more suggestions, I'll let ya know! Good luck, and Safe Travels!

If you have food stamps they double you up at farmers markets now at least here in Missouri that means eating healthy just became affordable.

Like u buy a 25$ token and they give u 50$ to spend that's more food than u can carry! And that good Amish Menynite stuff I can't usually afford!

Don't know if that contributes any but I was pumped about it.
 
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Tony Pro

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Can you access your funds abroad? You can find round-trip tickets to southeast Asia for less than $1k; if you lived cheap for a few months you'd have enough to get a passport and get over there and live like a king.
Though it is hotter'n blazes in most areas of south Asia. You could also try this in Belize or Morocco.
 

Dunedrifter

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Bicycling is the way to go my friend. You don't even have to be in shape; start out slow and you'll gradually be able to go further and further. You can buy a quality, used touring bike (really almost any kind of bike will do) on craigslist for a few hundred $ or less. Get (or make) yourself some panniers (saddle bags), throw on your tent, sleeping bag, pad, and whatever other possessions you require, and you're free to roam the planet. No rent, no need for insurance, gas, expensive repairs, AND you aren't fucking up the planet!

One of the advantages of "bike touring" is that cops and suspicious locals don't harass you! Seriously, they view bike travelers far differently than someone walking into town with a backpack and a cardboard sign, or a "suspicious" van parked on the street. I find people to be extremely friendly to "bike tourists" often offering food and water without even asking, sometimes even a place to crash.

You can also utilize the Warmshowers.com network of other cyclists and stay in a house, shower, do laundry, etc. as often as you need/want. There's an entire section here on STP devoted to "Bike Touring". I can't encourage you strongly enough to try it out. I'm 48, going to work/save until I'm 55, then hit the road full-time, living on $5-10 per day (~$150-$300 per month) until I can draw early retirement Social Security at 62, then REALLY live like a king!
 
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AlwaysLost

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Can you access your funds abroad? You can find round-trip tickets to southeast Asia for less than $1k; if you lived cheap for a few months you'd have enough to get a passport and get over there and live like a king.
Though it is hotter'n blazes in most areas of south Asia. You could also try this in Belize or Morocco.

He wouldn't be able to stay abroad indefinitely but it would fun. Maybe if he had someone with a us address here to relay mail. He'd just need to do the research
 

Guy Chouinard

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Bicycling is the way to go my friend. You don't even have to be in shape; start out slow and you'll gradually be able to go further and further. You can buy a quality, used touring bike (really almost any kind of bike will do) on craigslist for a few hundred $ or less. Get (or make) yourself some panniers (saddle bags), throw on your tent, sleeping bag, pad, and whatever other possessions you require, and you're free to roam the planet. No rent, no need for insurance, gas, expensive repairs, AND you aren't fucking up the planet!

One of the advantages of "bike touring" is that cops and suspicious locals don't harass you! Seriously, they view bike travelers far differently than someone walking into town with a backpack and a cardboard sign, or a "suspicious" van parked on the street. I find people to be extremely friendly to "bike tourists" often offering food and water without even asking, sometimes even a place to crash.

You can also utilize the Warmshowers.com network of other cyclists and stay in a house, shower, do laundry, etc. as often as you need/want. There's an entire section here on STP devoted to "Bike Touring". I can't encourage you strongly enough to try it out. I'm 48, going to work/save until I'm 55, then hit the road full-time, living on $5-10 per day (~$150-$300 per month) until I can draw early retirement Social Security at 62, then REALLY live like a king!

Dunedrifter, thanks, I was actually thinking of that. I started biking about 2 months ago, got a Beach Cruiser for $175 brand new. I'll have to check out Warmshowers.com ( It's actually https://www.warmshowers.org/ for anyone reading this, same thing essentially ) and the Bike Touring section on STP. Best suggestion yet, shit, if you can do it on $300 a month I should be able to as you said "live like a king" on $1,170. First thought is this though, where do you pitch a tent when there is no place you can or you're stuck in the city. I suppose I could avoid the cities and just map out routes on my phone using the GPS and also, I could always Bus it to someplace if I need to. Would a Touring Bike be better than a Beach Cruiser? Where do you "tent" when you can't find a spot? What about Couch Surfing?"Dunedrifter : No rent, no need for insurance, gas, expensive repairs, AND you aren't fucking up the planet . I used to bike every day when I was young, I read that just about anyone can average about 15MPH.
 
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duderino

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Dunedrifter

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I would sell the beach cruiser (or trade) for a used touring bike; they're built and geared better for carrying more weight. Regarding where to pitch a tent, you can stealth camp nearly anywhere off most roads. What I do is start looking for a spot toward the evening that isn't going to bother anyone, and wait until nearly dark to set up camp. I'm also up early, and breaking camp by sunrise. In the western US, there's so much public land, that it's really not an issue. When I'm in cities, I tend to stay with friends or use the Warmshowers network. You don't want to camp in a city unless you have no choice, but a little prior planning can avoid this. Here in California, state parks only charge $5 for bike camping; not sure about national parks.
 
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Deleted member 2626

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Don't buy a van. It's another damn burden. You get a thousand a month? Use public transit or CL rideshare. Your older but hitching is still possible. Do some longer walks. Buying a van is another unsustainable endeavor. You could really live well, eating good and staying in motels and acquire good gear for packing rather than a petroleum child.
 

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