Website Updates Some personal updates from me and how that ties into StP

[Matt Derrick]

Hey folks, I just wanted to share some things with the community here, since I haven't been posting very much lately.

I've been pretty quiet because I've been going through a weird period in my life where at 43 I'm trying to figure out what to do with myself next. I recently quit the best paying job I've ever had, and probably the best living situation I've had to move into my converted van and travel around the country again, after nearly four years of being tied down due to bills, covid, and other factors.

I did a pretty big loop around the USA, going from Austin, Texas to Washington, then spent the fall going from there to Michigan, then down to New Orleans, and then over to southern california and then back up to the pacific northwest. I got about half way around, almost to New Orleans when I kind of had an epiphany.

I am utterly bored to tears of the USA.

Here I was again, doing the same thing for the umpteenth millionth time, somehow expecting different results.

I've been told that's the definition of insanity.

I'm not trying to brag here, but it's the honest truth that over the past 25 years I've been to every major city in the USA. I've been to (almost) every national park. I've lived on the east coast, south, west coast, even the north east.

And this whole place is just starting to look like one big strip mall.

The mid-west and the east coast are the biggest offenders in this regard, since I couldn't help but notice the huge shift from camping in beautiful places (like you'd find on the west coast) and going to almost exclusively camping in rest stops and walmart parking lots (I'm speaking in regards to van/car camping, my main mode of transport lately).

It's painfully apparent that the magic is gone for me when it comes to travel in the USA. I keep saying 'in the USA' because I still haven't found any place in this country that I could really call 'home' and I have the sneaking suspicion (or maybe just hope/wishful thinking) that place might exist somewhere outside the USA.

I wish I had come to this conclusion earlier, since I could have saved myself a lot of time, money, and effort (building a van and other things) and come out far ahead financially, but hey, what can you do? Hindsight is 20/20 and all that.

So, where does that leave me now?​

I have always wanted to backpack around Europe, ever since I was a kid. I'm sure most of my friends are sick of hearing me talk about it for the past 20 years. It was always just one of those things that was like, "Oh, I don't have the money this year, maybe next." or "Well I have some money, but this is the wrong time of year to be doing that kind of thing." or whatever excuse was relevant at the time. Next thing you know, it's 20 years later and I'm tired of making excuses.

I could easily fill the next 10+ years with exploring places in the European region, so I think it's time to stop making excuses and start taking steps towards making that dream a reality.

This means that I will be selling my converted camper van and using the money to get a few things done (dental shit) and buy a cheap prius for me to get around in until I leave the country (I need transportation for visiting my folks and the occasional camping trip). I should have enough left over to hopefully make at least one short trip (2-4 weeks?) over to somewhere in Europe (not sure where yet) sometime this year.

For now, I am spending my time in Portland, Oregon, living off the money I saved up from my last job. I'm living with two other people in a cheap (at least, for Portland) apartment, one of which I met through StP (if you're in the area, stop by, we have a couch to crash on).

During this time I'm attempting to learn Unreal Engine and Blender in order to pivot from my previous IT work into a career doing 3D Environment Design (basically, making levels for video games). Hopefully, this will give me the creative outlet I've been looking for while still being in the tech industry. If things really work out, then I might get a remote position and be able to move over to Europe full time. I'm hoping I can get to a professional level in 6 to 12 months; we'll see what happens as things progress.

I moved into this apartment in December, and since then I've been spending my time doing Unreal Engine online courses (4-5 hours a day), getting my diet under control (intermittent fasting), and going to the gym 3-4 times a week. I've already lost over 15 lbs (down to 292 from 309), and for the first time in a long time I'm regaining some self-confidence and starting to feel like I have my head back on straight again. I'm feeling much more focused, I'm sleeping better, and the other day it just occurred to me how much better I feel, both physically and mentally.

My current thoughts on StP​

Taking some time to myself to get my head straight has really helped me gain some perspective on running the StP website. Mainly, that it's perfectly fine the way it is, and that I am going to take my time regarding any further updates, upgrades, or new features. For most of the lifetime of this website, it's kind of been a leaky boat in the sense that I was always patching things and adding new features and it was always just constantly on my mind. In my opinion, the website is in a pretty good spot as it is right now. It's not perfect (and never will be) but it's mostly working fine (so far there's only one big bug I gotta squish). People appreciate it, and still find it useful in a social media age, and I'm glad it's helping people.

I've just been so used to the idea that StP must be perfect, that it's taken a while for me to wrap my head around the fact that it never will be, and that's okay.

I'm not saying we won't add anything new if there's demand for it, or might consider moving to a new forum software if it feels necessary (I'm still eyeing the discourse software), but in those cases the steps will be more careful and deliberate (and probably pretty rare).

As things stand right now, I'm not planning on monetizing StP any further than my StP store on Etsy. Donations have not been very good over the past year (for understandable reasons, i.e. covid), but folks have been buying enough patches, books, and stickers there to cover the bills, and for that I'm grateful (since I'm not currently working). I hope to add some new stickers/patches soon with the help of @jimi and maybe others.

I am still planning on doing a Dirty Scouts Jamboree this year! I'm sincerely hoping we can get things together much earlier than we did last year and get a ton of folks to come out and gather in a really great location. More on that when I post the planning thread in the next few days.

The second edition of The Anarchist's Guide to Travel is about 60% done. I'm actually very excited about the new additions, and I am updating the current chapters with more up-to-date information and other resources that I think most folks will find very interesting. I don't have an ETA on when it will be finished, but I'd like to have it done by the summer.

I am (always) looking for help​

For the past several years we've had a weekly voice chat in the discord server (just a simple gathering to shoot the shit about whatever). Unfortunately it kind of fell by the wayside during my recent depression and me just not having the energy to rally folks together for it.

In general, I'd love to see more 'community events' going on either on the forums or in the discord server. The kind of things that bring people together and facilitate interactions. If you're the type that likes to rally the troops and would be interested in 'running' the weekly voice chat (maybe call it a 'town meeting' or whatever) please let me know. I currently have a lot on my plate, and having someone take the reigns on that task would be a huge help and I will make sure to be at each gathering to help facilitate conversations.

Going forward​

For now, I will be checking in periodically on the forums and you can find me on the discord if you want to chat with me directly. If you want to support StP, consider a donation or buying something from the store, it all makes things a little easier on me. I can always be reached here via PM, or at feedback@squattheplanet.com.

 

[roughdraft]

Taking some time to myself to get my head straight has really helped me gain some perspective on running the StP website. Mainly, that it's perfectly fine the way it is

Good job, Matt, it sounds like you're in a good place.

I have always resented when people tell me to "let go of control and let things unfold" but the more I am able to do that, the more shit paradoxically(?) works out, and works out AMAZINGLY- like it never could have when I was too much meddling in my own way.

Good luck navigating this next journey!

 

[The Toecutter]

I hear you on the U.S. being one giant strip mall. Unfortunately, the same class of people running the U.S. run most of the rest of the world, and they envision the rest of the world becoming the same sort of eyesore. Fortunately, there's still plenty of places around the world that aren't yet a giant strip mall, but unfortunately, they are diminishing, and may become extinct within our lifetime if current trendlines hold(they probably won't, for all sorts of reasons outside the scope of this thread).

The U.S. is a special kind of ugly, which takes its toll on the human psyche. James Kunstler had an interesting op-ed piece on the subject:

The Landscape Of Despair: How Our Cities And Towns Are Killing Us - https://dailycaller.com/2019/09/03/cities-towns-landscape-despair/

I hope you find a place that lets you live the way you want to. I have yet to begin my own journey regarding that, but the day will eventually come.

The site is excellent as it is. It's clear you put a lot of work into it, and I'm grateful that it exists as a resource.

Too bad you can't take your van with you.

 

[Raggamuffin]

Yeah wow, I second roughtdraft. It's always inspiring to hear when someone is reclaiming their strength. I've been a late comer to StP, and inconsistent at that, but the information and messages between guys on here has been totally invaluable for me.

I also see StP from a totally different angle and there's a unique goldmine of experiences that I've loved reading and adding to. A lot translates to the UK but there's so much that doesn't and I honestly had to get my head straight not glamorising things like riding freight like the films do here. I've learnt loads!

I know there's a lot less of us on StP from outside of the US but I honestly think more countries could be a new path for expansion. How, you'll have to get back to me... but links, links, links!

Like I love the travel culture forum, it's great and I would LOVE to see more articles on there from people in other countries worldwide. Like underground anarcho-news, music, movements etc. Europe's got colourful city squats and permanent outdoor hippy collectives, all anarcho one way or another.

Granted not all punk and/or 'dirty kid' (which is one of the main tones of the site so it could still be a huge section for those that needs it) but the scene's no where near as strong as it used to be here either. Electronic music plays a massive part in squat/traveler culture over here but again that scene has got smaller and changed too. So much has accelerated change globally in the past couple of years it's really shaken up the fragility things.

I reckon if you have the means to you definitely have to get out of the USA, scratch the itch you had as a kid, get yourself to Europe and guaranteed you'll be completely refreshed, so much new stuff to see, I think new ideas will flow and making collaborations will be easy and eye opening.

I mean it's all just suggestions!

 

[SeeYouInIceland]

Excited about the new book! When you give the original to people who are green or unaware of the culture, it blows their head off. If I had grown up with that book on the shelf... well, I'd be doing the same thing. But I imagine they're going to be THE books that define someone's life someday.

 

[Matt Derrick]

I hear you on the U.S. being one giant strip mall. Unfortunately, the same class of people running the U.S. run most of the rest of the world, and they envision the rest of the world becoming the same sort of eyesore. Fortunately, there's still plenty of places around the world that aren't yet a giant strip mall, but unfortunately, they are diminishing, and may become extinct within our lifetime if current trendlines hold(they probably won't, for all sorts of reasons outside the scope of this thread).

The U.S. is a special kind of ugly, which takes its toll on the human psyche. James Kunstler had an interesting op-ed piece on the subject:

The Landscape Of Despair: How Our Cities And Towns Are Killing Us - https://dailycaller.com/2019/09/03/cities-towns-landscape-despair/

I hope you find a place that lets you live the way you want to. I have yet to begin my own journey regarding that, but the day will eventually come.

The site is excellent as it is. It's clear you put a lot of work into it, and I'm grateful that it exists as a resource.

Too bad you can't take your van with you.

Thank you. I have to believe there's somewhere better out there, otherwise I dunno what I would do. I'm glad people enjoy StP as much as they do and I hope to make more IRL interactions happen with the jamboree and maybe some other things (like the weekly voice chat).

Yeah wow, I second roughtdraft. It's always inspiring to hear when someone is reclaiming their strength. I've been a late comer to StP, and inconsistent at that, but the information and messages between guys on here has been totally invaluable for me.

I also see StP from a totally different angle and there's a unique goldmine of experiences that I've loved reading and adding to. A lot translates to the UK but there's so much that doesn't and I honestly had to get my head straight not glamorising things like riding freight like the films do here. I've learnt loads!

I know there's a lot less of us on StP from outside of the US but I honestly think more countries could be a new path for expansion. How, you'll have to get back to me... but links, links, links!

Like I love the travel culture forum, it's great and I would LOVE to see more articles on there from people in other countries worldwide. Like underground anarcho-news, music, movements etc. Europe's got colourful city squats and permanent outdoor hippy collectives, all anarcho one way or another.

Granted not all punk and/or 'dirty kid' (which is one of the main tones of the site so it could still be a huge section for those that needs it) but the scene's no where near as strong as it used to be here either. Electronic music plays a massive part in squat/traveler culture over here but again that scene has got smaller and changed too. So much has accelerated change globally in the past couple of years it's really shaken up the fragility things.

I reckon if you have the means to you definitely have to get out of the USA, scratch the itch you had as a kid, get yourself to Europe and guaranteed you'll be completely refreshed, so much new stuff to see, I think new ideas will flow and making collaborations will be easy and eye opening.

I mean it's all just suggestions!

Nice, yeah I've been super interested in the history of squatting in Europe, and social movements there and all that, I'm especially interested in wagonplatz' and other things like urbex out that way. I'd love to get immersed in those cultures. I'm glad StP has given you a unique perspective on train hopping. Have you been to the states at all? Do you think that would give you added perspective on the cultures in your are of the world?

I'm working on getting out of here when I can, it would be neat if we could meet up sometime and I'll buy you a beer/coffee/drink of your choice

Excited about the new book! When you give the original to people who are green or unaware of the culture, it blows their head off. If I had grown up with that book on the shelf... well, I'd be doing the same thing. But I imagine they're going to be THE books that define someone's life someday.

haha putting it that way does make me smile quite a bit. i certainly hope it makes an impact for a few people out there and I hope the 2nd edition makes things even more interesting

 

[Raggamuffin]

Nice, yeah I've been super interested in the history of squatting in Europe, and social movements there and all that, I'm especially interested in wagonplatz' and other things like urbex out that way. I'd love to get immersed in those cultures. I'm glad StP has given you a unique perspective on train hopping. Have you been to the states at all? Do you think that would give you added perspective on the cultures in your are of the world?

I'm working on getting out of here when I can, it would be neat if we could meet up sometime and I'll buy you a beer/coffee/drink of your choice

Cool, I've read a bit about Køpi, longstanding. I guess as with anywhere best way is full immersion! I haven't been to the states properly no, so I think it definitely would, there's a lot i'll never truly get without actually being there, plus stuff I'll never get having not grown up there, but there's got to be a decent amount of crossover too.

Sounds good! I'm working on getting out to South America, another completely new full immersion!

 

[Big George W]

Matt, this entire post of yours resonates with me, and I can honestly state that i agree with all that you are saying, especially this:

"I've been pretty quiet because I've been going through a weird period in my life where at 43 I'm trying to figure out what to do with myself next"

I'm coming up on age 58 and feel the same way, and that being said also feel that this is the year things are going to drastically change on my end to enable me to go off on a new direction, as opposed to doing the same thing over and over and over again, so although my path is very different, I can relate to all that is being said here.

Honestly, there's no place I even want to go here in the States, except maybe back to Brooklyn NY because this country has indeed become one big strip mall and condominium complex, with a good measure of McMansions sprinkled in all over the place as well.

I absolutely loved being in West Berlin, but the last time I was there was in 1981, and I imagine it's way different today.

Truthfully, I'd love to spend time in both Iceland and New Zealand.

Maybe in my next life.....

 

[EJ1312]

Hey folks, I just wanted to share some things with the community here, since I haven't been posting very much lately.

I've been pretty quiet because I've been going through a weird period in my life where at 43 I'm trying to figure out what to do with myself next. I recently quit the best paying job I've ever had, and probably the best living situation I've had to move into my converted van and travel around the country again, after nearly four years of being tied down due to bills, covid, and other factors.

I did a pretty big loop around the USA, going from Austin, Texas to Washington, then spent the fall going from there to Michigan, then down to New Orleans, and then over to southern california and then back up to the pacific northwest. I got about half way around, almost to New Orleans when I kind of had an epiphany.

I am utterly bored to tears of the USA.

Here I was again, doing the same thing for the umpteenth millionth time, somehow expecting different results.

I've been told that's the definition of insanity.

I'm not trying to brag here, but it's the honest truth that over the past 25 years I've been to every major city in the USA. I've been to (almost) every national park. I've lived on the east coast, south, west coast, even the north east.

And this whole place is just starting to look like one big strip mall.

The mid-west and the east coast are the biggest offenders in this regard, since I couldn't help but notice the huge shift from camping in beautiful places (like you'd find on the west coast) and going to almost exclusively camping in rest stops and walmart parking lots (I'm speaking in regards to van/car camping, my main mode of transport lately).

It's painfully apparent that the magic is gone for me when it comes to travel in the USA. I keep saying 'in the USA' because I still haven't found any place in this country that I could really call 'home' and I have the sneaking suspicion (or maybe just hope/wishful thinking) that place might exist somewhere outside the USA.

I wish I had come to this conclusion earlier, since I could have saved myself a lot of time, money, and effort (building a van and other things) and come out far ahead financially, but hey, what can you do? Hindsight is 20/20 and all that.

So, where does that leave me now?​

I have always wanted to backpack around Europe, ever since I was a kid. I'm sure most of my friends are sick of hearing me talk about it for the past 20 years. It was always just one of those things that was like, "Oh, I don't have the money this year, maybe next." or "Well I have some money, but this is the wrong time of year to be doing that kind of thing." or whatever excuse was relevant at the time. Next thing you know, it's 20 years later and I'm tired of making excuses.

I could easily fill the next 10+ years with exploring places in the European region, so I think it's time to stop making excuses and start taking steps towards making that dream a reality.

This means that I will be selling my converted camper van and using the money to get a few things done (dental shit) and buy a cheap prius for me to get around in until I leave the country (I need transportation for visiting my folks and the occasional camping trip). I should have enough left over to hopefully make at least one short trip (2-4 weeks?) over to somewhere in Europe (not sure where yet) sometime this year.

For now, I am spending my time in Portland, Oregon, living off the money I saved up from my last job. I'm living with two other people in a cheap (at least, for Portland) apartment, one of which I met through StP (if you're in the area, stop by, we have a couch to crash on).

During this time I'm attempting to learn Unreal Engine and Blender in order to pivot from my previous IT work into a career doing 3D Environment Design (basically, making levels for video games). Hopefully, this will give me the creative outlet I've been looking for while still being in the tech industry. If things really work out, then I might get a remote position and be able to move over to Europe full time. I'm hoping I can get to a professional level in 6 to 12 months; we'll see what happens as things progress.

I moved into this apartment in December, and since then I've been spending my time doing Unreal Engine online courses (4-5 hours a day), getting my diet under control (intermittent fasting), and going to the gym 3-4 times a week. I've already lost over 15 lbs (down to 292 from 309), and for the first time in a long time I'm regaining some self-confidence and starting to feel like I have my head back on straight again. I'm feeling much more focused, I'm sleeping better, and the other day it just occurred to me how much better I feel, both physically and mentally.

My current thoughts on StP​

Taking some time to myself to get my head straight has really helped me gain some perspective on running the StP website. Mainly, that it's perfectly fine the way it is, and that I am going to take my time regarding any further updates, upgrades, or new features. For most of the lifetime of this website, it's kind of been a leaky boat in the sense that I was always patching things and adding new features and it was always just constantly on my mind. In my opinion, the website is in a pretty good spot as it is right now. It's not perfect (and never will be) but it's mostly working fine (so far there's only one big bug I gotta squish). People appreciate it, and still find it useful in a social media age, and I'm glad it's helping people.

I've just been so used to the idea that StP must be perfect, that it's taken a while for me to wrap my head around the fact that it never will be, and that's okay.

I'm not saying we won't add anything new if there's demand for it, or might consider moving to a new forum software if it feels necessary (I'm still eyeing the discourse software), but in those cases the steps will be more careful and deliberate (and probably pretty rare).

As things stand right now, I'm not planning on monetizing StP any further than my StP store on Etsy. Donations have not been very good over the past year (for understandable reasons, i.e. covid), but folks have been buying enough patches, books, and stickers there to cover the bills, and for that I'm grateful (since I'm not currently working). I hope to add some new stickers/patches soon with the help of @jimi and maybe others.

I am still planning on doing a Dirty Scouts Jamboree this year! I'm sincerely hoping we can get things together much earlier than we did last year and get a ton of folks to come out and gather in a really great location. More on that when I post the planning thread in the next few days.

The second edition of The Anarchist's Guide to Travel is about 60% done. I'm actually very excited about the new additions, and I am updating the current chapters with more up-to-date information and other resources that I think most folks will find very interesting. I don't have an ETA on when it will be finished, but I'd like to have it done by the summer.

I am (always) looking for help​

For the past several years we've had a weekly voice chat in the discord server (just a simple gathering to shoot the shit about whatever). Unfortunately it kind of fell by the wayside during my recent depression and me just not having the energy to rally folks together for it.

In general, I'd love to see more 'community events' going on either on the forums or in the discord server. The kind of things that bring people together and facilitate interactions. If you're the type that likes to rally the troops and would be interested in 'running' the weekly voice chat (maybe call it a 'town meeting' or whatever) please let me know. I currently have a lot on my plate, and having someone take the reigns on that task would be a huge help and I will make sure to be at each gathering to help facilitate conversations.

Going forward​

For now, I will be checking in periodically on the forums and you can find me on the discord if you want to chat with me directly. If you want to support StP, consider a donation or buying something from the store, it all makes things a little easier on me. I can always be reached here via PM, or at feedback@squattheplanet.com.

Your van converison is awesome and must jave been convenient to park in smaller parking spots and stay low key in citys

Thanks for the hardwork with stp and I hope you enjoy your adventures in Europe.

I also know what you mean about America feeling like one big strip mall and the camping exclusive to rest areas and wallyworlds.

The times they are a changing.

When you're done with Europe id try to check out canada there's way less population and alot of cool camping spots! Vast opportunity!

Cheers man

 

[Doc Road]

Gatta keep evolving I suppose…
On the dark side of things, you know what you don’t want and that’s as good as what you want most times..
Too bad this will go away soon..
But letting go is all that keeps us sain..
Hope everything is moving along and what not. I’m having a hard time recovering from injuries and loss. But do have what I want in the form of a dream, so far fetched it will take me years to complete and it’s getting me out of bed on the lowest of days.
But you’re right about the strip mall dog and pony fake sickko social goat fuck show.. maritime life is for me for sure. Since summer of 18 and six different boat jobs I’ve gotten pretty confident with my abilities on the high seas. It’s all a dream but one day I’ll have a decent sized boat but more important is the crew of misfits with a cause to roam the globe , livening our best lives free from ties to any nonsensical backward violent bullshit..
when it’s time and tide. raise the anchor,
When it’s ignorant and convincing, hoist the black..
hears to beers with no tears,bud.🍻

 

[ouchithurts]

For now, I am spending my time in Portland, Oregon, living off the money I saved up from my last job. I'm living with two other people in a cheap (at least, for Portland) apartment, one of which I met through StP (if you're in the area, stop by, we have a couch to crash on).

still in Portland? i'm there when i'm not working a traveling construction job. would be nice to meet travelers and cool people, hit me up!