The name is a Haz | Squat the Planet

The name is a Haz

hazard pay

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Hello All! This is something that I've been considering writing for awhile now but never knew if it was the right time. Ive always been into traveling since I was younger, listening to songs about hitchhiking, and hopping trains and saying fuck it and living free. I was always kind of a loner so I never really knew anyone who did those things. That coupled with the general anxiety and fear that I would be murdered as a woman traveling alone (thanks Dad) kept me from pursuing these dreams . I had a relatively stable home life, and the ability to scrape by with the various waitress-ing jobs throughout highschool and college, and even though I have mostly general contempt for the general mainstream mindset, I always tried to walk the line between a "professionalism/mainstream" and radical-free lifestyle. I kept telling myself that ONE DAY I would actually do the DAMN THING, settling for the occasional month off to travel in the summer time. It was always, once ive graduated from HS, once I get my bachelors, once I save up enough money, etc... Well I graduated from college almost two years ago and now those fantasies occupy my mind every single day.

Since graduating Ive settled for weekend trips, going everywhere within a six hour radius of where I've lived (FL and VA), sleeping on friends couches or in my car. At one point in the span of 30 days I had only spent 12 days at home. Well I landed a "real" job at a startup in NOVA and moved here 6 months ago, once again telling myself that this was my last chance at trying to commit to the "normal" life. It has been awful. I hate the flowery buisness lingo that ultimately amounts to nothing. The corporate mentality that I'm supposed to commit myself and my free time solely to a job on the promise that they MIGHT actually pay me a liveable wage one day. The only thing that kept me was the fact that I was in a new area getting to see new things and meet new people. Of course I didnt fit in there and to no ones surprise I got fired. Well now without the constraints of a job to hold me I've decided to finally do it! Because of these times I dont think that hitchhiking is the way right now, and I've never hopped a train so thats out, for now, too. Im thinking about converting a van into a living space and traveling that way. In many ways I feel pretty green, and I think thats what kept me from posting before. Especially since I feel older than most of the people who travel in this sense. But Im finally ready to give it a shot. I truly feel like my soul will not rest until I do.

Wow this was a really long-winded way of saying hello. :) Anyways Im going back to Florida to live at home and save up while I convert a van for the next couple months but I truly look forward to what this has in store. Once I do that Im ready to meet-up, give rides, and just generally see whats out there.
 

Matt Derrick

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Welcome, and great introduction! I'm 41 now and while I've been doing this travel thing off and on for about 20 years now, it's never too late to start, and there's multiple ways to get started. No mode of travel is the 'correct' one, do what's best for you and your situation. The van thing is a great option in my opinion.

Make sure to complete your profile and use the search for anything you might be curious about. If you can't find it start a new thread and we'll do our best to help you with whatever advice we can :D
 
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