Well, it's an intro I suppose

[alicelovesham]

Hello, My name is Alice as you have most likely guessed from my username. I'm just going to guess that a lot of you are going to suggest waiting until I am eighteen to go traveling on my own. Well, thats not exactly going to happen. I'm fifteen, but I look older than I am especially when I'm tired. I get tired of staying in one place for too long, but I'm going to guess thats a pretty common thing around here. I mostly plan on hitchhiking or walking. I really like to walk oddly enough. I play the violin but it's broken. I suppose I'll get it fixed along the way. I play well enough, and I can carry a tune. Yes, I have heard all the horror stories, no I will not let them change my mind. I will however take advice. I don't have any friends who are the sort to do this with me. My best friend can hardly stand staying at a fair all day. So this'll most likely be a solo effort. I like dogs though. If there's anything I should know I would be immensily grateful.

 

[macks]

You're right, I would suggest to wait until you're 18 and I believe that is the overwhelming majority opinion on this site. However if you will not be dissuaded, bring a knife or pepper spray/mace and be prepared to use it. Jeez. Read up on here, talk to some travelers. There are some lessons that are better not learned the hard way.

I like ham as well.

 

[veggieguy12]

Hi, Alice. Welcome to the site.
In advance, I'm sorry to sound like a dick, but... I'm just the messenger with no tact, c'est la vie. So let me get right down to it!

You look older than you are? You look about sixteen at most; all in all, I don't really think that's advantageous for a female alone. "I don't have any friends to do this solo with me." That sucks, and is another reason to hold off, I think.

There's not much more advice to give than Macks already delivered. Look, if I saw you at an on-ramp or walking through town and assessed you for a traveler, I'd go try to talk to you. And if I could give you some advice, or if you wanted to head my way, I might invite you. And if you set out alone, this may well happen.
The problem is that you don't know me enough to trust me, and you damn well ought to be skeptical of anyone's motivations for talking to you, and especially be skeptical of someone's "advice", which is often them pulling shit out of their ass and trying to polish it. You'll be lucky if you run into another solo female; then you don't need to worry about rape, and probably not murder, but mostly just theft and incompetence.

You can certainly go out and roam around and see what's what, but it isn't advisable in your situation. I guess my advice is to realize how you present yourself to strangers: frankly, you look like a victim-to-be. Not for any one factor, but for all of you combined. Unless you're like 6'0", 190lbs with a background in Muay Thai fighting - no?

Why not just read and research and plan and maybe work some shitty jobs and scrabble together some funds before you set off for adventure? Do you have a sleeping bag, a good set of footwear, thermals underwear, winter gloves, a backpack?
It only takes one mistake you can't regret...

 

[jonom]

wait until you're 18 or at least wait as long as you possibly can. get some gear. learn some skills. or at least try to meet someone here to travel with before you leave.

is shit really so bad that you'll risk life and limb to run away from it???

 

[wildboy860]

one thing I didn't see being said, is if your still gonna go solo, try and get some sorta dog as well for protection. that may help ward of creeps to a dregree as well. just my thoughts...

 

[dirty_rotten_squatter]

Well, you seem like a strong willed individual, and I left home at an early age and started on my trek. It was kind of a have to thing though. I personally am not against it..age is not what defines if you're ready to do this or not. Ultimately it's maturity..had to dig this up but this is a good one.."Maturity of the mind is the capacity to endure uncertainty" and if you know that and you still want to more power to you!! I know I'm most likely the only oldish one to think like this but oh well! Just be careful out there if and when you do decide to go.

 

[finn]

I don't know if you've read this yet, but I'll post a link to it anyway:
Runaways and Minors - Squat the Planet Forums
I have to admit, you don't look very old, so don't delude yourself. Widerstand had it right, build up your real life skills, you'll be appreciated as a road dog if you can hold your own, back someone up and take care of yourself without hand holding or stealing from potential friends.

It takes time to figure out how to slim down your gear to comfortablely carry around a setup that will allow you to sleep in freezing weather without a problem. And it takes experience to spot good places to bunk down in either the woods or in the city. You don't want to be the annoying traveler who doesn't know anything and complains about everything. Of course I might be mistaken, and you may have alreadly done this, but I didn't see any indications of that.

If you're tired of taking advice from guys, there are girls you can PM like Arrow and Ravie and a bunch of others.

 

[marc]

try saving up some money and take a greyhound to somewhere close by so if you decide travelin and squattin isnt the thing for you, you can take a bus back home

 

[Monkeywrench]

Traveling with other people isn't so much something a lot of us do just out of choice--but for survival and keeping our sanity. As fresh young runaways and squatters, sometimes we are only safe in numbers. No one immediately starts off with a general knoweldge of hopping trains, hitchhiking, dumpster diving and cracking open a decent squat. There's a culture, and traditions in place to keep us safe. You can heed those, or ignore them and learn as you go.

Either way kiddo, good luck. Ask us anything. There are some seriously knowledge girls on here that will be super-helpful if you ask.

 

[deadriotpunk]

wrench is completly right in fact he tought me alot of the stuff i know lol but id say wait till 18 just so u cant get sumwhere and the cops pick u up, and itll be safer if ur of age so i say just hang out get to know people on the site save money and maybe learn some nature skills and just let that intense love of the road build up in ur heart and on ur 18 bday hit the road runnin!!!

 

[logan714]

You really think that's good advice to give? Having a dog is a big responsibility that most people do not need... Yeah a dog might be good for protection but good luck hitching with a wet and dirty dog, forget getting on to moving trains for most people, if you under age and get scooped up across the country and shipped home what do you think is going to happen to the dog? Shelter and then likely put down unless its a cute puppy... Traveling with a dog is like traveling with a bike, they are good when you need them but other then those times they are a hindrance.

I don't want this to be thread about dogs since we already have them going here but I really don't think telling a 15 year old girl whom is thinking about traveling to get a dog is very good advice at all.

I am going to agree with Widerstand on everything he said in this thread 100%.

Oh, I left home when I was 14, and I'm 46 now. Well, for one, the world was a much nicer place for the most part. And there were different things kids were doing at the time that made A.) safety in great numbers b.) the law enforcement was no where near the level of harrassment that it is now.

Unless you fear for your life or are being sexually molested keep your fucking ass at home as long as possible and learn as much as you can.

As was mentioned about hitchhiking. Walk the mile to the underpass in the pouring rain. Have it be 40 degrees. Feet wet and cold. in the middle of nowhere with no shelter besides the bridge. Then be there 10 minutes and have an Alabama State cop run you off knowing he's sending you into the rain.

So, some of this was a real blast. Some of it really fucking sucked big dick. Went to prison about this lifestyle. Mostly wasn't bad. One prison was a real bitch and another was a real motherfucker.

My 23 year old son whom I didn't have contact with tried to live the lifestyle that I did and ended up going to prison for 3 years for possessing 280 hits of LSD. He's there now.

Never say never. Never always defines itself as a short period of time.


Logan

 

[alicelovesham]

First of all, thank you to everyone who has written something. I will take all of it into consideration. I have done quite a bit of research and have gathered the stuff that is recommended on this site. Oh and I used to live in those hills directly west (right next to the lake if you look again). There was a lot of wooded areas around us and I used to spend days at a time in them. I have walked about fifteen miles in the pouring rain several times, often with a rather heavy backpack.

 

[oldmanLee]

Well,Alice;sounds like you may already have your mind made up.If I may make a suggestion,contact Real_HorrorShow here at StP.He's about to head up to Alaska,and he might be able to give you a bit of advice.I've talked with him,and tried to be a sort of "mentor"(hate that damned word!).He'll pass on some of the thoughts and bits and bobs that I taught him,and probably do it in a manner that you may find useful as well as entertaining.Me,my ancient fingers can't type that well.