Young and completely new to life on the road

hi sierra...i've never replied to anyone on stp, and rarely check out the site since i've been outta the travellin loop for quite some time. i'm female, have travelled alone quite a bit, so i appreciate your spirit of adventure. if you are wishing for advice, hitchhiking tips (cuz unless you wanna walk for miles and miles, hitching is an inevitability with train-riding...although sometimes there are convenient buses or nice kids at the coffee shop who wanna help you out,) and train stuff, i am open to having a dialogue. i wrote a zine for women who wish to travel alone when my old roommate decided to do the same thing.
 
Rhianimal said:
hi sierra...i've never replied to anyone on stp, and rarely check out the site since i've been outta the travellin loop for quite some time. i'm female, have travelled alone quite a bit, so i appreciate your spirit of adventure. if you are wishing for advice, hitchhiking tips (cuz unless you wanna walk for miles and miles, hitching is an inevitability with train-riding...although sometimes there are convenient buses or nice kids at the coffee shop who wanna help you out,) and train stuff, i am open to having a dialogue. i wrote a zine for women who wish to travel alone when my old roommate decided to do the same thing.
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Yes, yes, yes, I'd be very interested in talking with you about it if you don't mind. Do you maybe have a link to what you wrote or something along those lines?
thanks for replying to my post,
Sierra
 
Dameon said:
Go with a female partner, watch out for creepsters, and keep in mind that dudes on the road are going to try to use the shit out of a pretty young girl.

You don't need money, you don't need fancy gear. Just need a few bucks in your pocket, a backpack, a sleeping bag, and a tarp. Don't listen to the guy saying to bring a tent. A tarp is a tent.
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A tent can be useful, depending on where you travel. Can be used as a fly screen when travelling in Africa/South America/Australia. On the downside, a tarp is much faster than a tent to pack-up when train-hopping. I've never train-hopped, but i'm planning on doing so very soon. I've read a lot about it, and if I learned anything, it's: it WILL be long before you find the right train, so don't get caught off-guard when it comes :)
 
Rhianimal said:
hi sierra...i've never replied to anyone on stp, and rarely check out the site since i've been outta the travellin loop for quite some time. i'm female, have travelled alone quite a bit, so i appreciate your spirit of adventure. if you are wishing for advice, hitchhiking tips (cuz unless you wanna walk for miles and miles, hitching is an inevitability with train-riding...although sometimes there are convenient buses or nice kids at the coffee shop who wanna help you out,) and train stuff, i am open to having a dialogue. i wrote a zine for women who wish to travel alone when my old roommate decided to do the same thing.
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Actually even as a male, I too would be very interested in reading your Zine. I'm always looking for tips and advice that I can pass on to much younger travelers (I'm 28) who may not have as much "life experience" in the survivalism (urban OR rural) department. If you can post one, a link would certainly be SUPER helpful. :D
 
I'm afraid I'd be shoving my big black boot into my mouth... I'll just keep my unfounded speculation to myself. ;)
 
OP, I totally just got back from the first adventure. As another youngster who was pretty new to this kinda stuff I can tell you it's a life changing decision, a very rewarding one at that. I'm going to lay down some advice though.

-Never let being a female hold you back. Take some precautions though. Learn how to throw a punch in the right place or work on screamimg or carry some pepper spray. I bumped into some trouble when I was doing my thing, luckily I got out of all of the situations unscathed. It is nice having a buddy on the road to watch your back when you pee or something. Keep it in mind.

-Keep on your toes and always use the senses. Not only is it just awesome to connect with the present but it can also save your skin. Don't listen to music via earbuds when you're on the tracks or walking around an area that's givin you the heebie jeebies.

-Have the proper air about you. Walk with confidence, man! Or humility. Or terror. Pick n choose for the right situation. I walked into a store lookin like a scared lil puppy and I got a kickdown. Adapt to your liking.

-Pack light. Especially with train hopping. I can't stress this enough. This link is especially awesome. Read up.
http://vagabond101.com/whats-in-the-bag.html

-periods? Mooncup. Save yer pennies.

Be safe, m'am! Welcome all, welcome us!
 
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Birdie said:
OP, I totally just got back from the first adventure. As another youngster who was pretty new to this kinda stuff I can tell you it's a life changing decision, a very rewarding one at that. I'm going to lay down some advice though.

-Never let being a female hold you back. Take some precautions though. Learn how to throw a punch in the right place or work on screamimg or carry some pepper spray. I bumped into some trouble when I was doing my thing, luckily I got out of all of the situations unscathed. It is nice having a buddy on the road to watch your back when you pee or something. Keep it in mind.

-Keep on your toes and always use the senses. Not only is it just awesome to connect with the present but it can also save your skin. Don't listen to music via earbuds when you're on the tracks or walking around an area that's givin you the heebie jeebies.

-Have the proper air about you. Walk with confidence, man! Or humility. Or terror. Pick n choose for the right situation. I walked into a store lookin like a scared lil puppy and I got a kickdown. Adapt to your liking.

-Pack light. Especially with train hopping. I can't stress this enough. This link is especially awesome. Read up.
http://vagabond101.com/whats-in-the-bag.html

-periods? Mooncup. Save yer pennies.

Be safe, m'am! Welcome all, welcome us!
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Thanks so much for the advice! I really wondered about a female perspective in all of this. There's a couple extra things to worry about that are less talked about
 
Sierra said:
Hi all, my name is Sierra and I've actually never traveled on my own. I grew up under really conservative parents and was incredibly sheltered. It wasn't until I got to college that I started branching out and finding my own interests and I started to discover I had a wanderlust that can't be tamed. growing up I was always fascinated by trains and how small they made me feel, and it's been on my bucket list forever to hop one.
I finally decided this year that I would stop daydreaming and make life on the road/train happen. Next summer I'm cutting ties and taking off. Until then I'd love to meet like minded people and gather as many tips and tricks as I can so I can be fully prepared and maybe have some new friends as well.
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Much help here at StP for info on train hoping and such. but in addition to getting from point A to point B by train, there is much to know other wise, may I suggest this my friend > Let me share this with you. I’m 72, male, see my 5 pg. > article > Living in Van-Car, extensive-much help. See TAG: “Rubber Tramping” here at this site StP. Much good info for traveling. Put info in your back pocket for future. Good luck my friend
 
What issues haven't you covered yet? I'm gonna run out of money for school soon and am considering going out this spring or summer. I used to give people advice here pretty regularly, but have been busy with school as well.

I got a few topics that are good to research. I know a bit about a few of these subjects as well.
Where to sleep, how to hitchhike, mountaineering, props, making money, how to be a traveling entrepreneur, where to bath, ways to stay healthy under extended periods of stress, where to find food, fun tips, handy packable tools, cooking food, pets, ideas fortesting the waters when meeting a stranger, blah blah blah, I got a bunch of things I could talk about. Do any of these topics interest you? I always love sharing my experience.

I'm in Washington still going to classes. I've been failing my classes out of lack of interest recently and am looking forward to getting out of here and stretching my legs and vocal chords for a while. I'm a music major as that's what I found I love doing. I discovered that I'm a shitty musician while traveling and decided to go to school to change that so I can extend my travels and make a small living anywhere, without a job. Well now I've learned enough to the point where I don't think I can fit much more in this way. Also, I want to develop my talent as a performer, so a road trip is pretty much required of me when I'm done with school. I'm probably gonna hitchhike with a guitar, mountain bike, small pack, nice cozy wool outfit or something, tools, maybe a blanket or sleeping bag. Something like that, but that sounds pretty heavy... I guess I better figure out what I'm going to pack. and what route I plan to take.

I would offer to travel with you. I'd want to talk with you a bit before hitting the road and see how well we get along. I've never hopped freight before, but I always love a scenic tour. I am super savvy with hitchhiking though. And I make excellent company when just sitting around, being "bored".

It's nice to meet you, Sierra. My name is Charlie.
 
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