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Living like a vagabond... Sorta.
318 sats \ 9 comments \ @Fabs 19 Jan 2024 culture
In my previous life I've made some mistakes. One of those mistakes was creating a Reddit-account.
One of the Sub's I've followed was R/Vagabond, where people who've chosen to live their lives "on the streets" can post and write about it, and where people who'd like to follow-suit could ask their questions.
Some pictured being a "vagabond" more romantic and "free" than it really seemed, and some painted a pretty harsh yet honest picture of what a "voluntary" life on the streets really is like.
I'd be lying if i'd say that I haven't been day dreaming about "leaving it all behind", grabbing a backpack and start pursuing "adventure-after-adventure", romanticising life on the road quite a bit whenever i'm a depressed blob of apathy at work again.
Realizing the above, I've slowly but steadily started to think about a mix of both worlds;
"Normal life", with a job, a place to stay (parents :)) and all the have-to's and luxuries that come with it, and;
"Vagabonding", living life out of a backpack, without a place to stay (bye mom and dad, for now at least ;)) and without any "have-to's" but also most luxuries.
Let's work-out this little thought experiment together, shall we?
How would you go about such a lifestyle, and what personal pros and cons would you bump into ?!
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131 sats \ 1 reply \ @Scoresby 19 Jan 2024
At different points in life I've spent three-month or more chunks living out of a backpack. I've done this with my kids/wife and before we had kids. Here's some lessons I've learned.
  1. Definitely helps to have funds. Just because you are living simple doesn't mean you want to be stressed about where the money comes from. The times I did this without reliable income were harder.
  2. Open-ended is harder than having a destination (or return home) in mind. If you have a plan for how the vagabonding comes to an end it is a little easier. One time, my wife and I lived out of our car for a few months while traveling around the US, but we didn't have a good idea of what we were going to do next. There was no place we were trying to end up. Eventually we just kinda settled down somewhere because we were tired of traveling. I think its better to plan to end somewhere or to have a conclusion in mind. Or a home to return to. Whatever that looks like for you.
  3. You really don't need to pack much. If you aren't camping, couple pairs of clothes for everyone, a laptop or at least a smart phone is good enough. All the other stuff can be found along the way.
  4. Give yourself a theme. This sounds silly, but traveling is always better when you have some focus. So pick something to give yourself a little purpose: (eg. Im going to take a picture of every train station in Provence, eat at one falafel place in every state on the US Atlantic coast, ride every city bus in Buenos Aires--it really doesn't matter, just pick something specific to give yourself some focus). There are a bunch of small mosaics in Paris hidden around town on the sides of buildings above street signs, and my kids and I walked all over the place trying to make a map of them. Got us into parts of town we never would have visited otherwise.
  5. Don't worry if it all goes wrong. I've never been on a long trip that went as planned. Its okay to change your plans.
You should go for it.
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20 sats \ 0 replies \ @Fabs OP 19 Jan 2024
Hmm, solid. I'd indeed save-up some money before each trip, no need to go hungry.
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0 sats \ 1 reply \ @MaxAWebster 20 Jan 2024
I love this lifestyle. I once did ~8 months of vagabonding with only very loose directional plans, booking flight tickets somewhat randomly as I went along. The serendipity of choosing where to go based on whomever/whatever crosses your path is exhilarating. I will say that not having a home base was stressful though, so having some basics to return to is a great middle ground. I'm hoping to incorporate more mini vagabond trips into my life again. Last summer my gf and I did a week and half along the Mediterranean coast with no plans. Pure bliss :) Ditching email and doing it together made it all the more magical.
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Fabs OP 20 Jan 2024
That indeed sounds amazing man, especially if you have company.
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0 sats \ 1 reply \ @supratic 19 Jan 2024 freebie
When you are attached to physical goods and various bullshit, it's hard to leave everything behind. You can always make a plan for a limited time ad come back... nothing is forever, right? People around you will be there anytime you need, if they are really honest and transparent with you. Otherwise, you'll automagically lose them on the way to nowhere. A phone call or sms it's always at a fingertip away for both parties. There are no excuses for not contacting your loved ones and saying hello.
0 sats \ 2 replies \ @Doo_Deux 19 Jan 2024
Tribes or groups, used to banish individuals into exile as punishment, and that would sometimes lead to the death of that individual. Reason being, humans are social creatures as part of a permanent domain of human concerns. That's why we are here having conversations, as it satisfies another domain of human concerns, combining social, linguistic and historical aspects.
Today with the entertainment industry and equipment manufacturers, they have implemented the thoughts that people can just go live off the land today if you have enough gear and basic skills.
I think in today's fast paced society, people have this romantic notion or longing to get back to something simple in their lives.
I get it. I've read r/vagabond many, many times over the years as part of research and personal entertainment. If it were a great lifestyle, you would see more of us doing that.
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141 sats \ 0 replies \ @Doo_Deux 19 Jan 2024
Now that I think of it, I have hosted many hikers and bikers that crossed the US on the https://discoverytrail.org
Like @Scoresby said above, have a theme. Walking across the US can be your theme.
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Fabs OP 19 Jan 2024
Well, I'd pursue more social "adventures" instead of lurking along the side of some trail or highway, think in the realms of Workaway et cetera.
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