What's the hardest part about starting out?

Cussock

Cussock

New member
Title explains it all pretty much. I wanna be prepared for whenever I'm ready to catch out of this shitty town, so tell me what I can expect.

(Side question, is Candles a good traveler name? I know some people think they shouldn't be chosen, but I dunno, I kinda like it.)
 
blank said:
From observing this crowd for some months, hardest parts are finding beer and resisting the siren call of Greyhound. And probably sleeping outside if you're not used to it.
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Probably about right, but I meant specifically about taking the plunge, or preparing for it specifically.
 
For me, the hardest part is breaking my dependence on being housed-up with a p-t job that provides for this. I got my last pieces of gear in December... but it's almost warm enough now that I don't need the winter sleeping bag. I've got enough savings for a grand adventure, but still can't take the first step out the door. What I'm saying is there's a thousand excuses and rationalizations between me and that first step.
 
Have you spent any time at all searching this website for the answers to the questions you have? There is a search icon up ^^^ there somewhere and if you click it you can search by forum, or click the gear icon for advanced search features.

I can guarantee most of them have been answered.

Coming on here like "tell me what to expect" is not going to be taken well from the people who have put alot of time and effort into posting content on here:

Preperation for traveling

Check out that link and read the posts in there, then, if you really feel like you can get prepared, go to the "Travel Stories" section, read some of those. Especially the ones that talk about how dangerous train hopping can be.

Then go to the "Train Hopping" forum, and read every thread that is relevant to where you are going.

All the info is on here, and if you are not willing to have the patience to read it before asking members to retype it, you are probably not going to have the patience for hopping trains.

Welcome to StP.
 
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Coywolf said:
Have you spent any time at all searching this website for the answers to the questions you have? There is a search icon up ^^^ there somewhere and if you click it you can search by forum, or click the gear icon for advanced search features.

I can guarantee most of them have been answered.

Coming on here like "tell me what to expect" is not going to be taken well from the people who have put alot of time and effort into posting content on here:

Preperation for traveling

Check out that link and read the posts in there, then, if you really feel like you can get prepared, go to the "Travel Stories" section, read some of those. Especially the ones that talk about how dangerous train hopping can be.

Then go to the "Train Hopping" forum, and read every thread that is relevant to where you are going.

All the info is on here, and if you are not willing to have the patience to read it before asking members to retype it, you are probably not going to have the patience for hopping trains.

Welcome to StP.
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It really is the little things that you miss. Thanks for commenting!
 
In most cases the name yer parents gave you is fine. There is really no need to come up with a silly road flag for yerself.

After 15+ years of calling people punk rock/traveler nick names it's pretty refreshing when I meet someone who says their name is john and not "skidmark", "floppy ankle pete" or "tunajam". Yes, those are all real actual names that people have introduced themselves to me as.
 
For me the hardest part was always finding decent weed. Not so much an issue in legal states these days but it can still be a bitch down south.
 
SlankyLanky said:
In most cases the name yer parents gave you is fine. There is really no need to come up with a silly road flag for yerself.

After 15+ years of calling people punk rock/traveler nick names it's pretty refreshing when I meet someone who says their name is john and not "skidmark", "floppy ankle pete" or "tunajam". Yes, those are all real actual names that people have introduced themselves to me as.
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That’s... big yikes. Sloppy Ankle Pete? How on earth is that a good idea? But aside from that, the allure for me is the ability to re-invent myself. You feel me?
 
Cussock said:
That’s... big yikes. Sloppy Ankle Pete? How on earth is that a good idea? But aside from that, the allure for me is the ability to re-invent myself. You feel me?
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Yea no I get it. I'm just saying you dont need to give yerself a new name like candles to change whatever it is yer looking to change.
 
SlankyLanky said:
Yea no I get it. I'm just saying you dont need to give yerself a new name like candles to change whatever it is yer looking to change.
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right @Cussock this is what i'd deem "superficial" but whatever floats your boat, just don't hold back, regardless of whatever someone calls you (unless it's late for dinner ehehehe)
 
Barf said:
Well, I feel silly now...

Kid, don't ever mix spicy Indian food and yuengling.

It isn't worth it and they'll never let you live it down..
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You poor, poor soul. Living it down might be the wrong phrase though. More like KEEP it down... or in. If you catch my drift.
 
roughdraft said:
right @Cussock this is what i'd deem "superficial" but whatever floats your boat, just don't hold back, regardless of whatever someone calls you (unless it's late for dinner ehehehe)
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I'll be the first to admit it really is superficial, for all intents and purposes. But I dunno man, I just like the sound of it :D
 
One thing you gotta understand is that changing from Johnny Square Kid to Candles The Muthafuckin' Nomad is a gradual process that takes many years - don't expect to gen up about vagabonding on the internet and then run into a phone box and come out in a crust lord costume ready to outwit the yard bull and the FTRA - if you go too hard to quick you'll probably get out of your depth and hate it !

also please remember that asking a million questions online will never be a substitute for real experience in the real world - what works for some people may be totally wrong for you...

and finally I'd totally recommend setting out on your travels with a friend or two - being cold / wet / broke / hungry is horrible on your own but actually fun in good company !
 
When I see things like this I remember a younger version of myself -- it seems like the traveling lifestyle appeals to you more as a means of finding an identity than it is actually traveling. Case in point: you're worried about how a self-selected name is perceived among the community.

In which case I'd say the hardest part about starting is figuring out who you are. If you're in melancolia now solely because of your geographic location, traveling will help. If you're in melancolia for other reasons, the endorphin rush of riding around on a piece of steel will dissolve fast and you'll be left with the realization -- probably while cold/drenched in rain/hungry/heartbroken -- that you still aren't happy.

All that aside, there are so many infinite resources on train-hopping on the internet. Get to googlin'!
 
For me, the hardest part was finally deciding to actually leave. I hated my life, but it was stable and everything I was told the "American Dream" was supposed to be. One day I had a breakdown at work, walked off the floor mid-shift, and within a month I'd sold or given away nearly everything and was on a plane to Alaska 🙃 Choosing a life well-lived over comfort is scary, but once you take the plunge it's amazing! :)
 
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