Living Car Free - Embarking on an Adventure

Ok so, I've been reading about the car free lifestyle for a while and Im all about it. I ride everywhere in my city (if thats what you want to call it) assuming its not negative 14 outside.

But heres my conundrum, Im 21 years old and just about to wrap up my associates degree and hit the road till I find my perfect city. Im going to be traveling from state to state starting with georgia for a period of 5 months each saving up just enough to move on to the next destination. Now I want to live car free without a doubt but how am I supposed to move from city to city with no car, its not like I have alot of stuff to lug around with me (xbox, tv, clothes and some books and of course my Bike :P)

Should I just stick with this car thing till I find my ending place?
I was reading the whole thread on car insurance after being carfree for so long and sounds like insurance companies as usual are being *******s.

in case any of you are wondering where my ideal spots are, im aiming for a coast...I wanna work on a boat for sure, or work in another bike shop. After all being a media major is like never going to school to begin with :)

Ok so, I've been reading about the car free lifestyle for a while and Im all about it. I ride everywhere in my city (if thats what you want to call it) assuming its not negative 14 outside.

But heres my conundrum, Im 21 years old and just about to wrap up my associates degree and hit the road till I find my perfect city. Im going to be traveling from state to state starting with georgia for a period of 5 months each saving up just enough to move on to the next destination. Now I want to live car free without a doubt but how am I supposed to move from city to city with no car, its not like I have alot of stuff to lug around with me (xbox, tv, clothes and some books and of course my Bike :P)

Should I just stick with this car thing till I find my ending place?
I was reading the whole thread on car insurance after being carfree for so long and sounds like insurance companies as usual are being *******s.

in case any of you are wondering where my ideal spots are, im aiming for a coast...I wanna work on a boat for sure, or work in another bike shop. After all being a media major is like never going to school to begin with :)

Couple of suggestions on the "stuff"; you can ship the bulk of it FedEx when you know where you are going, then take whatever mass transit into the area you are headed for (that way you will know up front just how well car free will work) I have a friend who works out of town assignments that typically last 2-3 months and that is how she does it. When the assignment ends, packs the stuff pack up and ships it back to her home. Last time she flew home and got stuck due to weather, her stuff beat her home.:D She does have a rental car (most of the time) to help schlep the stuff to and from her motel and the FedUp place.

Aaron:)

I'd suggest you start in the library. Do a lot more research on coastal towns. Get an idea of what size town you need, and ambiance. Cut down your search time. After all, at 5 months per state and 21 states on the coast, thats almost 9 years. Maybe see if you can't narrow that down to 3-5 communities before you ever start. Do you really need as much time to explore coastal Mississippi as coastal Florida? Are you really looking at Maine?

What kind of boat? Tug boat, Deep Sea Fishing boat, Ocean Going Cargo ship, Cruise Ship?
What kind of bicycling? Coastal California is much different than the Florida Atlantic coast.

If you are really looking, I'd pack up the Xbox, TV etc and put them in storage, a Pod or one of ABF's similar containers. Then travel light.

When I was at that stage, I took the bus, got a month-long pass and just went from city to city checking places out, snagging papers etc along the way. I don't think the buses are quite so good for that these days. But, eventually I did end up living in two of the cities I checked out. The Mexican restaurant I liked so much in Indio was still open under the same management when I moved close to there 20 years later.

Maybe it's just time for a long bike trip.

Good luck and have fun.

Im going to be traveling from state to state starting with georgia for a period of 5 months each saving up just enough to move on to the next destination. Now I want to live car free without a doubt but how am I supposed to move from city to city with no car, its not like I have alot of stuff to lug around with me (xbox, tv, clothes and some books and of course my Bike :P)

Should I just stick with this car thing till I find my ending place?


Ride your bike. The distances you're talking are very do-able on a bike. This is called "bicycle touring" to give you a start on your research. You could buy a lot of nice equipment with the money you'd save on gas and insurance.

I'm car-free myself, very happily so for several years now, but given your plan, if the car is economical on fuel, already fully paid for, still somewhat reliable, but old enough that you can just get liability insurance, I'd keep the car. Moving from town to town every few months is a lot more practical if you don't need to expend a lot of time and effort on logistics; sometimes, it's a lot easier just to throw your stuff on the roof rack and drive away. But only for inter-city travel, such as moving. Be car-lite for now, and when you settle on a permanent home (hopefully in a lot less than 9 years), you can finally ditch the car.

However, if the car is a significant drain on your finances, I'd get rid of the damn thing right now. It's hard to be a wandering gypsy if you're giving up 1/4 of your income just to keep the Hummer, or whatever it is.

Go check out the Touring forum:
http://www.bikeforums.net/forumdisplay.php?f=47

Oh, and put the xbox, tv, some of the clothing and most of the books into storage until you decide where you want to settle.

Also look at the stickie thread about carfree and housefree on this forum. zeppinger is doing something similar to what you're thinking about.

Pick some places out and bicycle there. It is fun. I didn't own a car in my twenties and never needed one. Traveled all over the US and really got to know areas quickly. A car can really isolate a person from our surroundings. I went to a lot of different kinds of festivals, Wooden Boat, Music, etc. Live in the moment -that is your career.

Like others have said, leave everything in storage. If you want, take your x-box since it's not heavy and doesn't take up much room and rent a TV until you move. Just use the library for your book needs.

Sounds like a blast though. I envy you.

Im going to be traveling from state to state starting with georgia for a period of 5 months each saving up just enough to move on to the next destination. Now I want to live car free without a doubt but how am I supposed to move from city to city with no car,

Once you do secure employment, search the net for transit agencies that provide bus or rail service within walking distance to your job and a mile from your home. If you can't take public transit to your job, it's highly unlikely you'll ever be car free.

The bus/train has to be within walking distance to your job or it will be too inconvienent. However, it can be 2 miles from your apartment/house as you can take a bicycle and lock it at the stop.

If you can't take public transit to your job, it's highly unlikely you'll ever be car free. The bus/train has to be within walking distance to your job or it will be too inconvienent. However, it can be 2 miles from your apartment/house as you can take a bicycle and lock it at the stop.

Unless of course, you can ride your bicycle. :) There, I'd try to stay within 10 miles of work. Any further tends to erode your time available for living.

But that's one advantage about moving to where you have a job, you can place yourself in good proximity to work, and find a nice place with all the services you need. It does help if there is a handy bus line to the local metro area as well.