fietsbob

Need a Passport to get across the CDN border these days(?) , + with electronic records your past will be judged and your misdeeds may have you denied entry.. ...

BigAura

TimothyH

Relying on charity is not uncommon.

There is a whole group of people, tens of thousands of them, Franciscan Friars and Dominican Sisters and Brothers, who don't own a thing. They are literally mendicants - beggars.

The Franciscans of the Renewal give everything but their robe and sandals away at the beginning of each year and start with their hand out. At the end of the year they will have completely rehabilitated entire apartment buildings for the poor. They live among the poor as poor people themselves and do amazing things.

It isn't so far fetched to get on a bike and ride.


-Tim-

tcs

Part of my winter reading has been "Once Upon a Chariot" about Norma Jean Belloff's 1947 W to E USA tour*. She left San Diego with $25. Fascinating visit to a world before W4s and mandatory Social Security numbers, 1095s, drug tests and human resource departments, where one could ask for work, (legally) labor a few days and be handed cash to fund another 500 miles. (Also interesting was a world that was strictly segregated along racial lines, where Miranda rights were unknown.)




*The book is advertised and sold on Miss Belloff's record ride W to E in 1948. That's covered in ~2 pages toward the end. The bulk of the book is the interesting story of the tour W to E the year before.

krisman101

Wow! I didn't expect so many responses. Hello, everyone! Thank you all.

To clear some things up the main purpose of posting to this website, I admit, was to promote my friends' channel. But NOT for money. I wanted to share because I thought you all would genuinely enjoy the content. Contrary to some of your beliefs he isn't a beggar out to make a quick buck just to get by. He's doing this because he wanted to challenge himself to an extreme feat and share it to inspire others. Of course he has a very small financial support group and there's nothing wrong with that. They're doing it on their own free will.

The positive responses are AWESOME! Thanks, guys!

travelinhobo

Blarney - I think you mean he's houseless. I'm sure he's at home on his bicycle like I am. As for food, dumpster diving can net you all kinds of still-good food. Living in a throw-away society has its perks.

I read on a forum once about a guy from India who left on a bike with $40 to bike around the world. If the moon and the stars align right for you, go for it.

BigAura

I like the term home-free (analogous to car-free). You are living without a home by-choice.

Happy Feet

On my first tour I met a guy from Montreal who was riding to Vancouver to catch a freighter for some sort of practicum job associated with his Uni degree. He was going very cheap and we rode together for a day. He was an interesting cat so I sprung for a hotel to give us both a break (it was raining hard). His tires were so bald that he got about 4 flats in a row the next morning (again in the rain) and finally decided to hitch to the next town. A nice lady in a Volvo picked him up. Wonder what ever happened to him...

If you're gonna go on faith I suspect the right attitude and outgoing personality are important. I've never thought along those lines because I'm somewhat shy and introverted IRL.
Would probably starve

BigAura

As a teenager and into my 20's I did a good bit of hitchhiking (early 1970's). I was originally attracted to it cause I was into backpacking, and could hike in one direction and catch rides back. I later started hitchhiking from one backcountry location to another and backpacking for a while then moving on. Hitchhiking became another part of the adventure for me. A lot of people would pick you up so they could hear-your-story. Many times, that was the bargain, a ride for a story. I guess what Wes is doing has a lot of parallels, for a new era.

Mitkraft

indyfabz

Yeah. Post #30 lost me. Sounds way too contrived.

Paul Barnard

It must be nice to be able pass through life feeling no responsibility to contribute to society. I guess I have been doing it wrong being a productive and gainfully employed member of society. Maybe in my next life I can come back and live on perpetual vacation.

BigAura

I think the OP comes from a good place. He seems to be amazed at what his friend is doing. I find this all the time while out on tour, people are flabbergasted that you're riding your bike solo across the US (or whatever). To us, on this site, it's not that amazing. The OP was probably amazed and wanted to help his find get noticed.

My only problem with the OP was --> I felt he was initially misrepresenting how his friend financed his tour. He has since been more forthright. His friend does YouTubes and has voluntary donors following and supporting him. Sheesh, the Kardashians made a fortune having people watch them shop & whine.

BigAura

Personally: I've always pursued my touring as a self-supported endeavor. I like living with less, consuming less, and the feeling of living-in-the-moment. I like the concept of being self-sufficient and consider it part of the adventure of touring. For me self-sufficient means self-funded. I have the funds before heading out.

To OP: I think many on this site feel similar. When some see your friend heading out without any funds, they see this concept of self-sufficiency being ignored.

Happy Feet

I don't think there's anything wrong with it. The concept goes against the paradigm that many might have adopted but so what? He's being as open as Iohan Gueorguiev and many others. At least they are peddling a bike which is more than many social media influencers do. I think it would help to at least look at a couple of his videos (I did). Nothing sneaky going on.

mstateglfr 

Houseless
Homeless

6 of one half dozen of the other.

HUD says someone who lacks a fixed location regular residences for night is homeless. HUD says someone who has a fixed night residence thats overseen by a public or private organization and is for temporary living is homeless. HUD says someone who sleeps in a place that isnt meant for or usually used as a sleep location is homeless.


Homeless is often seen as a negative, but doesnt need to be. Someone in constant travel can have a great fulfilling life, yet not have a fixed night location.
Calling it houseless doesnt actually change anything, it simply makes some people cock their head sideways and wonder why the clarification is being made.

Happy Feet

One can also check out Karl Bushby who is currently doing the Goliath Expedition: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Bushby He basically depended on stipends from parents and donations yet will probably wind up being knighted at some point.

BigAura

I disagree --> Homeless is clearly a negative term as used in the general culture. Most homeless are not choosing to be homeless and would choose a safe & secure place vs. living out on the street. The majority of homeless are homeless cause of addiction, mental illness, abuse, and extreme poverty. Although it might be debated as to how much their personal actions locked them into that circumstance, they are generally pitied or look down on, by the general public.

Again personally I like home-free as a positive term, for those choosing to be without a home.

stevepusser

I watched a couple of the latest videos, since he was passing through the area of central California where I grew up (and walked across the muddy Santa Maria River bed instead of being able to find the separated bike path on the bridge above him to which he had been directed). I have to wonder how he will deal with possibly hundreds of dollars in fines if he gets stopped for running a red light or stop sign, as I saw documented several times in his own videos. He also seems pretty high on "buds" most of the time, and stopped at the top of a hill in the last one in the gloaming to "smoke" before going downhill, so the cops might add DUI to those charges, unless he has a valid medicinal reason for it (not "stress"). And since he can't give a permanent address and certainly won't be back to appear in court, that might be the end of his trip.

What's with the affectation of taking off his helmet to video himself as he rides? IMO, he would look a lot better with it on.

My advice would be to stop running lights and stop signs! Don't give the police any pretext to stop and harass you, dude!

J.Higgins 

I agree with your statement about a satisfying life on the road. If the person mentioned by the OP was in an RV, would he be homeless?

travelinhobo

Typical d-head response. Didn't realize hud was king of all. Let me bow to thee, for I'm not worthy as a female.

mstateglfr 

I dont think HUD is king of all. Never said that.
a commonly accepted and agreed upon definition needs to exist though.

I was simply saying that living without a home can be called whatever you want, in the end if not enough people know it as what you call it, your comment will be met with confusion rather than acceptance.

call it Forever Dancing on the Road of Life if you want. Doesnt change anything if what you call it isnt commonly accepted and isnt a better term.

also, I have no idea why you mentioned you are a woman. That's neither here nor there as far as my prior post was concerned.



I chuckled thst you call yourself a hobo, but are all bent out of shape over your terminology for what you call how you live.
that's some funny stuff.

MarcusT

Youtube has a video of a guy who biked penniless from Sweden to Germany. He would scavenge bike parts and camp, which was interesting , but once he talked about eating road kill, I could not watch anymore.

indyfabz

Legal in some U.S. states. For example, if you hit a deer, elk moose or antelope in Montana you may harvest it within certain rules, including no roadside dressing. If you think about it, it makes sense. Saves the state clean up costs.

J.Higgins 

I watched a movie entitled America Recycled. It was about two brothers who cycled from Florida to the west coast eating roadkill and eating out of dumpsters. It was quite the exercise in bohemianism.