I have hit the road.
After a month of deliberation and semi-planning I took off from Maine. I landed in Atlanta December 8th after a few tribulations – losing my wallet, missing my flight, losing my book (on vagabonding) – and immediately headed out dancing. A great relief.
My plan to travel has been spurred by many factors, but the principal one which gave me the idea to travel without a home was reading the Four Hour Workweek and coming to the conclusion that my life wasn’t really on any particular road and I was just doing what had been presented to me – not what I had chosen for myself. I had lost my job, had multiple reasons to leave New York City behind not least the exceptional expense of living there, my ties of being in a relationship were over all of which created an opportunity.
Perhaps I should have done a bit more prep and research before I left, but I’ve spent almost a month in Atlanta (with a week trip to Asheville) which has served as a gestation period for my ideas and route through the U.S.
Things I would have prepared a little differently for:
- wait an extra week or two to pad my accounts
- get my motorcycle license
- line up a bit more work in Atlanta (I tried this but it didn’t work out)
- research vagabonding a bit more
If you are planning a vagabonding trip I recommend a few resources to start:
- Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel by Rolf Potts
- The Four Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss
- Vagabondish.com – A Travelzine for Today’s Vagabond
There are many more which would come in handy that you’ll discover on your own. Starting with Vagabonding and Four Hour Workweek will definitely give a jumpstart to your dreams of leaving the assumed real world behind.
SlackerReform 