Spyke
piefed.social

In the USA all we have to do is tell ICE that we are not a citizen and bam, all-expenses-paid vacation at some random spot in the world.

Tip to the wise: to facilitate re-entry when you are done, simply ensure that your passport is stored securely in your "travel wallet".

101
Denvilreply
lemmy.ml

Brave of you to assume they wouldn't accuse you of forging the passport with some twisted logic to keep you out of the country

29
tempestreply
lemmy.ca

You wouldn't be in jail if you weren't a criminal right?

14
dustyDatareply
lemmy.world

One of the greatest propaganda pieces, that is usually not perceived as such intentionally, is that anything having to do with penalties from justice systems is free. Penal justice usually do have statutes of free services, judge time and free legal counseling, but most other tribunals and also a lot of the penalties involved incur financial costs and debt into the convicted. House arrest, you either pay for the ankle tracker or a fine for the officer's hourly pay; mandatory anger management, mental health counseling, etc, you are footing the bill; civil damages, win or lose, attorney times have to be paid; deportation, the receiving country is billed for the plane ticket, room and food during travel, which usually they pass down to you; in the US, convicts have to work in order to access anything that is not basic care (food, water and electricity), usually for slavery wages. And a long list of etceteras.

The cliché of getting yourself arrested for a misdemeanor being cheaper than paying rent and food sounds quirky fun, until the reality of fines and fees of the associated process come through. Justice systems are mostly poverty manufacturing systems.

5

It's a difficult balance. Imagine you have a child that you bring with you on the plane and it being too young, cries throughout the entire flight. One action, one decision - and not by the child, obviously - impacts everyone around you.

Politicians tap into that innate sense of "hey, that's not fair!" to deliver whatever gives themselves the highest gains. Some want to uphold the status quo, others want to improve it, still others want to tear it all down and start fresh.

Ironically what I hear most often from tankies is that they agree with how Donald Trump is doing things (since I started us talking about specifically the USA in my original comment), and want him to dial the actions up even further.

So... it gets highly complex, real quickly.

1
lemmy.world

He's not wrong. It'll be a really shitty journey as it's just voluntary homelessness, but you can choose to live as a hobo if you're brave enough. And if you're brave enough you can cross borders without permission. Not a good idea at all, lots of walking, hunger, sleeping outside, and hiding from authorities, but hey, you can.

70
piefed.zip

Choosing homelessness when you have any other option isn't brave, it's fucking stupid.

29

"Homeless" can mean different things. It could mean "can't afford a home, can't keep a job" like the typical assumption, or it could mean "between homes but capable of getting another" or it could mean "has plenty of money but no home base, just sleeps in hotels or camps and can afford food and clothes when needed".

It's not a lifestyle I'd want right now, but it doesn't automatically mean one can't thrive. Humans were nomadic for millennia before agriculture gave us a reason and the ability to just stay in one spot.

16

They weren't being literal with the homelessness. And anyway, that statement is still a bit close-minded, while it obviously wouldn't be a comfortable experience, it is possible and not everything needs to be the smartest decision ever. Sometimes challenging yourself to do something extreme with lots of risk keeps you more alive than comfort could.

12

The line that separates courage and stupidity is always very thin, be it warfare or..... Checks notes..... TRAVEL

8

Lots of people walk or bike around the world.

What's more valuable to you? Having an experience that sounds outlandishly amazing? Or paying rent? We might not all agree.

7
Ajenreply
sh.itjust.works

Depends on your definition of homelessness. Living in a shitty, broken down van probably counts. But what about living in a $200k Mercedes Sprinter van converted to a camper, with a stable job that lets you work remote? What about a retired couple living in a 40' RV, after spending their working lives dreaming about traveling around the country?

6
piefed.zip

You're not homeless if you have a 200k sprinter, also it's not in the spirit of this post which claims that travel isn't a matter of money.

1

It's not a choice I'd personally make, but it's often associated with mental illness or a deep feeling of the need to be free (especially in young people). For the former it's associated with PTSD and feeling like if you no longer fit into normal life. For the latter it's kinda like backpacking across Europe, but across whatever continent you're on, often staying at punk houses and squats along the way.

2
Owlreply
mander.xyz

That’s great and all but please take a few step to the left, you are blocking the sunlight

18

Nobody said it isn't.

It is traveling and it doesn't require lots of money.

5
sopuli.xyz

Hobo sort of implies a migrant worker. Tramp is someone that travels about, but isn't interested in working. Both used to be associated with freighthopping trains. Do people stowaway on trains anymore?

6
lemmy.world

I have to assume some people still hop trains. At the very least some crust punk squatter types probably do

6
chunesreply
lemmy.world

I assume train hoppers have tricks to get inside boxcars. Also there are different types of cars besides tank cars and boxcars, like coil cars:

And open-top hopper cars:

2
chunesreply
lemmy.world

When you say shipping containers, do you mean these guys?

1
Tjareply
programming.dev

It's not travel in your (and to be honest, most people in the comments) preferred version. The OP never mentioned luxuries, or even comfort. The point is that if what you really want to travel, you most probably can, independent of your financial situation.

2
lemmy.world

Yeah, I get it that s/he is technically correct. I think that was pretty clear in my statement.

1

My point is: it's not technically correct, it's just plain correct. Plenty of people I know go for cycling tours of Europe, packing food and sleeping in tents. Some do two weeks hiking.

Travel is not only flying to the other end of the world and eating fancy food cooked for you by hired chefs... you can travel basically free if you adjust your expectations.

2
lemmy.world

Only stupid, rich people say stupid stuff like this.

Edit: added comma.

13
JennaR8rreply
lemmy.dbzer0.com

I'm convinced that people with excessive levels of wealth have fewer brain synapses than the rest of us living real lives of constant work & negotiating & constantly coming up with creative survival strategies.

11

I sincerely believe that being rich is bad some kinds of intelligence You don't have to deal with problems. You just brute force your way through with money. You don't have to practice restraint and delayed gratification. You can just buy the thing now.

2

I would say, someone who doesn't look at the cost of flight/hotel/etc. and just does on a whim.

2
lemmy.zip

No no no, it's the courage to leave without caring about losing all your worldly possessions 🙃

30
lemmy.ml

What do you do, exactly, to earn money for food/clothes in that lifestyle? That has always puzzled me

17

People that wander for a living usually live by a combination of charity and payments for odd jobs. For example, a small farmer might gladly part with some old clothes and provide a few meals and a bed in exchange for help with some tasks, and I've heard about people with a preternatural ability to couchsurf from city to city.

21
lemmy.dbzer0.com

Whatever you want to do. Go spend a season helping out ona farm in Hawaii, then go help build an ecovillage in Australia, then spend some time walking around New Zealand washing dishes and bussing tables, then off to India where you'll build rope bridges and tree houses for a sustainable community. After that, you can go to Thailand or Vietnam and teach English for a little while, before making your way into the Mediterranean and spending a year and a half on the island of Bozcaada helping an old man repair out building and herd goats.

That's literally what my friend did for over 5 years after one day he just decided to leave and had just enough money for a plane ticket to Hawaii from San Diego. Everything else was work and accommodations he found along the way. The only reason he came back was because of covid, and now he's an RN and makes a bunch of money and he hates his life and is in and out of rehab.

11
Aceticonreply
lemmy.dbzer0.com

Try doing that with a passport and the typical access to Education from, say Burkina Faso.

10

Yeah aside from money, a lot of people forget about passport privilege.

7
blarghlyreply
lemmy.world

Moving the goalposts. We can assume from context that they are speaking to an audience from developed nations.

2

This all started with:

A nomadic life can be cheaper than a sedentary one.

To which the previous poster added an example.

I'm pointing out that there are many other common contexts were things don't at all work like that.

By that "logic" of yours whenever a Western newspaper publishes a story about something that happened elsewhere in the World, it's "goalpost moving".

I think you're confusing your own "I don't give a shit about people not like me" mindset with the mindset of the entire audience here.

1
lemmy.world

Eto wi’de noon e ɗemngal laawɗungal leydi Burkinaa.

But since the rest of the thread is in English, I hope you'll forgive me for thinking of this in the context of predominantly English-speaking countries.

1

Well, the reason why I also included "typical access to Education" is that for those from countries whose main language isn't the most often spoken second language in the World, the most common way to learn it is at school.

0
Scubusreply
sh.itjust.works

I cant get people to pay me enough to live here, how can i rely on charity/people willing to pay me elsewhere? Literally i have no issue working, I just want to make enough money to survive

8

Literally just apply to teach English in Asia. Typically the wage is a solid middle class income, and you don't need to know anything about teaching or English.

You can also look into WWOOFing if you want to explore that.

0

The general issue with this is the amount of people who can do this, is literally one in a million basically. And I mean that in that if too many people tried to do it. It would quickly become unfeesable due to lack of opportunities. Not will or skill or even money

This is a great example of the expection to the rule.

2

Yeah, I have a friend. She emancipated herself from her family at 16 and got her GED. Worked nannying and waitresssing jobs when she needed money, but otherwise spent about 5 years traveling the world.

1
Gorkreply
sopuli.xyz

A lot have taken up being digital nomads. Not a bad way to make a living off you can get good Internet access somehow.

6

It's pretty easy to find it within a half days journey in most of the world now, most towns and cities will have public WiFi in some form.

I wish I could live like that, but medication and executive dysfunction makes it impossible. Hopefully in the future.

1
M137reply
lemmy.world

breathe*

breath is "taking a breath" or "out of breath", ends without an e sound (obviously).

1

who the fuck wants to tramp around russia? good way to get drone striked or sent to the front in a meatwave

1

Travel is great if that's your thing. But I've always despised privileged entitled douchebags who use travel as a big flex, and a metric to judge others with.

12

Can I pay with mental illnesses?
I'm not out of those, but would gladly transfer them to a financial institution.

9
zod000reply
lemmy.dbzer0.com

You can still travel, you just won't get far and might die. Courage!

10

I guess they meant you can travel locally or don't be afraid of going into debt? But that would still mean it's a matter of money

5

True, if you believe you can survive the border guard shooting at you you don't need any money at all.

4

The courage comes from having enough money to solve any known or unknown problem situations.

4

Maybe he meant you need the courage to stowaway on your preferred mode of transport.

e.g. the YouTuber gifgas travels by stowawaying on freight trains

or maybe you need the "courage" to rob a bank to get the money to pay for the travel expenses 😅

2

now I have a bit of courage left over to remove the headphone jack from all phones.

...you MONSTER ...

2
lemmy.world

this guy probably doesn't know what he's talking about but you can, in fact, travel without money. just not very far, very fast, or to a guaranteed location. i hitchhiked all around europe during my studies on semester breaks when i had lot of time and no money... i slept under bridges in a cheap sleeping bag or under a tarp on an alpine meadows and ate the cheapest grocery store items that didn't need cooking. i typically spent less while traveling than i would have spent if i stayed home (especially if i didn't need to pay rent during the summer).

3
HugeNerdreply
lemmy.ca

grocery store items

And this works without money ... how? Let me guess, your charm?

3

My brain automatically fill the "courage" dot as with "PIX" instead, i need to hold on buy stuff online

3

I mean obviously travelling fast is costing money.

But walking is free. Except for food.

Amd you could hire on a ship to work. It will take a few months until you get where you want to be. But you earn money while doing it.

2

I'm incredibly lucky to have parents whose jobs took us out of the USA. It's one of the things that made up for living in awful places like Louisiana and Arkansas. We weren't wealthy at all, and had to live with relatives at multiple points, but seeing how people in Europe and Asia lived opened my eyes.

2

Not all of them, clearly. If you avoid doing things due to a fear of dieing, you will never live. Being alive is not the same as living. Someone is a coma is alive, but they arent living. Living in fear is a half life. By your logic, we should never drive anywhere, because of the number of people who die in car accidents. We should not have skyscrapers, or power lines, or bridges, because the construction and maintainace of them is really dangerous and people could die.

0
lemmy.zip

The guy is right. You are all missing the point. How do you think prehistoric humans traveled? How did the humans travel from what is now Russia to North america to become the "Native Americans"? You think they charged it to their Amex? Or took out a second mortgage. No. If you want to travel, use your feet, hop a train, get a job on a ship and use it as free travel then quit. Traveling takes money, or courage, the less money you have, the more courage you need, the more money you have the less courage you need. Its not complicated.

-5

The difference is restrictions didn't exist as much. I can't just go to my local port and get a job on a ship without a resumé and experience, without a passport etc. The main lodging in modern life is buying or renting, so it's also pretty much homelessness unless you have a job lined up already. Even travel within the US, the best bet to sleeping without money is sleeping in a car/van (if you have one!) in something like a Walmart parking-lot (or a rest area)... even then it's going to depend on the area and you still might get hassled by cops (or now, maybe ICE).

And hell, if people lived the old way, I probably could do that. I can peel+chop+fry a potato (or most other vegetables) no problem. I'll sweep the floor, I can carry things, I'll help with important/risky things, and if I have food+shelter I don't particularly care about money. Admittedly, I would be higher risk of death at sea though (either heat-stroke or that I can't swim).

Though this is completely different in the EU... because of: Freedom To Roam, the Schengen Area, hostels.

EDIT: Also going back further, many humans could survive travelling that way likely because they were part of a group. Solo-travel this way is possible now, but I'd say it's a bit more than courage. It also takes knowledge and preparation, likely health, and again navigating risks. Not to say any of that is new for travel, though I'd say getting arrested or maybe ran over are. And this also falls back more into survival rather than travel for leisure as people think about it now.

6

I had $0 to my name and a junk truck, I sold the junk truck for scap, bought a ticket to fly 2,500 miles to a start i have never been to. To stay with a comunity I had never met or messaged. As a result I was having my phone bill paid, my room and board free, staying in a 1.5 mil home in L.A. county, then I got a free trip to Southern asia where I got to travel to 5 countries. I had free room and board, didnt spend a dime on travel. No catch, no danger, no suffering. $0 to see India, Napal, Myanmar, Cambodia, & south korea. I didnt know any of these things awaited me. All I knew was I was going to stay with a comunity i had not met. But I had courage and trusted in my Karma. And had the best years of my life. And was able to help thousands of people. Now I am known around the world by thousands as a kind and intelligent helper of humanity. And I have never been a social media or youtube influencer. I did it all accidentally. Because I had good karma, and courage. Not money.

1

How did the humans travel from what is now Russia to North america to become the "Native Americans"?

Lmao, that's a terrible point. How many of them do you think died getting there?

1
Tja
programming.dev

ITT: but first class tickets and 5 star hotels cost money!!!

Basically no one understands the message.

-16

You can travel by hitchhiking (free), walking (free), cycling (one bike costs) or even by volunteering on a ship (you might even earn money). You can sleep in a tent or couchsurfing or on said ship.

Everybody immediately goes to restaurants, transcontinental flights and hotels, of course you need money for that, but that's exactly not the point.

2
Tjareply
programming.dev

Walking, biking and couchsurfing is free. In most countries camping is free too.

1

Couchsurfing is free? No, it comes with the cost of having people who trust you enough to let you in their houses.

3