Up and Leave this old life

I did it plenty. It was never hard for me to just cut loose and travel. I had a good trade tho and all I needed was a little bag of tools and a little bag of clothing. I've walked away from cars(58 chevy station wagon on Maui--saw it later full of hippies) another nice little restored 55 plymouth, antiques,people and many sets of furniture and household stuff. About 5 years was the limit in any one place for me and I would save up a couple a' grand ,pack my limited shit and be GONE. Lived in cars,vans, apartments,houses,jungles and beaches and a 38 foot Trimaran.Can't or rather not sure it would be wise now----but if someone came up with something tempting--something interesting--I might just get on it. I hope you do it sometime ,Chris. It's kind of a limited time span that these travels are easy.

 

I find that the wandering bug hits me more often now that I am older and somewhat bored, especially during winter. I want to feel those warm breezes and have sunshine on a more regular basis. I plan on traveling a lot after this coming fall....We'll see how it all works out.... And yes, there really is a time limiting span..

 

Wanderlust is a beautiful thing. May it never leave you. Being in a strange city, on a dark highway, or a hard pavement with cold wind at your back, broke, hungry, lonely. Your values come into sight. Dreams and goals are made standing on that hard pavemnt as a semi trucks back draft whips your hat off.

 

Romanticize all you want...
..believe me, wanderlust is a curse.
A curse that arrives on a lonely wind
may that wind never blow your way.

 

You're 23, do it! I got married at 25 because I thought it's was I was supposed to do. I felt suffocated, like I didn't have the chance to live. My life was school, finding a husband, getting married, building a career, buying a house in the suburbs, getting a BMW, fancy clothes, etc. But that was never who I was.

At 35, I was given the chance to transfer to Western Europe with my job. I gave up my entire life... the house, my marriage, most of my money to come here, and it was the best decision of my life.

Life in Europe is so much more laid back than in the US. I get 6 weeks of vacation, I work 37.5 hours/week, I ride my bike, hang out in the park or at the beach and smoke joints while my friends jam. It's a good life.

I know working 37.5 hours/week is still a grind, but it's far less of a grind than working 40+ in the US with 2 weeks off/year. I travel a lot, I spend several weeks in Thailand this past winter and Amsterdam and Berlin are easy a long weekends, Christiania is an hour away on the train.

The point of this rambling is that I believe some people have the wanderlust and some don't. If you're one who does, it will not go away, it will only get worse. So go... see the world, be free. There's plenty of time to settle down later if that's what you want to do. But better to sort that out now, then later when other people's hearts are involved.

Edited to say...

I see you've sorted it out. Good for you! I'm leaving my original post in case it might help someone else. Peace.

 

I saw your age, read your quest and noticed you said, "older hippies". I am an aging hippie out of the late 60's-70's and still living my self made lifestyle. My husband and I sold everything we had ever worked and saved for to buy a fifth wheel and live the free life. We travel everywhere. We make friends, do as we want. My big wish right now here in northern minnesota [3 months of cool summers] is that a big caravan full of gypsies, hippies, rainbows and tinkers would pull in here. we retired off pensions and the sale of our house. We own nothing except our rig and diesel to tow it. We need never be anywhere and can go where we want, leave and change neighbors as some change their jeans. Loving the freedom and living in peace.

 

I too am an aging hippie chick and I say go for it! I do applaud you for being level-headed about it. Be careful and try to keep your back covered.

But in the end, you just gotta go for it!

 

I read your post a couple of times. You had fun and excitement. It was daring to give up everything to travel. Wasn't that when 1 br. apartments were cheap, sometimes just a 50$ deposit. Now days, you need money to process the app, first and last month, plus deposit [which is usually a mo. rent] Just to move in could cost you about $1800 . It is more complicated today to do everything. OR... is it age, not willing to keep losing everything and starting all over. Travel trailers are a good way to hit the road, any kind of RV. Very interesting post. thanks

 

Hi again. did you see my cactus from yuma, AZ? it is by the territorial prison museum. I love Yuma. I love the desert. I can't talk my husband into wintering in New Mexico. I want to head more north to Santa Fe and get into some of the art colonies. I would settle for Yuma [winter] Flagstaff [summer]. Were you affected by any of the fires/smoke damage? Wondering, just saw that you live in AZ. cactus is in one of my albums. thanks for the advice, yes I always watch my back, I am street smart.

 

I know a lot of times we feel like there are so many things holding us down or stopping us from just packing up and exploring.
But it's your world. You have the power to create it the way you want to.
You are able to do the things you want to.

If you want to do it, do it and don't think twice about it!
Everything always happens for a reason and finds a way of working out.

 

I don't see your Yuma photos. I'm looking in the wrong place, I think

The fires didn't come this far north (I'm in Tucson), but we've had them here in years past.

Santa Fe is lovely. So is Flagstaff. The forest and mountains are breathtaking. Let me know if you head down my way

Lauren

 

Maybe this is what I can do. I am sorta banking on leaving for Hawaii once my youngest is grown. He is only 7 right now though. It is crazy. I think so many of us here have had similar lives and similar goals.