Thoughts on Hitchhiking

Ok, so I had another hitchhiking adventure yesterday, and while the thought is on my mind I’d like to reflect on my hitchhiking experiences as a nomad. First off, let’s talk about yesterday’s experience. I was out visiting a client, and I accidentally locked my keys in my car. So, the first feeling I had was of complete helplessness, but then I thought about how I could just hitchhike to my house to get my spare key.

So, I started going around the parking lot, and the second person I asked was able to give me a ride. He wasn’t going the whole way, but he dropped me off and I got another ride the rest of the way. I got my spare key, and then I tried to get a ride back to my car. This proved much more difficult than getting a ride to my house. Everyone that I approached said they weren’t going the direction I was headed. So, then I made up a sign on paper and held it out by the Freeway on-ramp. Nothing. I decided that I needed to go to another area with more people, so after walking to the nearby Smith’s, I tried again a few times. Still unsuccessful after 30 minutes of trying, I decided to give up.

It reminded me a lot of the feelings I had as a nomad. Now, the reason I wanted to hitchhike on my trip is because I thought it would be fun to meet new people. I wanted to maximize the amount of people I interacted with, so hitchhiking seemed perfect. Unfortunately, it was much harder to hitchhike in Arizona(and now in Vegas) than I had anticipated. I was so surprised at how scared people seemed when I would approach them as ask for a ride. I was wearing a black suit and tie yesterday, and a guy even mentioned how he felt a scared at the sight of me just standing around in my suit.

It made me realize that often, we keep ourselves from doing good because of our fear. There are many people that we could help that we don’t, because we are afraid to help. This was a thought that came very strong to me in Arizona that I hope to remember. I should never let my fear get in the way of me helping someone out who is in need.

Also, although the idea of hitchhiking is still very appealing to me, the necessity of hitchhiking no longer is. When I was hitchhiking in UT for two weeks, it wasn’t completely necessary. I still had a car that I could drive, but I wanted to make sure I could get around. Anyway, I wasn’t doing it out of necessity, and I knew that at any time I could go get my car. Well, when I really didn’t have the option of a car, I felt myself getting more frustrated with people’s lack of willingness to give me a ride. I was completely dependent on others, and so I was more emotionally involved in the process. I think hitchhiking is better when you are doing it merely for the fun of it, and not out of pure necessity.

Well, those were just some of the thoughts I had on hitchhiking from my trip and my experience the other day. I think if I ever want on another nomadic adventure, I’d want to live out of my car. I could still hitchhike and what-not, but it would take out the necessity of the act and in turn would make it more enjoyable. Anyway, just a thought…

Nomadic Negatives

Ok, well, I have to be honest. Being a nomad isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. So, here I’m going to talk about the different things that I haven’t really enjoyed as a nomad.

1) Memories are better when shared – It feels great to be able to go and do stuff every day, but, it gets lonely just wandering around by yourself. I’ve realized that a lot of activites are only fun because of the people that surround us when doing an activity. A lot of times the activity itself isn’t necessarily that exciting.

2) Not “having” to be anywhere is unfulfilling – One of the things I was excited about was the fact that I would have no strings attached and I could go anywhere at anytime. However, I also found that to be kkind of bothersome. I mean, maybe it’s because I was in Phoenix, and I’ve been there plenty of times, but I didn’t really have anything i really “had” to do each day. There wasn’t anything noteworthy that I had heard of that I wanted to see in Phoenix. Also, because it was a holiday, there weren’t too many people working. So, I kind of wandered around restlessly during the day. I felt kind of useless and unambitious because I didn’t have enough to do.

3) Planned spontaneity isn’t spontaneous – One of my opinions is that vacations should never be planned. You should only plan the destination. This makes way for more spontaneity, and so the events are more fun, just because of the fact that they were unplanned. Well, when spontaneity is a way of life, it takes a lot of the fun out of it. When you don’t know where you are going to sleep every night, it is no longer spontaneous trying to find a place to sleep, it’s how you live.

4) I feel like a mooch – This question came up from people about whether I thought I’d feel like a mooch. I didn’t really think so. My thought was that it would be like sales. Yes, my ability to live would be dependent on others, but that’s the same for a salesman. YOu just have to learn to gain people’s trust, and your success is based upon your ability to do so. Well, I felt like a mooch. I felt like people offerent me things out of sympathy, not because they genuinely wanted to enjoy the journey with me. I hate feeling like a burden to people.

5) I felt gross – I thought that if I brought normal clothes, had enough to wear clean shirts every day, and if I showered and shaved every day, that I would feel normal. Nope. I still felt kind of dirty. I had to wear the same pair of jeans every day, and they were getting dirty by the end of the week. I also was a little gross after walking around all day.

6) Hitchhiking harder outside UT – I know, everybody told me it would be, and I knew it would be as well, but I was kind of surprised. People won’t even roll down their windows or acknowledge you when trying to ask for rides. Of course these were all rides I was trying to get around town, so, there are a lot of variables to look at, but, the people of Phoenix seemed very frightened of a hitchhiker.

Ok, these are the main things that I haven’t liked about being a nomad so far. I think the main thing I didn’t like was feeling like I was a mooch and that I was unambitious with anything I needed be doing. It made me want to have a more normal existence where I can provide for myself and do my own thing. I’ve always been very independent, and I felt the strains of my dependence on others. I didn’t like that feeling.

There are some things I really enjoy and that I’ve learned so far as well. I’m going to put those in the next post. I’ve just been analyzing lately the things I haven’t liked as much as I thought.

Different Than I Thought

Ok, yesterday was my first official day as a nomad. I stayed in a hotel with my parents on Wednesday night, but I didn’t have any place to stay last night. So, it was pretty eventful.

To start out the day, I just went over to the Fiesta Mall in Mesa to sit and chill. I had a phone interview with the Associated Press at 10 AM, and then I also had a live radio interview with KSL News Radio around noon. I was very happy to see that the Air Force vs Houston game was being played on a TV in the mall, so I kept myself occupied between interviews watching that game.

One thing I was suprised with was that I just didn’t really feel like I had anything to do. I mean, I’ve lived in the Phoenix area before, so, I don’t have the desire to walk around and explore that I normally will have when visiting a place for the first time. I just planned on being here so that I could have a fun New Years Eve. So, I did feel kind of bored during the day.

Well, I have a friend from college that said I could stay with her family, so, she texted me her address and I decided to head on over to her place. I decided to try and test out my hitchhiking skills. I definitely had some problems, but it was mostly because of my frame of mind. It just feels a lot different here. Anyway, I finally went up to a car and tried to get a girl to roll down her window so I could ask for a ride. She gave me this death stare and then shook her head. haha, it was pretty funny. But, then I decided that maybe that approach won’t work too well here, and that I’ll need to talk to people before they get in their cars.

So, my next approach was to a guy at a gas station. I walked up to him and asked him how he was doing, and he said, “I don’t have any money dude”. Haha, wow, do I really look like one of those guys? After talking to him, we we’re joking about how I don’t really look like a drug addict, but anytime anybody approaches him at a gas station, it’s normally because of money. Well, he wasn’t going my direction, but, I think I’ll probably approach people outside their cars from now on.

Now, I didn’t really ask for more rides after that, but, I didn’t really NEED to be anywhere. So, I was totally fine just walking. It was fun to be able to walk outside in the awesome weather. Without a time constraint or anywhere to be, it was hard for me to motivate myself enough to get a ride. That’s something that I had when I was in Provo because I had to get to work in good time.

Anyway, my flip flops aren’t broken into well enough yet, so my feet were getting sore where the strap was rubbing. So, I kept taking them off to walk barefoot down the street. That’s why my calves are nice and sore today.

I ended up walking to a restaurant where I met up with some friends for dinner. I hung out with them most of the night. However, I never knew where I was going to sleep since I hadn’t met up with the girl who was going to let me stay at her house. I didn’t want to stay at her house unless I hung out with her, since I was going to be out pretty late. Well, it wasn’t until late, like 2 am, when I was at a New Year’s afterparty, that I found a place to stay. I was just talking to some girls that I had met before, and they offered me a place to stay. I ended up staying with one of their friends, who I hadn’t met until just then. An interesting turn of events.

So, my first day was quite an interesting one. I had a great time for New Years, and I really enjoyed hanging out with my friends. I was able to find a place to stay, even though I didn’t know where I was going to be for the majority of the night. I think if I’m fine sleeping on the grass, then it’s easier for me to remain calm about finding a place. I just have to be positive that things will work out, and, well, they did.

No car, and first interview…

Ok, so, a couple posts ago I was trying to decide whether or not I should bring a car with me on my trip. After thinking about it some, I decided that I definitely didn’t want to bring a car with me. However, then I started thinking of selling my car. I mean, one of the main reasons I was thinking of bringing a car is so that once I decide to stop in a place, I can live there. I wouldn’t need to arrange to get my car or anything else. Well, if I sell my car, the same thing would be true. I would still try to do the trip without using my money, but then if I end up wanting to live some there, I could use the money from selling my car to get transportation.

So, I wasn’t completely sure whether or not I wanted to sell my car, but the idea of having no possessions that would restrict my freedom appealed to me. I felt pretty good about it, so I decided to list my car for sale on Craigslist and KSL.com. After I had posted the car(I also posted my road bicycle), I started getting a bunch of calls from people. This is when I realized that I really didn’t want to sell my car. It made me really nervous to talk to people about it, and so I figured I should take it off the market. It didn’t last too long, but at least now I know that I don’t want to sell my car.

Now I’m back where I started. I’m not bringing my car with me, and I’m not selling it. I’ll still be doing my trip just like planned. I’ll hitchhike around the country by starting out with no money. Should be a good time.

I also talked to a reporter from the Deseret News today. It was a phone interview, and it was pretty fun. The part I found interesting were the questions she asked me. Most of my friends want to know what I’ll do in certain situations and the purpose behind the trip. She didn’t ask me at all about WHY I’m going on this trip. She asked more questions about what other people thought, how I got the idea, what I would do every day, etc. I guess it was interesting because she seemed to have less emotion connected with her questions than most people do. I guess reporters probably have to do that. Just get the facts and not get emotionally involved into the stories they are reporting on.

Anyway, she says that she will need to talk to her photographers and see if any of them are available to come and take pictures of me. They are busy during this time of year, so if none are available, I just told her I could have a friend take pictures of me getting rides or something. I guess we’ll see how it goes.

Car or No Car?

Now, a lot of people have asked me whether or not I will bring my car on this expedition. Up until now, that answer has always been a strong “no”. However, now that I have some nomadic experience under my belt, I have started to consider the option of bringing my car.

I just moved out of Provo and into my parent’s house in W. Jordan. So, my two weeks of nomadic beta-testing have successfully finished, and now it’s crunch time. I’ve gotten a taste of what it’s like to have to hitchhike everywhere and always still some place else. Now I can use that experience to determine whether I should make any changes to the game plan.

As far as a car is concerned, there are certain reasons why a car would be helpful. I think the question really comes down to what my main purpose of the trip is. Well, one of the things that I am looking forward to on the trip is freedom. You know, I have all of my possessions in a backpack, so I can get up and go whenever I feel like it. However, my freedom is actually limited to my ability to get assistance from others.

One of the things I was thinking about is how when I stay with people, I feel obligated to spend time with my hosts. I mean, most of the time when people invite me to stay at their house, they probably are doing it for the experience of having me there, and use becoming acquainted. I’ll have many great stories to tell, and if they are up for taking me out on the town, then we could do that. However, some nights, I may just want to go exploring on my own. If I’m staying with somebody, I wouldn’t feel comfortable coming back at 1 in the morning. But, if I have my own car, I could always just crash in my car, so I could plan on staying out later certain nights.

I also see a car being very handy if I want to go on dates or what not. Obviously, people will understand my lack of transportation when I’ve explained my trip idea. But, trying to take girls out on dates without a car is just much more difficult.

The thing I like about not having a car is that I’m never tied down. I mean, if I want to fly from California to Florida, I then have to worry about where to put my car and how to get it back. So, having a car will limit my options as far as that is concerned.

Another thought is that I will still probably do a lot of the same things if I have a car. I’ll still try to hitchhike as much as possible because it’s cheaper, and it’s fun to meet people every day. I’ll still want to stay at people’s houses, because sleeping in a car every night just can’t be that comfortable. I’ll still want to go to work with different people and learn about occupations and locations.

I guess the question just comes down to what my purpose for this trip is. To me, the idea of hitchhiking around the country just sounds way cooler and is way fun to tell people. But, will it be easier for me to achieve my objectives with or without a car? One of my thoughts is that if I want to stay and live in a place for a month or two, I could easily do that with a car. Once I find what I want to do, I can just park and stay there. Whereas, if I don’t have  a car, I would have to arrange how to get my car eventually.

If my purpose is genuinely to find something else to do in my life, then it seems like taking a car would be a better option. It would give me a lot more flexibility to stop and live in a place if I feel like it’s a good fit. However, if my purpose is really to have an adventure, then going without my car is probably a better fit. Having a car definitely takes out some of the fear and anxiety which I was excited about, but it might be a more practical way to accomplish what I’m actually looking to get out of this trip.

Will Strangers Help Me?

I just decided this morning to quit my wholesalematch.com job. I just wasn’t feeling it, and I thought it would be hard for me to be mentally into my work. I would have liked to make some more money this week from my job, but it looks like I definitely will be going on this trip without any money. I think I’m just getting excited to go on my trip, and I didn’t think the money was worth the extra week at a job I don’t enjoy that much.

Now, as far as my beta-testing period has been going; I’ve been really enjoying it. Getting a ride around Provo is actually really easy. I think it will be even easier when I’m in a place where I don’t know that many people. I’ve only had two people say no to me so far, and I’ve been asking for rides every single day. I’m not extremely confident asking for rides because I’m just “practicing” at this point. I mean, I don’t like to tell people that it’s just practice, and that I really could be driving around in my own car. I’ll prefer it much better when I have to hitch hike out of actual necessity. I don’t really like asking for rides at night, so I’ll have to do my best to get rides during the day on my trip, because it just feels kind of weird asking people at night.

As I’ve been spending nights at different places, I’m realized that trying to stay at a different place every night is kind of unrealistic. I mean, I could probably do it, but I feel like I’m using somebody just for a place to stay when I only stay for a night. I prefer to stay for a few days because then I get to know people better and share more experiences with them. I think I’d like to stay with people for 2-3 days because after about 3 days I just feel like I’m overstaying my welcome. So, with every person I stay with, I should have a discussion with them about how long they will let me stay, and then I can make plans around that. I’m pretty sure the hardest thing on my trip is going to find different places to stay on a regular basis. So, I’ll try to schedule places to stay in advance, because that would be pretty nerve-racking if I don’t have a place to stay at night on a certain day.

One of the things I keep telling people about my trip is how I’m sure that when I meet people, tell them about my story, and become friends with them, that they will want to help me out. Even as I’ve been getting ready for this trip, I’ve seen how people are anxious to help me out. A lot of people don’t understand exactly why I’m doing what I’m doing, but it’s mostly kids my age that don’t quite understand. Suprisingly, most of the older generation seem to be more excited and understanding of the trip.

Anyway, there is this guy that I talked to on the phone a while ago from my phone sales job. I talked to him a month or two ago when I was really trying to figure out what I should do, and when I was analyzing whether I should go on this trip or not. Even though the initial purpose of the call was to sell him, he ended up giving me some good advice about my situation. Well, I sent him an email today to let him know what I was up to. He was very excited about the trip, and he gave me a generous donation, which I was very surprised about. It’s interesting to me because we’ve never met, and we had a thirty minute conversation a month ago. Despite that, he is so willing to help me out, and I feel like I could call him up if I ever get to his state. In reality, I anticipate lots of different things happening like that. I know that as I interact with many different people every day, I’ll often be surprised at the help that people will offer me after knowing them for only a short time.

Lots of people wonder how I’ll find places to stay when I don’t know anybody in a certain city. I explain how I expect people to offer help by just talking to them and telling them what I’m doing. From my own experience by knocking doors for two summers, and through my other experiences of meeting people at random events, I’m confident that people are much more willing to help strangers than most people think.

No Towel

While thinking of this trip, i continue to try and figure out ways to minimize what I bring with me. One thing I’ve decided isn’t a necessity is a towel. So, in the morning after I take a shower, I just air dry. I thought this would be annoying, but it’s actually not too bad. Anyway, random thought, but I thought you might enjoy a little tidbit of what it’s like to try and be a nomad. No luxuries.

Well, today I got my first blatant rejection while asking for a ride. I was kind of upset, although I shouldn’t blame people for not wanting to give a ride to a random guy that walks up to their car and asks for one. However, it did kind of psych me out mentally, and so today was an off day for getting rides. I was second guessing myself too much. Rather than pre-judging people and deciding whether or not I think they will give me a ride, I should just ask whoever and let them decide. I’ve also decided that I’m not a huge fan of waving down cars. I’ve just had better experiences asking for rides from people that are stopped. So, I walked quite a bit today. Asking for rides is one of those things that makes me nervous whenever I think about it. But every time I do it successfully, I have a great experience and think it’s the best way to get around.

I got a new backpack yesterday. and it’s working out nicely. Kory from Out N Back hooked me up and gave me a great deal. It has been great to get used to the pack I’ll be using on my actual trip. My shoulders have been getting kind of sore, so, I guess I just need to get a little stronger. Maybe I need to start doing shoulder exercises?

Hitchhiking

Well, I have officially moved out of the Big Tan today and into my car. I put all remaining possessions of mine into my car, and thought that I wanted to live out of it. However, when I was talking to my friend Aaron Haslam, I realized the danger of using my car since it isn’t registered. I can’t afford to get a ticket at this time, so, I better not drive it around and park it on the street. It looks like I’ll be getting some practice this week in the art of hitchhiking. I borrowed a backpack from Aaron, and I’ll just try to leave my car in the parking lot of my old house, and make my way around town by getting rides from people.

I consulted Seth about his methods for hitchhiking, and he gave me some pretty good ideas. He said it is better to just go to a gas station and ask for rides, rather than sticking your thumb up by an exit. That’s what I was pretty much planning on doing anyway for my trip, but, it was nice to hear my plan confirmed. Also, for hitchhiking around a city, he said he just waves down cars and asks for rides. I tried it twice today, and it seemed to work just fine. The second guy I got a ride from told me that I should bring mace or something on my trip because of the danger of hitch hiking. It’s interesting, because I’ve always disregarded the worries that people have about hitchhiking, but, I wonder if some of those concerns are more legitimate than I’m making them out to be. So, I decided I’d like to make a study of documented incidences that have happened as a result of hitchhiking. So, if any of you can find any news stories or anything on the subject, please bring them to my attention. Just go ahead and post them in comments about this post.

Go by foot or car?

The more I’ve thought about traveling, the more confused I’ve become as to whether or not it will really solve the problem. In reality, I just want to feel fulfilled and happy, and I just haven’t felt that way since I’ve graduated. I look back at these last few months, and they have kind of been a waste. I haven’t really done a whole lot, and I just have not been happy with any of the jobs I have. Upon further reflection of this unsatisfied feeling, I’m wondering if a lot of it has to do with the fact that I’m in Provo. I have loved Provo for the last couple of years, but now that I’m graduated, I just don’t feel like I fit here anymore. I think it’s time for me to move on.

So, it may not even be the fact that I’ve hated the jobs I’ve had, although I haven’t thoroughly enjoyed all of them. It could be more that I’m just restless and ready to move on, and I won’t be completely happy with what I’m doing until I pick up and go.

I also think that my feeling of satisfaction has a lot to do with my social life. That is something that is really struggling here in Provo. It’s weird, but for me, the longer I am in one place, the less social I am. When I’m new, I’m extremely outgoing and much less shy. The more comfortable I get and the longer I live in one place, the more reserved I become. It’s like I have that feeling in the beginning that I really don’t care what people think, but then the longer I’m in a place, I care more and more what people think. So, for my social life, it actually might be the best thing for me to go move somewhere else.

After thinking about all these things, I really do think it would be in my best interest to move in December. Now, it’s deciding how I want to move. Do I want to just drop off all my stuff at my parent’s house and be a wanderer on my own with no money? Or, do I decide where I want to move to and drive there and start my life there. Well, one problem is that I really haven’t been to many places in the country, so I don’t really have any specific place in mind that I’d like to live. There is a company in Salt Lake that I’d like to work for, but, I don’t know, that just seems so uneventful. I wonder if I’ll still feel the same restless feeling if I’m living in Salt Lake.

I’ve also been thinking about all the experiences I’ve had that have contributed to my growing desire to get out and see more of the country. My very first experience was in the MTC, when one of my teachers was talking about how he worked for an airline, and every weekend he would just fly to a country and hang out there for a few days. I thought that sounded so fun and so I wanted to do the same thing when I got back. Then, last summer Josh Pratt mentioned how he would like to hitchhike across the country. Once again, I thought that sounded so much fun and I was completely down for the idea. Then, there were some trips that I went on that made me realize how much I love going on trips and just having to figure things out. When I went to a national park with Josh Pratt and Chelsea that we didn’t plan on going to. Then, there was the time I was going to Disneyland, but because of a car crash I ended up spending the weekend in Cedar City. Those trips were so much fun because I didn’t know how things were going to be when I went on the trip.

In conclusion, I’ve pretty much decided that I need to move somewhere. But the questions still remains whether or not I want to move with my car and possessions somewhere, or if I want to completely rough it, and just kind of wander and explore the country. Hmmm, I’ll have to reflect more on this…