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…

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.