I'm gonna quit my job on March 30th and travel around the country via thumb in the wind/CL rideshare for two or three months. Planning on using https://www.couchsurfing.org as well as doing a bit of camping. I'm heading to Savannah, GA then southwest towards Austin, TX. Eventually I'll travel up the California coast into Oregon and maybe Washington state before heading back east.

Anyone here done this sort of thing before, and have good advice for life on the road?

3/15/2013 4:00:41 PM

good luck explaining to potential new employers this stint of unemployment...

3/15/2013 4:01:34 PM

^ 0 fucks given/YOLO

[Edited on March 15, 2013 at 4:02 PM. Reason : .]

3/15/2013 4:02:29 PM

Hope you don't get raped or murdered!

3/15/2013 4:02:55 PM

don't get killt

3/15/2013 4:03:34 PM

Thanks guys... I'm definitely taking a little .22 Magnum w/ me.

3/15/2013 4:04:18 PM

1) Delete months of employment dates from your resume. Leave years. This goes for anyone at any level
2) Make up a reason for why you left for the interview
3) Tell them you decided to travel for a bit before re-entering the work force
4) Get job

Pretty sure they will care more about why you left and less about why you decided to uhhh travel the fucking world because travelling is awesome and everyone should do it.

I'm Krallum and I approved this message.

3/15/2013 4:04:54 PM

post pictures/updates here. Good luck!!

3/15/2013 4:21:17 PM

Quote :

"good luck explaining to potential new employers this stint of unemployment..."

That is a terrible excuse for not doing something that could be interesting and enriching. I would literally be ashamed of myself if I ever said something like that.

How will he ever explain that he settled his affairs ahead of time and took planned time off for personal growth???? Oh, the horror!

[Edited on March 15, 2013 at 4:24 PM. Reason : l]

3/15/2013 4:22:23 PM

Yeah, I've considered taking a year off/quitting to do the Appalachian trail, I don't think explaining that to a future employer will be all that hard.

3/15/2013 4:23:59 PM

^I guess it depends on your employer. I did a lot of traveling after graduation and it looks like a gap--but I just said that I took the opportunity to travel and write, which is relevant to my field so no one exactly thought that strange. If you're in a more technical field they may not care about your cultural experiences and traveling.

3/15/2013 4:29:03 PM

We talked my brother out of hitchhiking a few years ago. He's lives and works in the Asheville/Brevard area and hikes/kayaks a lot. It's fairly common to hitch rides to and from trail heads or launches, so he figured he'd be able to find an easy ride to and from Raleigh on the side of the highway.

While it's fairly common in other parts of the word, and certain areas of the US, I'd imagine you'll have a difficult time getting a ride on the side of the road. If you stick to CL and plan ahead, you might have a better chance.

He did eventually get into biking and found an old but very good travel bike. He biked the entire coast of CA (LA to Oregon) in a month and a half, then got a cheap bus ticket to head north to Washinton to stay with a buddy.

And the "if it was me" comment: Get a cheap car/motorcycle if it's just you and a backpack. I'd much rather spend one day a week picking up day labor type work to afford gas than have to rely on others for rides. It'll give you some freedom in choice as to where you go and when you leave.

^Depending on the field, a lot of employers would see excursions as a benefit. There's a big difference between "not working and traveled the country" and "not working and shotgunning our resumes from your parents basement".

[Edited on March 15, 2013 at 4:45 PM. Reason : ]

3/15/2013 4:42:50 PM

Just remember the rules of the road

3/15/2013 7:45:32 PM

TTT

3/18/2013 7:05:44 AM

WTF, aaronburro?

You're like the worst person ever.

3/18/2013 8:00:50 AM

it is a reasonable concern, employers like to hire employed people a lot more than unemployed people

3/18/2013 8:10:48 AM

We can disagree on whether or not it's a reasonable concern, but I'm sure we can definitely agree that aaronburro sounds like a horrible mom.

3/18/2013 8:18:47 AM

"I see here on your resume that you took a quarter of a year off to be a bum. Tell me how that experience enriched you?"

I had to suck a trucker's dick to avoid sleeping in a ditch on the side of the road and getting raped by coyotes. Several times. It illustrates how I can creatively triumph over adversity.

"...uh. Hrm."

3/18/2013 8:18:53 AM

Quote :

"WTF, aaronburro? You're like the worst person ever."

quoted for truth

3/18/2013 9:22:41 AM

^^

3/18/2013 3:52:40 PM

^^^Rape is a serious crime can we use something else like... mauled?

I'm Krallum and I approved this message.

[Edited on March 18, 2013 at 3:58 PM. Reason : ]

3/18/2013 3:58:32 PM

If you end up getting a ride from a dude who raped a 14 year old girl in some foreign country, then proceeds to pin somebody against a wall and bear hug someone else, smash, smash, saaaaamash him in the head with your hatchet.

3/18/2013 4:05:02 PM

Metricula hosted some people from https://www.couchsurfing.org. She also made a thread about it: message_topic.aspx?topic=591317

3/18/2013 4:05:44 PM

do you have a penny stove?

those are like the best for tramping

3/18/2013 4:22:36 PM

I've done that before. Did it for a Charlotte race and a couple let me in their house after the race. I was pretty drunk and they lent me their extra room. 4 months later they were In raleigh for business and hit me up. Then we all got drunk and they stayed in my extra room. Pretty cool system if you don't mind strangers

3/18/2013 4:35:45 PM

http://www.jureystudio.com/pennystove/

--

also, what kind of vehicle are you doing this in?


[Edited on March 18, 2013 at 5:51 PM. Reason : -]

3/18/2013 5:27:00 PM

Quote :

"also, what kind of vehicle are you doing this in?"

The only vehicle I'm taking is my Specialized commuter bike. Planning on doing a lot of CL Rideshare, hitching, buses, trains, etc.

Cool share on the penny stove tip...

4/4/2013 5:07:33 AM

Also, I decided to get one more week of work in. If anyone wants my old job click here...

message_topic.aspx?topic=635912

4/4/2013 5:08:45 AM

countdown til TragicNature is found face-down in a ditch






with shrooms

4/4/2013 5:09:14 AM

^Highly unlikely, unless of course I'm somewhere in Kansas/Oklahoma and a tornado touches down. In a ditch is one of the safest places you can be in that situation. Always remember that...

It might save your life, yunnastan?

4/4/2013 5:25:32 AM

I do love my shrooms though.

4/4/2013 5:25:57 AM

I loved your shrooms too

4/4/2013 5:27:06 AM

Quote :

"Anyone here done this sort of thing before, and have good advice for life on the road? "

Watch Craigslist Joe.

Seriously.

http://www.craigslistjoe.com/

4/4/2013 5:44:21 AM

Yeah I watched it a month or so ago.

I hope my trip is 1000x cooler than his was. His shit was kinda lame.

But thanks for the suggestion nonetheless. 4 realz

4/4/2013 5:47:03 AM

very jealous

had a friend quit his job and bike with a few other people from san jose down south through the desert into texas and then onto florida

sounds fun and I have no advice but I do think biking would be safer/more self-sufficient

gl

4/4/2013 6:22:50 AM

Quote :

"Thanks guys... I'm definitely taking a little .22 Magnum w/ me."

make sure you have a concealed carry permit!!

4/4/2013 9:01:30 AM

there is an old creepy looking guy hitchhiking on the road I take to get to work... he's got serial killer written all over him. and when you stop at the stop sign or drive past him, he gives you a death stare.

4/4/2013 10:54:49 AM

keep us updated on your progress in this thread plz

4/4/2013 11:47:09 AM