Unlimited time, limited money, what would you do?

Dork · Post by **Dork** » Wed May 28, 2008 3:40 pm

As soon as my house sells I'm planning on checking out of society for a while. The origional plan was to do the standard backpacker travel thing, but once I started realizing there were other possibilities, other free/cheap options started appearing. Meditation workshops, volunteering, etc. It looks like BWOB is finishing up in Peru and Burma may or may not open up for general volunteers. The house may not sell before the end of Summer, which cuts off a few long distance hiking options in the US.

I will have no bills, a little money, and no need to settle down at any specific time. What would you do?

Post by **AntiM** » Wed May 28, 2008 4:15 pm

We're presuming a level of health and fitness I don't actually have .... go to every National Park, many of the National Monuments and a buttload of the state parks too. Hike my ass off.

Then hit as many of the Wonders of the World, ancient and natural, as possible.

And climb mountains. Learn to dive. Go spelunking.

Go to every museum I can find. I got a thing for museums.

Given my actual physical status? Make more art, volunteer locally, visit family, teach. Travel, yes, but it wouldn't be as strenuous as I'd prefer. Most of which I can do right now as it is.

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Wed May 28, 2008 4:15 pm

Have good day every day

Post by **AntiM** » Wed May 28, 2008 4:30 pm

And on further thought: throw money at my brother's cancer, if I can't buy a cure for it, he could have a kick-ass time on the way out and know his family was provided for. Which I would resent, his family sucks at self-reliance, but I'd do it for him.

And send my friends to school, full ride with pocket money.

And get Dad's house fixed up.

And help my SIL in NM, because when my other brother died of cancer he left her with a pile of bills and no insurance.

And get a Harley and a pick-up and a Dodge Road Runner for mylarry, and anything else he wants, because he really rocks my world.

And pick up the tab for Burning Man one year. You did say "unlimited."

lonestoner916 · Post by **lonestoner916** » Wed May 28, 2008 4:38 pm

It all depends on whether or not you wish to remain stateside. If I were you I would take the house money and get the fuck outta Dodge. Europe or maybe South America... Hell you could go to the Virgin Islands or Puerto Rico and you don't even need a passport. Shop around online and buy your ticket way in advance, you should be able to fly fairly cheap. If you just want to get away from it all, there is no better place to get lost than Alaska. Go spend a week or two in the magic bus!

Dork · Post by **Dork** » Wed May 28, 2008 5:28 pm

I don't necessarily want to get away from it all, just away from things I'm accustomed to being around. Preference is to leave the country, but I don't necessarily want to limit myself.

Starving to death on a magic bus is not very appealing to me

AntiM - I said unlimited TIME. Money is rather limited. Not sure how limited before the house sells, but it will be the bare minimum for a year or so of camping/couch surfing or hostels in cheap countries plus travel money.

Post by **AntiM** » Wed May 28, 2008 5:37 pm

Ah man. I was just dreaming. Still, the Grand Canyon? Been there? Mesa Verde? Bryce Canyon? Arches? Goblin Valley and Kodachrome Basin? drop by for a visit? Spiral Jetty?

lonestoner916 · Post by **lonestoner916** » Wed May 28, 2008 5:47 pm

Dork wrote:Starving to death on a magic bus is not very appealing to me

Starvation can be easily avoided!

Just make arrangements with a bush pilot to make supply drops and check on you once in a while. Chris should not have died like that... I don't know why I feel compelled to go and camp out in that bus, but I do, and I will make a pilgrimage to the magic bus one day.

Anywho, my buddy Brad just spent most of last year abroad, mostly in Vienna and India but he also took a trip to Spain in between. He spent several weeks touring India with Circus for Change, a Burner circus! He could give you a lot of helpful tips regarding seeing the world on a shoestring budget. Drop him a line on Tribe at: http://people.tribe.net/3f415743-52b3-4 ... a113d051bf

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Wed May 28, 2008 6:14 pm

My friends, I have driven truck across this great country.. Along with many trip from shore to shore with family and friend..

The written word can not describe the wounders of just seeing the land in it's different forms from state to state..

BitterDan · Post by **BitterDan** » Wed May 28, 2008 7:23 pm

I'd have sex with two chicks at the same time!

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Thu May 29, 2008 12:49 am

Go anywhere except the Bus of Stupidity.

Teach in a Hillary School for a while.
Go through the Halliburton travel books, only in real life.

http://www.himalayan-trust.org.np/introduction.htm
http://www.himalayan-trust.org.np/education.htm
http://www.himalayan-foundation.org/live/home/home/

Box Burner · Post by **Box Burner** » Thu May 29, 2008 3:57 am

AntiM wrote:Ah man. I was just dreaming. Still, the Grand Canyon? Been there? Mesa Verde? Bryce Canyon? Arches? Goblin Valley and Kodachrome Basin? drop by for a visit? Spiral Jetty?

Hey AntiM - Did you ever see the house that Butch Cassidy grew up in? It is near Brice Canyon,

cowboyangel · Post by **cowboyangel** » Thu May 29, 2008 6:01 am

work for a new independent investigation of 9/11 events...yeh Willie Nelson, Jesse Ventura, Kevin Ryan, Richard Gage......

Kinetik V · Post by **Kinetik V** » Thu May 29, 2008 6:55 am

AntiM wrote:Ah man. I was just dreaming. Still, the Grand Canyon? Been there? Mesa Verde? Bryce Canyon? Arches? Goblin Valley and Kodachrome Basin? drop by for a visit? Spiral Jetty?

I'd start by building my own Magic Bus or restoring a classic RV. Once it was ready to go I'd explore the area from Glenwood Springs, Colorado to the East, Salt Lake to the North, the Grand Canyon to the South...and an area going 200 miles West of I-15. There's some interesting stuff out there.

Arches....was the first National Park I ever stepped foot in. That's some beautiful land down there.

the fire elf · Post by **the fire elf** » Thu May 29, 2008 8:16 am

ponder the realtime effects of multiples of concurrent-monomania

pinemom · Post by **pinemom** » Thu May 29, 2008 8:16 am

I would first off, Buy a large RV, (not to mention you can write off part of your capital gains, as you can list that as your primary residence).

Then I would take a map of North America, close my eyes,swirl my finger,and drop it down to where I shall travel.

I would stop anywhere my heart said to along the way! I would enjoy the trip, not just the destination. Stop and smell everyones roses so to speak!

I would locate maybe prior to the trip, old school chums, family, burner buds...OH, and plan the trip, scratch that, Guideline the trip, to possibly include a bunch of regionals!

Maybe even look up along the map and internet, the chambers of the towns coming up, any interesting farmers markets so I always had yummy fresh product instead of hitting up stupormarkets!

Then at anypoint you got tired of driving, your pillow is there, your favorite blankie. No motel fee's. No mail deliverable.
Free to take you where the wind blows....
and if you never made it to the final destination...who cares...you enjoyed the trip and the oppertunity to meet new people, see new things, and ultimately enjoy life a way so many people cant!

Totally different aspect of day to day living!

sucky part of this idea...is the gasoline....OH OH OH I know....Do a biodiesel Rv, that has a small recycling lab in one of the under bus compartments.

So you can just stop by any mom and pop's and take that nasty vegie oil off their hands!

~ Dream a little dream for me~

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Thu May 29, 2008 9:42 am

Learn a new craft. One that makes you happy. One that you've been learning to do all this time.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Thu May 29, 2008 10:00 am

Is that Richard Halliburtan?

Small village, eastern europe, paint or write.

Spain would be wonderful too, but I dont' think it's cheap any more.

Simon of the Playa · Post by **Simon of the Playa** » Thu May 29, 2008 3:20 pm

get one of these...they are cheap, efficient, sturdy and fun...

and do what unjonharley said....there really are purple mountains majesty and amber waves of grain...

bryce (mentioned above) is mind-blowingingly beautiful...

just spin around three times, when you stop....go in that direction...

unless its oakland.

Mister Jellyfish Mister · Post by **Mister Jellyfish Mister** » Thu May 29, 2008 9:29 pm

I'd build the ultimate Burning Man art workshop. Everything from pneumatics to welding to electronics. Then I'd place it in a Nevada corporation and... this is the tricky bit... deed the corporation to itself so there's nobody to sue. Want a key?

dana · Post by **dana** » Thu May 29, 2008 9:35 pm

Haven't been around for awhile, since I got into Tisha's part of the country. Kind of like this thread, Dork. Good place to jump back in.

Sounds like you've mostly answered your own question. You're thinking of doing more than the usual. Why not throw a few new possibilties into what you might do anyway - the backpack travel gig? So some planned things, like the meditation retreat and of course lots of spontaneous new directions, followed by some time outdoors? (That's one of my favorite good buzzes - the spiritual odyssy followed by some time in some beautiful places of nature. I'll be doing just that in Hawaii later this year. Highly recomended.)
Some of my favorite places: So. Utah, Arches, Canyonlands, Grand Canyon by kayak, Wind Rivers, various rivers in Cal. Canada is pretty awesome. Bugaboos, hiking the coastal trail on Vancouver Isl.

Any passions that are waiting to build on? Art, music, new projects or skills?

When I got out of High school (early graduation), I spent about 4 months living as a naked hippy on the Na Pali coast of Hawaii. (A very young naked hippy - back when hippies were a little more interesting rather than stinky burn-outs.) It was fucking great for me - total separation from the world I had lived in, including parents and old friends - all left behind.
I almost prefer to do trips by myself sometimes because you're forced to interact more with other people. But it really varies. Some places find folks less friendly to strangers.

Good luck!!! Send us a travelogue.

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Fri May 30, 2008 2:10 am

theCryptofishist wrote:Is that Richard Halliburton?

That's him.
I grew up reading his Book of Marvels.

http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/3-4-2005-66576.asp
Halliburton Tower with bells and a museum
http://public.fotki.com/TomBremer/open_ ... 9_014.html

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Fri May 30, 2008 8:29 am

So did my mother. They were aroound our house when I was growing up, but I"m the only daughter who picked them up.

Dork · Post by **Dork** » Fri May 30, 2008 12:54 pm

Mister Jellyfish Mister wrote:I'd build the ultimate Burning Man art workshop. Everything from pneumatics to welding to electronics. Then I'd place it in a Nevada corporation and... this is the tricky bit... deed the corporation to itself so there's nobody to sue. Want a key?

I forgot one requirement is that whatever I do can't involve accumulating anything I can't carry or signing a lease longer than 1 week. If I manage to sell my house by July I'm open to helping out with someone's BM project, though. That, or hanging out with this guy for a while:
http://simondale.net/house/

Tentative plan is to do a 10-day course here:
http://www.dhamma.org/en/schedules/schkunja.shtml
then walk or bicycle down to California to get onto a flight to wherever. I'm certainly open to more suggestions though.

the fire elf · Post by **the fire elf** » Fri May 30, 2008 1:16 pm

greyhound's interesting, if you can stomach the mundanity

last trip i took, had no money and moved a renunciant's incense back and forth on the boardwalk in venice till i had busfare

now i'm in "oklahoma"

go figure

the fire elf · Post by **the fire elf** » Fri May 30, 2008 1:18 pm

i stayed in the "wild" which was paved over as far as the eye could see

5$ in the morn, 5$ in the eve

if he likes you, and you end up broke in venice, he even fed me

thirt33n · Post by **thirt33n** » Fri May 30, 2008 3:19 pm

Dork-
just go hang @ riverfront park all summer. dumpster dive at all the 'hot' dumpsters, ride the gondola, feed the garbage goat, read the inlander, watch hoopfest, end up at mootsy's, go to laserquest, elkfest, chuckie cheeses, every starbucks in town, instead of burningman go to pig out in the park and then just call it a summer.

the fire elf · Post by **the fire elf** » Fri May 30, 2008 3:24 pm

every starbucks in town

meme-ifying an opproach to (and i'm just guessing, cause i haven't heard any one suggest 'political campaign volunteer') be in the world without playing footsy with the conformist-thought-trap-mind-fuck

you don't need a list of definitions to do that

just start where you're at and go from there

the fire elf · Post by **the fire elf** » Fri May 30, 2008 3:26 pm

the fire elf wrote:
every star
you don't need a list of definitions to do that

and go from there

subconsious slip?

>>destinations

thirt33n · Post by **thirt33n** » Fri May 30, 2008 3:29 pm

honestly-
although i usually find unjon annoying i also totally agree. i've been around the states quite alot. yesterday i drove from spokane to medford oregon and BACK. in 22 hours. there's a highway that cuts west from 97? just north of Crater Lake and then you cut left and down the Rogue River Gorge. I saw a guy walking out there. it was huge. you can feel the thinness of the crust of the earth. the gorge is majestic. I though how great it would be to spend the summer just following rivers to the sea.