3 ms·

Everybody wants to hang out with a traveller. They all have questions. People who would never dream of doing what we do, are happy to tell us their dreams abo

by lzw 16y ago

Everybody wants to hang out with a traveller. They all have questions. People who would never dream of doing what we do, are happy to tell us their dreams about doing what we do, believe it or not. Everyone seems to find the idea romantic even if they could never do it. Back when I was traveling by myself I found it easier to meet women on the road than at home. I guess maybe you would think these women were "really strange and desperate" because many of them were also solo travelers. I do like the term "settled society", as there is a strong temptation to see people who don't do this as having settled for something adequate. Travelling only changes your location, it doesn't change who you are. Who I am is someone who has trouble meeting people, but found that travel provided more opportunity for social interaction and people more willing to be open with me.

rdouble 16y ago
People do want to hang out with a traveller - for an evening. There's also a difference between being a "traveller" and just being a guy with no home and no stuff. The article seemed to be more about the latter.
- lzw 16y ago
  The difference is all between the ears. A positive attitude and open mind go a long way.
  - hugh3 16y ago
    Not really. It sounds like this guy is staying in one city and sleeping on his friends' couches. That's not travelling, it's mooching.
    - kragen 16y ago
      It could be. But what if he cooks, cleans, fixes household appliances, teaches them to juggle, removes viruses from their computers, and gives them spectacular prints of photographs he took?
      - dkarl 16y ago
        You don't just pay a plumber to fix your pipes; you pay him to leave afterwards.
        Tyrannosaurs 16y ago
        And to take those f*ing juggling clubs with him...
- kragen 16y ago
  I think lots of my friends would be happy to have me stay with them for a week or so, and on CouchSurfing you can find lots of strangers who have that same preference. My experience hanging out with backpackers is that they seem to get laid (by other backpackers) rather frequently. Of course, the ones who are traveling with committed partners have a lot more sex (with each other, mostly) than the ones who are just hoping to meet random promiscuous MOTAS. But there's a lot of scope for people to travel together for a few days, weeks, or months before becoming committed partners. And sometimes travelers will stay in a city for weeks or months and meet more people. I think it depends largely on how easily you make friends.
- rdl 16y ago
  Specifically, it is hard to develop meaningful long term romantic/sexual relationships if you are transient. Women especially seem to value stability and investment in a community, even beyond the purely logistical issues. This isn't much of an impediment to spending a year or two in this lifestyle, but after doing this for basically my entire adult life (since 1997 and leaving MIT), there are decided sacrifices.

by lzw 16y ago

rdouble 16y ago

People do want to hang out with a traveller - for an evening. There's also a difference between being a "traveller" and just being a guy with no home and no stuff. The article seemed to be more about the latter.

lzw 16y ago
The difference is all between the ears. A positive attitude and open mind go a long way.
- hugh3 16y ago
  Not really. It sounds like this guy is staying in one city and sleeping on his friends' couches. That's not travelling, it's mooching.
  - kragen 16y ago
    It could be. But what if he cooks, cleans, fixes household appliances, teaches them to juggle, removes viruses from their computers, and gives them spectacular prints of photographs he took?
    - dkarl 16y ago
      You don't just pay a plumber to fix your pipes; you pay him to leave afterwards.
      - Tyrannosaurs 16y ago
        And to take those f*ing juggling clubs with him...
kragen 16y ago
I think lots of my friends would be happy to have me stay with them for a week or so, and on CouchSurfing you can find lots of strangers who have that same preference. My experience hanging out with backpackers is that they seem to get laid (by other backpackers) rather frequently. Of course, the ones who are traveling with committed partners have a lot more sex (with each other, mostly) than the ones who are just hoping to meet random promiscuous MOTAS. But there's a lot of scope for people to travel together for a few days, weeks, or months before becoming committed partners. And sometimes travelers will stay in a city for weeks or months and meet more people. I think it depends largely on how easily you make friends.
rdl 16y ago
Specifically, it is hard to develop meaningful long term romantic/sexual relationships if you are transient. Women especially seem to value stability and investment in a community, even beyond the purely logistical issues. This isn't much of an impediment to spending a year or two in this lifestyle, but after doing this for basically my entire adult life (since 1997 and leaving MIT), there are decided sacrifices.