ignore the lifestyle behind the curtain

[offroad]

am on a rant today. friends have warned me that saying you will retire early, and live in an RV-VAN-TRUCK will basically alienate most folks. &nbsp;&nbsp;<br><br>i say i like the smart fringe living interesting folks and want to meet more. &nbsp;<br><br>of course. will avoid the emotionally mentally troubled folks who are just getting by barely surviving. &nbsp;most will think i am nuts myself for wanting to do this.&nbsp;<br><br>are the 9 to 5 crowd, retire and move to florida folks even more insane? &nbsp;oh they are busy with the golf, and volunteering to feed the stray cats, and have the grandkids visit. <br><br>when do they bump into the creative genious artist? &nbsp;or musician? &nbsp;or brewer wine maker? &nbsp;when do they walk out of the comfort zone to visit the county (not country) no one else seems to know about? &nbsp;<br><br>typing about this is giving me ideas<br><br>1) find the county historian. talk to them<br>2). find the best musicians in the county. talk to them.&nbsp;<br>3). find the unique hobbiest in that county. talk to them.&nbsp;<br>4). find the county top artists and talk to them.&nbsp;<br><br>5)local authors book readings

 

[Seraphim]

A serious question - do you really care if you alienate most people?

Those who alienate themselves are not the people, IMO, you need be concerned with. Do that which makes YOU happy.

Everyone I know wishes they were retiring early as well. But most of them are not willing to do what is necessary to achieve that goal. It's not hard - it just takes work and discipline.

 

[Terry]

I'm not likely to give up my home but I like the adventure capabilities of being able to just go where the moment takes you. I also got a sportster and&nbsp; love riding it when ever I can. Riding my bike for a couple of hours every once in a while is about all I can do for now because I have to care for my sick wife. Riding my sportster (part of it is that it's a Harley) is adventurous to me also.

 

[AltTransBikes]

I have to say I like the title of this thread. For what it's worth, I've always thought of it as a circus analogy:<br><br>In the circus of life, the main center ring is where the crowds congregate but I find the sideshows on the fringe infinitely more interesting.

 

[owl]

&nbsp;&nbsp; Off, when you start on your list of five you may be surprised at the average age of those of us who do just exactly that and have been all our lives. Rarely when I visit any sort of artist is&nbsp;there anyone younger around. Most young folks seem too self absorbed to really see what is going on in that big world away from the reality shows on tv. When you start on your list you are going to run in to a tremendous number of those 9to5 types who are artists, historians, authors and musicians in their second or even third lives. I venture to say the percentage of people today who are opting out of the traditional way of life in this country is down compared to years past. Bohemians, beat generation, hippies, etc. etc. Its all been done, written about, got the t-shirt.&nbsp;Stay in your dance and enjoy your calling. I wish you an interesting life!&nbsp;

 

[Mouldy]

+1 for Seraphim's comment. You can't make anyone else happy if you, yourself aren't happy. Do what feels good and good things will follow. I get so much flak from folks because I'm 25 and don't have a steady job or gf like everyone else my age. F*#% it. There will always be naysayers trying to pull you down because some resent your doing what they wish they could.<br><br>There is a book generated more towards younger to middle age folks, but the principles in it are right up folks like ours' alleys. Its called "<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="color: #0000ff;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Art-Non-C...amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=art+of+non-conformity" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;">The Art of Non-Conformity</span></a></span></span>" by Chris Guillebeau and I highly suggest it. It makes some sense of doing what "normal" people think is unthinkable, like vandwelling. <span class="status_offline" title="Offline"><br></span>

 

[CrossCountryGal]

I'm 51, chronicle my traveling adventures on Facebook, and the overwhelming majority of my FB peeps are 100% supportive (and some admit to a wee bit of jealousy) of the free spirited life I live. &nbsp;Do what makes you happy, within your financial capabilities, and enjoy life as YOU choose to live it. My husband of 23 years was a master carpenter, avid fisherman, and great golfer. &nbsp;He died of pancreatic cancer almost three years ago at the young age of 56 and I can tell you he (and I) were both grateful he spent so much time snuggling grandbabies, fishing, and golfing.<br><br>As a glass artist, I'd be honored to chat with you if we meet on the road or if you catch me in my home town.

 

[offroad]

people in general think they have forever. &nbsp;am telling you. &nbsp;YOU HAVE THE MOMENT ONLY. all that savings for retirement will be useless when you get sick.<br><br>mouldy - good for you. in europe its traditional to take a gap year to find what you want to do. here its work-work-work. you just take your time with it. and be happy&nbsp;

 

[ShesJustJodi]

Another excellent book is "Die Broke". It changed my thinking about the standard work and then retire to FL, etc. Retirement at 65 was created by Social Security. What most people don't know is at the time it was created, people didn't usually live until 65! Our whole Western society is based on a lie. So you may as well do it your way and be happy, right?

I'm looking forward to quitting my corporate job and hitting the road in a few years. I will be "retired" and living out of a small RV with my dog, selling my art and doing odd jobs to keep us fed. It sounds like heaven to me!

 

[Mortisha]

I go full time next year and I am far from retirement LOL I am searching for solitude and peace. Not that I am wanting to leave my family but I want to get back in touch with who I am as a human being and do things for me. I am an artist in many aspects.... crafting, design and even computer graphics. I embrace my Bohemian life style! HuggZ

 

[Seraphim]

Jodi<br><br>Have had xeveral informative discussions about SSA. The original 1936 law is available online somewhere - it's an interesting read.<br>The federal government had nothing to do with it, other than ordering the states to 'make it so' and provide a a small bit of start-up funding.<br><br>In the 1930s, 50% of senior citizens were living&nbsp;in poverty.&nbsp; SSA was begun for those who DID survive but could no longer work. It forced them to save for retirement.

 

[ShesJustJodi]

And an excellent program it is. I simply understand that I am paying for my parents to be on it now and I am not foolish enough to count on it being there when I am "retirement age."

 

[WanderingRain]

I love this thread and the topic. Thank you for all your posts! Love them!<br>I like to think of myself as retired today!<br><br><br>I have been living a wonderful adventure since I began unmooring myself in 2009. The places I'd been I can only dream about when I was locked into a static place paying for apartments and other bills. Once I was free of that, the possibilities began to bloom.<br><br>I am no longer following the script given to all of us by society we grew up in.<br>The fact that an entire billion dollar industry based on cutting your lawn grass exists is just one of the things I am so glad I don't have to deal with. But people accept this as an automatic given the minute they buy a home. Now you got to buy a mower... and gasoline for that mower... then pesticides, then this, then that... all so a dog can poop in it and you can enjoy scooping it up each day.&nbsp;<br>That's a waste of MY life's hours I can do without!<br><br>the gypsy life has its costs. My last girlfriend's family viewed me with much disdain. Oh well. It also serves as a great filter it seems this lifestyle!&nbsp;<br>I may have lost the girl in the end, but I think that may have been a foregone conclusion. She was on her way to becoming just another busy suburbanite. That is not the life I want for myself or how I want to spend my days.&nbsp;<br>The mere possibility that there is another option out there simply has not occurred to her or to many others. It did not occur to me as well before learning about this life from y'all.<br><br>Today...<br><br>I visit countries and do all my travels when I am young. And fellow travelers I meet on the road, we all share a knowing smile... this IS the life!<br>I feel so privileged to visit Taipei just 3 weeks ago.<br><br>Man, I felt really lucky to be young and have the stamina to walk all over the place. The tour groups were herded like cattle through the museums but we were free to examine the priceless artifacts to our heart's content. So much to see and experience! The older retirees could only look on in the buses as we "younger ones" tramped all over the place, tried the night markets and savored spicy dishes&nbsp;that would take out an aging digestive system and ruin an entire week.&nbsp;<br><br>When I went to Taiwan, it was then I realized I did make the right choice. My god, this is what freedom to travel looks like!<br><br>Since 2009, I been to Australia (lived in Sydney and Brisbane a total of about 10 months all told), New Zealand, multiple trips to my home country the Philippines as well as visiting other states of the Union and even staying there for weeks on end.&nbsp;<br><br>My siblings... they are locked into the cycle now. They aren't gonna be free until their kids turn 20 and their lives get easier when they are done with mortgages and the like. I am the only one capable of traveling far and wide.&nbsp;<br><br>You see those pictures taken by those young Russian tourists on top of the pyramids of Giza? (it's apparently against the rules)<br>However...<br>Hell yeah, I'd so do that if I was with them too! <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"><br>What retiree would scale that and have the adventure of a lifetime? Nobody. Nobody's ever done that ever. <br><br>I love to travel while I am young! <img rel="lightbox" src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" class="bbc_img"> I am so happy I found this site and found so much inspiration in all your writings.<br>And to find work that is mobile and requires just electricity and an internet connection... it's a godsend.<br>Indeed! Die broke! <img rel="lightbox" src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" class="bbc_img">&nbsp;<br><br>I am knowing more and more relatives now that are passing on.<br>And when you hear about their lives... how many hours they spent slaving away. It is appalling.<br>I have an uncle who put off going back to the homeland to reconnect. he's been gone decades. He kept telling himself "next year". Well, next year did not come. He had a stroke, he died.&nbsp;<br>He also left his wife with crushing debt and an upside down mortgage on a house they never should have bought (their small home was all paid for but they got convinced to take out the equity and purchase a new home for investment). They should have just cashed in their existing house, gone back to the homeland with the profits and not have bothered with the whole housing madness. Now he's dead, she's in debt up to her eyeballs. She will never get that paid out. She's retired but cannot stop working. It's utter madness!&nbsp;<br><br>that's my last rant. <img rel="lightbox" src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" class="bbc_img"><br><br><br>