On a recent trip to the public library we saw a man bathing, out in the open, with alcohol based hand sanitizer. He would take large handfuls and rub it under his shirt and pants. While this was an odd sight to witness at the library and would repulse many, it made me realize that he was just fulfilling one of the three basic human needs; food, shelter, and sanitation. These are the same basic needs of travelers, as well, but where do you draw the line at homeless or adventurer? What would you call a family that has no home, no job, and wanders around from place to place? While many would call this family homeless, others could see them as a family of adventurers out exploring the world. When we travel on our around the world adventure, I hope people see us as the latter.
One of the big questions we have asked ourselves in planning for our round the world adventure is, “What do we do with our house?” We could rent out our house while we are gone, but we live in an area where the money we would get for renting out our house would not even cover our mortgage, let alone the insurance, taxes, and maintenance costs. The other option is to sell our house. While many prefer to keep their houses and move back in after they are done travelling, we have decided to sell ours. We will be able to travel more freely with no worries about our house, or having to arrange repairs and payments. This will also give us the option of resettling anywhere that we like after we are done travelling. But, this will also leave us without a home and we will be true vagabonds. I think that many people refuse to sell their homes before they go traveling on a round the world trip so they will still feel attached to something tangible and real. Most people find it hard to have no place to call home. But how can you really see and experience the world if you are tied to your house? It’s like trying to sail around the world without ever pulling up their anchor. It’s hard to let go!
So back to my question of where do you draw the line at being homeless or being an adventurer. I think a lot of it has to do with your state of mind. Years ago I met a group of punk rockers that traveled up and down the west coast. In the winter they were in warm Southern California or Arizona. During the summer, they were in the Pacific Northwest where summers are near perfect. They traveled with the weather as migratory birds do. They had no place to call home, no jobs, panhandled on the streets for their money to buy cigarettes and alcohol, ate their meals at soup kitchens, and seemed happy. They were out seeking adventure. I have also met a lot of hippies that traveled around the country following the Grateful Dead. Many lived in much the same way as the punk rockers, and were happy. But many of the homeless you see on the streets and in the homeless shelters are very unhappy. So why would one group of “homeless” people be happier than another group of “homeless” people? I think it has to do with travel. Travel is adventure. You never know what is around the corner and what wonders you might find and it gives you something to look forward to; a goal in life. I feel that it is not lack of a home that makes someone “homeless.” It is the lack of travel and adventure. But I am not saying we can solve homelessness by buying a person living on the streets an airline ticket somewhere, I am just saying we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. Some of those “homeless people” might be traveling on the cheap and having the time of their lives.
Now when we sell our house and head off into the big unknown, we are going to be doing things a bit differently than the punks and dead heads, or so we hope. We will not be sleeping under bridges or Volkswagen vans, nor begging for food or money. But we will hopefully experience the same awe and wonder that anyone who travels should feel. Sure we won’t have a house, but we will have a world in which we can explore.
Sanitation is never mentioned as one of the three human basic needs…ie. http://users.computerweekly.net/robmorton/tli/chap07/humneeds.htm
There are as many theories and hierarchies of basic human needs as there are…. well… there’s a lot of them. Everyone has their own theories. But when you boil it down to the simplest form, sanitation is one of the most important. Without clean food, water, air, body, and environment, or proper procedures to dispose of waste (human and other forms), you won’t live very long. Cleanliness is Godliness!
Also, these homeless people are unhappy because most of them had jobs, homes, a place to belong and because of the recession, they now no longer have these things because they were no longer able to pay the mortgage or utilities, buy food, etc., so they are depressed because of this loss. This is probably a grieving state and once that passes, they can get help to “get back on their feet.” Most of them did not have the option of saving up money and selling their house to pay for where they go and what they eat…just another way, at least in our area of Boise, of looking at homeless people.
I bit disagree with you on a point that sanitation is a human basic need. the three basic need of humans are food, shelter and clothes
Clothing and shelter could easily be grouped together. Clothing just protects you from the environment, similar to a shelter. But could easily live without clothing, if you had food and shelter, but not very long with a contaminated food/water supply.
i disagree with you. food, shelter, amd sanitation is more plausible. clothing falls under the shelter category friend, clothes are made for warmth and protection such as shelter haha
I draw the line between a “homeless traveler” and an “adventurer without a home/vagabond” is on a few things:
Vagabond
– sleeps in hostels/caravan/car
– able to afford entry into attractions you have to pay
– has enough money to afford the trip and a flight home
Homeless
– sleeping out on the streets/woods
– going into only the free attractions
– has little to no money to supply the trip (a good portion of homeless get some funds from the gov’t, some even when abroad)
I fall into the later category and jeah, I am probably happier than a lot of the other homeless. However, I can’t really say it’s because I travel b/c 1. usually always happy with my lot, 2. not old enough for my situation to really sink in I guess (only 20).
my name is cherie, me and my boyfriend use to travel by hichhiking, panhandeling and what ever god grassed us with we also had food stamps. i was a punk rocker him a hippie i started leaning more towards hippie though as with more peace and love. we sleep anywhere and if we couldnt find a place we used our panhandle money to hagle with local hotels and usually got in. its a easiy fun life where the only thibg you worry about is weather god is going to send people by your path that dont think your scum and want to give you a couple of dollars. my storey is i was a young girl that had a baby moved to cali ti show off baby for a couple months to find out the babus father didnt wabt us to come back leaving me to become homeless, i put my child up for open adoption. then hit the road and met my husband we traveled for a while we are settled now and thinking of traveling in a vw this time but we have a child so no panhandeling hes a chef so maybe just lookinh for temporary work in different locations.. anythings possible! people need to stop seeing the homeless as scym and dirt demented and mentally ill some of us end up that way because we choose homelessness or it chooses us, just because we choose the positive doesnt make us baf people. anyways it frustratres me theres not more respect for the homeless
I have been homeless for about 2 months and I see my new life as an adventure. I live at the local beach sand dunes in a tent with all the basic needs. I’m surprised at how well I’m doing Healthwise in fact I’m thriving in this situation.
I have been to homeless shelters and soup kitchens and you do see the stark contrast between people. At the end of the day I believe it is an attitude thing and I’ve always had a spirit of adventure.