If I need money, I could basically earn money by playing music or whatever on the street, or DJ-ing in bars/clubs, as this is my passion.
I travel by hitch hiking, there are communities that live completely without money, either by being self-sustainable growing their own food and trading/bartering with locals, or by dumpster diving at super markets or asking i.e. bakeries if they have leftovers they would otherwise throw away.
There are more and more communities popping up all over the world, consisting of people who don't agree with the fact that a lot of still useful stuff is thrown away nowadays (Ending is better than mending?). They come with 'freeboxes' where you can take or exchange clothes and other items for free. If I need or want a change of clothes, I put my old ones in there (washed of course) and take others.
Being moneyless doesn't specifically mean that I don't touch any money or think it's evil. It's nothing but a tool for me, and being independent of it for the rest gives me a sense of freedom I've never felt before. No worries anymore that I would starve, freeze to death or that things would be stolen from me. I actually expected to be quite dependent on CouchSurfing or BeWelcome, but until now every time I am in one city, I seem to meet people who know people in the next that are more than willing to host me for a few days. Example: I am currently in Warsaw and tomorrow going to Vilnius, to meet a friend I met on Lanzarote in February.
Partying is easy, I don't go to places that ask an entrance fee, or I befriend people that can put me on the guest list. I volunteer at festivals, which gives me free entry, including food and drinks.
I also realize that not everyone could do this, because a lot of it is dependent on the goodness of others, although I'm never too lazy to give back by sharing the skills and knowledge I have, or doing all kinds of tasks, like cooking/dishes or helping a farmer out for a while.
That said, almost every day I'm amazed about the awesome people I meet everywhere, people who pick me up while hitch hiking offering me a room at their home if I ever plan to visit their country, or offering to pay for food or buy me a train ticket. Even more astounding to me is that when I offer to pay for coffee or gas in exchange for a ride, this is mostly refused.
For information about the free (as in beer) world, check out websites like nomadwiki, hitchwiki, trashwiki and moneyless.info. One can even hitch boats and planes :)
I envy you. I try not to spend much money by walking or cycling, buying groceries at reduced prices before they're thrown out, buying used stuff when possible, and so on. But I don't know if I could make the jump to being virtually moneyless. One reason is having a partner; I imagine living such a lifestyle is easier when you're more independent and can move around easily.
Do you ever find yourself in situations where you don't have a place to stay for the night, or not enough money to pay for a meal?
I've worked for 14 years in IT, but always had this dream to go travel the world and see as much as I can. 25 days off a year or a sabbatical year weren't enough time to realize this.
I also love to explore different ways of life, finding ways within the current system to survive and live a fulfilling life. A lot can be built from stuff that others throw away, an example on HN today is the Poor Man's 3D-printer.
Based on all the experiences I go through now, I eventually want to set up my own community, in a way that it is scalable and not dependent on other systems, so it can provide a working alternative for people who suffer from stress due to unfulfilling jobs and feeling stuck in the life they're living. I see a lot of people fighting capitalism for example, or disagreeing with their government, but without an alternative, they still feel they are dependent on these systems and therefore are not willing to bite the hand that feeds them.
It's in hackerspaces and the hacker scene where I see a new world being built :)
Comments
You must have some sort of income? How do you afford basics like food and lodging?
Also curious about this - traveling any the world and partying generally aren't things people do when they're 'moneyless'
If I need money, I could basically earn money by playing music or whatever on the street, or DJ-ing in bars/clubs, as this is my passion.
I travel by hitch hiking, there are communities that live completely without money, either by being self-sustainable growing their own food and trading/bartering with locals, or by dumpster diving at super markets or asking i.e. bakeries if they have leftovers they would otherwise throw away.
There are more and more communities popping up all over the world, consisting of people who don't agree with the fact that a lot of still useful stuff is thrown away nowadays (Ending is better than mending?). They come with 'freeboxes' where you can take or exchange clothes and other items for free. If I need or want a change of clothes, I put my old ones in there (washed of course) and take others.
Being moneyless doesn't specifically mean that I don't touch any money or think it's evil. It's nothing but a tool for me, and being independent of it for the rest gives me a sense of freedom I've never felt before. No worries anymore that I would starve, freeze to death or that things would be stolen from me. I actually expected to be quite dependent on CouchSurfing or BeWelcome, but until now every time I am in one city, I seem to meet people who know people in the next that are more than willing to host me for a few days. Example: I am currently in Warsaw and tomorrow going to Vilnius, to meet a friend I met on Lanzarote in February.
Partying is easy, I don't go to places that ask an entrance fee, or I befriend people that can put me on the guest list. I volunteer at festivals, which gives me free entry, including food and drinks.
I also realize that not everyone could do this, because a lot of it is dependent on the goodness of others, although I'm never too lazy to give back by sharing the skills and knowledge I have, or doing all kinds of tasks, like cooking/dishes or helping a farmer out for a while.
That said, almost every day I'm amazed about the awesome people I meet everywhere, people who pick me up while hitch hiking offering me a room at their home if I ever plan to visit their country, or offering to pay for food or buy me a train ticket. Even more astounding to me is that when I offer to pay for coffee or gas in exchange for a ride, this is mostly refused.
For information about the free (as in beer) world, check out websites like nomadwiki, hitchwiki, trashwiki and moneyless.info. One can even hitch boats and planes :)
Thanks for the explanation and websites!
I envy you. I try not to spend much money by walking or cycling, buying groceries at reduced prices before they're thrown out, buying used stuff when possible, and so on. But I don't know if I could make the jump to being virtually moneyless. One reason is having a partner; I imagine living such a lifestyle is easier when you're more independent and can move around easily.
Do you ever find yourself in situations where you don't have a place to stay for the night, or not enough money to pay for a meal?
So what brings you to hackernews?
I'm a hacker. Currently a life hacker as well ;)
I've worked for 14 years in IT, but always had this dream to go travel the world and see as much as I can. 25 days off a year or a sabbatical year weren't enough time to realize this.
I also love to explore different ways of life, finding ways within the current system to survive and live a fulfilling life. A lot can be built from stuff that others throw away, an example on HN today is the Poor Man's 3D-printer.
Based on all the experiences I go through now, I eventually want to set up my own community, in a way that it is scalable and not dependent on other systems, so it can provide a working alternative for people who suffer from stress due to unfulfilling jobs and feeling stuck in the life they're living. I see a lot of people fighting capitalism for example, or disagreeing with their government, but without an alternative, they still feel they are dependent on these systems and therefore are not willing to bite the hand that feeds them.
It's in hackerspaces and the hacker scene where I see a new world being built :)