when y'all traveled, did you go alone??

[naturelover24]

as we all know, the them of ITW is "happiness is only real when shared", among many others that i wont get into (hey whats up materialism and conformity).
so when you all have traveled, did you go alone and meet people along the way, which is uber brave by the way, or did you go with a group of pals who love traveling as much as you do?? i wanna hear all YOUR stories! Love Y'all!

[stilltrekker]

Good question. . . for me, many answers. Serious hiking I've only done in a group with experienced guides (and we still managed to go three days up the wrong fork of a river!). Hitch-hiking was always alone or with a dog (which helped more than it hurt getting rides) but I had some regrettable experiences and I don't recommend it now. Vehicle travel has usually been alone, and most of my international travel has been alone also, but with specific destinations in mind. (Not quite brave enough to set out with the winds of the world as my guide.)

I think there's pros and cons to both ways. There's some measure of safety and companionship in traveling with others, but I think you see more, hear more, and reflect more when you're alone. I tend to do my talking to a journal, and am always glad later that I did.

Stilltrekker

[naturelover24]

awesome man yeah is hitchhiking as dangerous as people make it out to be?? and is it the only way to travel cheaply? how'd you make money on the road?? JAHBLESS:)

[GoNorth]

There's some measure of safety and companionship in traveling with others, but I think you see more, hear more, and reflect more when you're alone.

Exactly. I generally travel alone for these reasons, but don't plan too risky things.
I never hitch-hike.

[stilltrekker]

awesome man yeah is hitchhiking as dangerous as people make it out to be?? and is it the only way to travel cheaply? how'd you make money on the road?? JAHBLESS:)

Everything we do is measured risk. . . is riding in a car risky? flying in an airplane? shooting drugs? "unsafe" sex? Smoking a cig, eating a twinkie, sitting in front of a computer screen, putting a cellphone to our ear. . . the point is to be conscious when choosing one's tolerable level of risk. You can probably eat a helluva lot of twinkies before your arteries turn to glue. How many vehicles can you get into before it's the "wrong" one? And how to tell the difference? And just how "wrong" is "wrong"? I made some bad choices while hitchhiking. . . some things might have been prevented if I'd used better judgment. I lived to tell (or not tell) my stories; some haven't. A trucker I rode with once said to me, "Yeah, a trucker might rape you, but he won't rape you and kill you." Life is a "pick-your-own adventure" story--choose your own risks. Chris did.

Stilltrekker

p.s. There's another thread in this forum that discusses earning money on the road--read on, my friend.

[naturelover24]

thanks a lot bro!

[shiva2009]

Nearly all my travels I have done so on my own, working and travelling around Oz my in Kombi, and flying O.S. That's the beauty about Back Packing, your never really alone for very long, their are always good friends you have never met just around the corner on your journey.
Later I travelled around Oz & O.S. with my children and now I do so aswell with my Soul Mate.
Like Chris, I only believe that happiness is only real if shared, whether that be shared with You & the Spiritual Source, Strangers On The Road or the most closest of love one's. Experience, Knowledge, & Happiness is a condition of the heart, mind, soul & spirit that should be shared. It's what makes us human!