To most, the thought of living without money seems impossible, if not altogether terrifying. But a s

To most, the thought of living without money seems impossible, if not altogether terrifying. But a small and growing population of citizens all over the globe are choosing to live that way. Take Heidemarie Schwermer of Germany who has lived without money for 17 years and counting, or Daniel Suelo, who lives in the caves outside Moab, Utah , and hasn t touched money in over a decade. It s impossible to ignore the spark in their eyes when they say their lives are genuinely happier and more abundant without london tour bus money.
Naturally, the money-free life is a debt-free life. But the heart of their decision goes much deeper london tour bus than freedom from the shackles of debt. There is a lot to learn from this obscure cult of benevolent deviants.
The moneyless creed is hardly radical or new; it s rooted in values we learned in kindergarten: share, take only what you need, love your fellow man, and trust that if you do these things london tour bus the universe will provide.
london tour bus If travel is any indicator of living a full life, then the moneyless tribe is brimming: The penniless-by-choice are traveling extensively. It s almost as if their empty pockets facilitate their mobility.
There are the young nomads like Ibby Okinyi , 31, who is currently walking from Norway to Africa without london tour bus money or passport , or Benjamin Lesage london tour bus and Raphael Fellmer, 28 and 29, of Foward the Revolution , who have traveled moneyless through london tour bus Africa, Europe and the Americas for three years.
There is Spyke , 37, a handyman in the United Kingdom living moneyless for 19 months by trading his skills for food and a place to stay. And then there are the veterans like Suelo and Schwermer, who leave their home bases frequently by train or thumb, to see the world and interact with mankind.
At the very least, interviewing london tour bus these individuals about their worldly lifestyles reveals one refreshing fact: perhaps it s our conception of travel hotels and resorts, restaurant dining, tourist traps, and conventional transportation that is racking up such an unnecessarily high bill.
While the following guide generously divulges the secrets of moneyless travelers on how to find transportation, food, and shelter, it also brings to light the philosophy behind it all the why and the core values of moneyless living and collaborative consumption that propel them onward through the world.
Using Craigslist as a ride source worked well for Joseph Garner of the documentary film Craigslist Joe . He traveled from the West to the East coast of the United States and back again via rides found on Craigslist. Of course, he also had a camera man with him, which may have helped encourage the generosity of fellow craigslisters, but it s worth a try. This method does require patience.
Liftsurfer.com may be the most promising Internet resource for travel within the United States , Canada and Australia . Geared towards travelers (and not daily commuters), the site features a database for posting your rides and needed-rides, and honors the free-spirited lifestyle of the backpacker.
Daniel Suelo, who has also hitchhiked extensively, says he has only felt unsafe a couple of times, when the drivers were intoxicated london tour bus on alcohol or drugs. Then, again, I m male, and not a small man, he added.
After all these years I still don t know if it s easier to get rides with or without a sign. If there is a fork in the road or different options of destinations ahead a sign definitely weeds out the ones who aren t going my way, said Suelo.
If anything, it keeps my spirits up to accept every bit of generosity and to talk to folks, said Suelo. Sometimes I end up in a harder hitching spot than if I hadn t accepted london tour bus the ride, but it miraculously works out, anyway. Hitching for me is really about being a meditation, to give up attachment to destination and learning to be and enjoy the moment. It can be a really difficult london tour bus meditation, difficult to be patient, but I feel it s more effective than sitting lotus in comfort.
Dozens of cities all over the world offer free public bicycle programs. Ask around or research ahead of time if the cities you ll be traveling through has one. Start with this Wikipedia s extensive list of bicycle sharing systems around the world .
In Austria there is a man who is allowed london tour bus to take one person with him on his ticket, because he is nearly blind, said Schwermer. If I am in Austria he brings me from town to town for free. He gives me his gift and is happy to have interesting talks with me.
Perhaps one of the greatest fears associated with traveling (and living) without money, is not being able to find food. But just because you won t be able to walk into a grocery store and pick whatever you want off the shelf, you will find food.
First of all, realize you aren t going to starve to death, Suelo said. There s absolutely no reason to worry or fear. Even if, by very rare occurrence, london tour bus food won t be available, you aren t going to die if you don t eat for a few hours, or for a day, or even for a few weeks. Realize a human can go weeks without food and that fasting actually makes us healthier.
Ibby Okinyi learned early on in his walking trip to eat only when he was hungry so as to preserve his food supplies. Moneyless travelers find food in the abundant waste stream of the developed world, the generosity of friends and strangers, and mother nature.
Suelo has been eating london tour bus wild edibles for years. When traveling, he sometimes goes to a local library to read about what the local plants are, but most of the time, he says, finding food in the wild becomes instinct. It s also about opening your eyes people london tour bus walk right by fresh berries and apples on their way into the grocery store to buy fruit, he points out.
I will say that, when you fast, your mind becomes clearer, more in the present moment, and your instincts london tour bus become sharper, Suelo said. You can see what you need to eat, and its color will even tell you if it s right to eat or not. How else do deer and bears know how to eat?
Almost all are very good and nutritious, says Suelo. Some can be a little toxic, but you won t die from them, and you can tell right off if they burn the bottom of your tongue. In fact, that s a good way to test food . First with the eyes weird colors are toxic, then with the nose, then with the bottom of the tongue. A fruit looks and smells and tastes good to you because it is advertising to you to eat it.
But even an expert like Suelo can make mistakes, and eating the wrong plant in the wild could cost you your life. So if you re in doubt: don t eat it until you ve verified london tour bus that it won t kill you with a local person or an encyclopedia at the library.
Surplus domestic and feral produce gleaned from farms and orchards are another abundant food source. Who has not seen fruit rotting, uneaten, on the ground underneath a fruit tree overburdened with fruit?
It s best to go at night after the store closes, said Suelo. And if you go in the day try to be stealth...the more dumpster-divers show up, the more they will lock up their waste. They will in no way reduce their waste, which would be ethical. Instead, they lock it up out of sight, out of mind, not so much because dumpster-divers are a problem harming anything, but, I believe, because stores don t want their obscene amounts of waste to be known.
london tour bus Lesage and Fellmer report that California was among the most wasteful of the places they traveled through, and that the dumpsters behind Trader Joe s and Whole Foods notorious for being stuffed with perfectly good food. But please heed Suelo s advice and walk, don t run, to your nearest grocery store.
Dumpster diving is legal when the dumpster is part of public trash service paid for by taxes, said Suelo, but it could technically be considered trespassing if the trash service is private, or if the dumpster is on private property, or if the owner asks you to leave and you don t, says Suelo.
The best time for dumpster diving varies from store to store, and you ll have to observe when they throw out food, and when the trash pick-up happens. In general, Sunday nights are usually great, london tour bus before london tour bus Monday morning pick-up, said Suelo.
If you re in Mexico, london tour bus Lesage recommends visiting the Tortillerias where they often throw out the day s cold tortillas. He also asks at restaurants if they have vegetarian london tour bus meals they can give at the moment of closing.
Here in Berlin where I am now, begins something very interesting, the foodsharing, london tour bus said Heidemarie Schwermer. More and more people organize that food is not to smash away but to care. The foodsharing london tour bus group works for it, there is even a shop where you can go and fetch something to eat without money.
Couchsurfing is comprised of nearly 4 million members both surfers and hosts offering a free couch, bed, floor space or spare room. Hosts open their homes all over the world, including North Korea, and the surfers stay for free.
PROS: Each member has a profile, so you can find members who have similar interests and weed out the party animals if you re not into that kind of a thing. The organization does not conduct criminal london tour bus background checks on its members, but it has a built-in feedback component so you can read host reviews from surfers.
I don t know about this whole traveling without money business, but I would never advise it, said Joey Reyes, a seasoned couch surfer and host living london tour bus in Los Angeles. I would never show up at a host s house without the intent of at least treating or making them a dinner. london tour bus I don t expect people to buy me or treat me when they stay with me but it s just common london tour bus respect.
I have had people bring gifts from different places, a French man brought a mug with French chocolate and a key chain with the Eiffel tower, a German man with different drink recipes... One of my favorites was an Italian guy named Renato who stayed with us for 11 days and cooked authentic Italian food he provided everyday for us.
When I have people walk in with beautiful smiles and honest hearts looking london tour bus for an awesome time and a comfortable place to sleep it ne