NathanTochterman

My name is nate, I will be traveling from Maine to California next month. I will be living in my car and at free dispersed camping sites. I will be going with a very small budget just enoph for gas and food. Me and my friend need a new job opportunitie. We both don't know exactly where we will work and what to expect. Its mapped out and I'm in a job locating systems. Please help with suggestions or information I should know. This is a first and we both are nervous. I get home sick but I need a get away and a way to start a new life.

nytraveler

I hate to be discouraging but there are a lot of places where you can't sleep in your car and where you would find services (showers, etc?). Also don't know what you mean by dispersed camping sites but will you be paying to rent a tent there and use their facilities? Do you think they will all be open in November - esp as you get into the mountains where there will already be snow?

I have no idea of your budget but it doesn't sound as if this has really been planned out and you might end up in difficulties on the road, esp if your car is not in top condition. Do make sure that it has been checked over and all the fluids filled before you leave. And listen to the weather on the radio as you go - since you can run into snow storms as you get to the mountains and you don;t want to be stuck out on the road.

dfrostnh

I think before you leave you should get established with a reputable temporary job placement service which might help you earn some money. Of course, this might depend on your previous work experience and education background. Some agencies specialize in office work but others place people in factory type jobs or those that don't require a lot of training and experience.

Airb&b might be a possibility for less expensive lodging in private homes. Sometimes I've seen camping sites posted.

Make sure your car is in good shape with good tires and hopefully you know some basic auto mechanics.

Here in New England, church and grange suppers run around $10 per person. Some offer all you can eat breakfasts. These could be a source of good home style food but generally they are only offered on saturday nights and sunday mornings.

Carry a basic meal making kit which would include a re-fillable water bottle. Some large supermarkets have a good selection of prepared food. Carry a small cooler and hot pot. You can heat up a can of soup, etc. if electricity is available.

Perhaps research cost of living in different places. California wouldn't be on my list of affordable locations.

Ackislander

"dispersed camp sites" are free camp sites in National Forests and Bureau of Land Management properties, for those who don't know. Some of them, like "the Slabs" in Arizona, are famous. No cost, but no facilities. Users have to bring their own water and carry out their own waste, both trash and personal. People also sleep in cars and campers in Walmart and casino parking lots in some locations, with the same rules. Very little of this in the East.

To save money, get rid of your phone contracts and have a cheap burner phone for emergencies. Public libraries have free internet everywhere for staying in touch and finding out what's ahead. You need a cheap propane stove and an icebox (yard sales or Goodwill) to cook or heat your own food. Never buy fast food or coffee. I make a whole week of coffee for less than one Starbucks.

Safety: join AAA. Free maps, free flat service, free tows to nearest garage. Don't bring dope. Cops love to stop young guys and know every possible place to hide it, even places you would never think of.

The best vehicle for this trip is a plain white van, preferably something that looks like you are a tradesman, maybe a pipe or ladder rack on the roof. Sleep inside. Be discreet.

You are going to need to take a southern route at that time of year. Sleeping in the van will be cold (Goodwill sleeping bags) and you just don't want to drive in snow.

Look out for work on the way. What can you do? What have you done already? Some areas are impossible (Oklahoma) others okay. Can you deal with it when people treat you like crap? Older people know how to let it slide and usually find work on the road. If you find temporary work on the way, check into a cheap motel and get yourself and your clothes clean. Be warm or cold for a few days. Move n.

Good luck.

jamie99

Doesn't sound like a good idea to uproot yourself with no job prospects, it is usually recommended to have at least six months worth of money in case you cannot find a job right away to pay rent and utilities and food, etc.

DebbieDoesDulles

What sort of work do you want to do? The most populated areas of California have housing shortages...and most landlords require that renters have good credit history...even if you both secure jobs it could be difficult to get settled. Also, traveling with a "very small budget-just enough for gas and food" is definitely not a good idea. What if your car breaks down in the middle of the country and needs a $400 brake job or a new radiator? Perhaps you should save up a few thousand dollars between the two of you before leaving Maine. Gasoline alone on a cross country trip is going to cost you $350-$400.

janisj

'Back in the day' just taking off w/ little/no money to explore and head west was an adventure. Lots of kids did it in the 50's - 60's - 70's.

Now it just doesn't work that way. Anywhere in CA - even in the very cheapest little back waters you will need a lot of $$ to get settled. And a problem in many of those small communities there are no jobs -- or no legal ones anyway.

Sassafrass

This is simply put, a very, very bad plan. We have had an almost new battery die in cold weather. No close place to purchase a new one, and when we did, it was expensive. We skidded on ice once, and wiped out all tires in the car. Had to be towed and we're lucky we were not on some lonely road someplace. We have had alternators go out. Again, an expensive repair. OK these things were during years of travel, but there were others, and when they happen, you need to be able to deal with them.

Someone suggested a Southern route. Do take their advice! Keep an eye on weather and do not take chances. Not that you couldn't travel through it, but you don't have the resources to handle emergencies.

Do you have any family or friends where you could stop in other parts of the country? Even distant cousins "might" welcome you. My daughter spent a couple of Summer months traveling on her own. Things did happen and she ended up staying with family she had never met a number of times. She had a great time doing that, and thank goodness they were there.

Rather than going all the way across country, to an expensive location, with no concrete job possibilities, in winter, why not stay East, going South to the Carolinas or Northern Florida and seeing what it is like to do something like that. If something happens, you are less isolated. You won't have to use up all your money getting there. Weather will still be decent, no snow storms or mountains to deal with.

It things don't work out to your satisfaction, you can still make a big move next Summer.

tomfuller

I agree with Sassafrass. Stay in the east and head south to North or South Carolina. If you can do construction or cleanup work, there will be jobs taking care of the damage done by Matthew.
Earn some money in the east and follow your dream next spring with a newer vehicle.
If you do want to travel to the west at the start of winter, sell your vehicle and ride Amtrak in coach and you can be in California or Oregon in about 4 days.
The HI hostel in Chicago is a great place to sleep, shower and wash your clothes before heading west.