Random Q&A with Zee Traveler #1
Finding myself with some free time during the world wide shut down of the great COVID-19 pandemic, I asked the members of Minimalist Motorcycle Vagabonds what they'd like to know from me about being a motorcycle traveler. I've given brief answers here but the real reason behind this was for ideas on what subjects people may find interesting to have more "in-depth" information on that I can work on. Nonetheless, here it it.
The First 9
Q: Lisa R - “Your perspective on riding solo as a woman. Would love to hear all the “stupid” comments that have been thrown out to you.
A: Nearing the end of a stay at a McDonald’s in southern Missouri, where I hung out to gulp down massive amounts of water to come off of the verge of heat exhaustion, I had gone outside to prep to continue west. As I was loading up what was obviously a single seating motorcycle (my luggage gave no room for another human), an old man - who had been inside the restaurant and who had watched me try to drown myself in water on the hot and humid day - said “is that your boyfriend’s bike?” Unfortunately my brain was a tad toasted and what I should’ve said was something like “if it is, I don’t know where he would sit”, but responded with the overtly boring “no, it’s mine”. This is just one of the many ridiclous, and utterly idiotic things people have said to me on the road… Speaking of that...
“Hasn’t someone tried to rape you?”, “It’s too dangerous for a woman to travel alone”, “You’re going to get hurt/die.”, “That is an AWFUL motorcycle to travel on *starts a rant on how I’m incapable of choosing a motorcycle for myself*”, “You need to stop traveling and work for a 401K.”, “You can’t tour on that.”, “The world is too dangerous for what you do.”, “You’ve slept on the side of the road and not been attacked?!?”, “That Victory Crosscountry is too big for you.”, “You’ll never find a man if you don’t settle down/grow out your hair/act more feminine/wear makeup/dress better.”, “You can’t camp without a tent.”, “You can’t ride that bike because of weight/height/etc.”, “No you didn’t! (said seriously to some aspect of my life I shared)”, and many more things I can’t even remember have been said to me over the last 3.5 years of travels. Oh! Let’s not forget the time I chose to eat crackers, peanut butter, and jerky for dinner one time in Canada and more than one man (on FB) decided to berate me for “not carrying a water purifier, cooking supplies, and dehydrated food.” Funny thing, I had all that but I’m lazy and didn’t care to go through the hassle as I had enough to sustain myself, but they never asked if I did or didn’t before giving me couchside advice. All I have to say to it now is, “my middle name is ‘the fuck I can’t’.”
Here’s the thing… People are going to tell you every reason you can’t do something but all they’re saying is the reason THEY are scared to do something. For many people, lashing out at those who aren’t scared is because they are and feel threatened by our confidence to seize life. Be a bright light no matter what anyone says or does to you. There will be people who try to dim your light to make theirs seem brighter and those aren’t the people you deserve in life. You want bright lights around you to help you make the world less dark together.
Q: Hekta B. - “I'd like to know how people manage to hop on the bike and pick up jobs along the way, so when you get the work do you tell them you live on a bike, do you need to sort an address and when do you decide to move onward even if work is still available.”
A: As I was hanging out with a brand new vagabond a few months ago, I actually sat down and explained the dynamic to him so…. I’m a little more prepared to answer this now. From the ground up, the first thing is your resume. What I highly recommend you do for your gaps between work is come up with a purpose for which you traveled. “I’m writing a book”, “I’m blogging about food culture across the nation”, “I’m documenting how to camp across the world”, or whatever. I’ve even offered to host a webpage for other travelers or suggest they buy a domain and make one themselves because apparently that makes you legitimate (it helped me get a visa in Canada once). Even besides that, I personally run multiple communities and resources that I say I spend my “down time” on. The point is to appear productive when you’re not working and it justifies your time and also shows you’re capable of budgeting and self control over your finances.
As far as an address, no employer has ever checked to see if I’ve lived somewhere. So pick a local church or park if you need to, or reach out to the biker communities and see if anyone will let you use their address. UPS and other businesses offering mailing services as well that serve as “a residence”. There’s many options for that.
When it comes to interviewing, use your discretion. If it’s a small construction company, tell them you’re only around a few months. Since I tend to hit a staffing agency (they do all the leg work I don’t want to do), I simply say I just moved there and need work. My work of choice usually ends up being warehouse, and high turnover places at that, so I don’t mind “omitting” that I’m only there temporarily because these aren’t career-worth companies anyway. They’re high turnover for a reason. I’ll just say that I’ve been through a lot of different jobs, have a lot of skills, and a “traveler’s confidence” that I can sink any job interview with. Smile, have a firm handshake, promise you can always be on time to work, and ooze confidence. You’ll be fine.
(This may turn into a more “in-depth” piece in the near future)
Q: David M. - “Items you pack that can be used for more than one purpose, to cut down on how much you take.”
A: Instead of pulling apart my kit and explaining how I can use everything in it in multiple ways, I’m going to make this frustratingly simple. How many uses you can find for any one object is precisely related to your ability to problem solve, be imaginative, resourceful, and innovative with the things you do have. “Necessity is the mother of invention” - Plato. Besides using your imagination with your gear to solve the problems you have, simply start cutting out things you haven’t touched in months. If you have an abundance of anything on the road, it’s time to think about this in detail.
Q: David M. - “Campfires or no campfires. If we are wilderness camping, campfires aren't such a good thing. Solo traveling, do you go to bed earlier than normal?”
A: Why aren’t campfires a good thing when “wilderness camping”? (what’s this even mean?) If you do a fire, do a proper one. Clear away brush, don’t do it on high wind days, and KEEP IT SMALL. Ain’t no one person need a damn bonfire. As far as what time I go to bed, I would say I do. Living outside means I live by sunlight. There’s only so many things to do in the dark (like reading ebooks on my phone) so I’m usually asleep by 10-12pm. I’ll spend a few hours awake in the early AM (I have sleeping problems), will wake up once at sunrise, cover my eyes, and go back to sleep. I tell the sun “wake me up in 10 degrees” and am usually up and swinging in my hammock while reading by 8-9am. This all changes depending on the time of year and elevation though, but you get the idea.
Q: Timo S. - “Boxers vs briefs and Why do men have nipples🤔? Two questions I struggle with daily...”
A: Commando is the only right answer! It’s less crap to carry and less stuff to wash on top of being way more comfy. And men have nipples so the belly button doesn’t feel alone, duh. What I question is why these are daily hurdles for you..."
Q: Billy J. - “I'd like to hear about being in a crisis with nowhere to go and how you were railed on for it. I'm still pissed about that”
A: This is going to have to be a piece of its own…. And I’m still not sure I’m ready to write about it without throwing out too many emotional responses. I’ll need a minute to prose myself.
Q: Glenn S. - “How to get mail and financing for your travels."
A: Mail can either be a friend who forwards for you or a paid mailing service that forwards for you. (a quick google search will reveal these services and prices depending on the state you choose) Financing…. Well, that’s highly varied. You could stop to work occasionally, remote work, do the biker rallies, rent out your property, live on social security/401K/pension/disability/etc. It’s up to you and what works for you.
Q: Andy K. - “Your personal views on, and ways of dealing with the physical/mental toll that comes along with living out of a motorcycle”
A: After attending the Rubber Tramp Rendezvous in 2020, I realized that a year living on a motorcycle is like 7 years in an RV. It really is an extraordinarily hard life and I’ve seen many people burn out within 1-2 years of starting it. As for me, I make sure to listen to what I truly want and take plenty of time to stay in an area to relax. Moving too much and too often in 2017 took a harsh toll on me and I had an emotional crash in the later part of the year. Since then, I’ve learned the value of taking a few weeks off here and there to do nothing and to travel less days per week. I also make sure to keep a decently healthy diet, stay active, read often, and rest any time I feel like I need to. There’s no reason to make this life harder than it has to be.
Q: Ray A. - “ I was pulled in a short lived vagabond live by the romantic idea of one against the world and to experience all the world had to offer. When my reality set in and realized it was more than me and the world can be harsh place. I slowly settled down and eventually got consumed into my materialistic reality. Maybe you could talk about the romantic idea and the reality. I would think a true vagabond would have a huge inner strength and purpose to stay in the lifestyle.”
A: It’s actually a common topic for me towards my fellow travelers about how everyone thinks that my life is all rainbows, curvy roads, and sunshine. While yes, I get to see and do a numerous amount of cool as hell stuff, it’s not an easy life on the day end, day out nor is it as exciting as people think it is. I make sure to share on social media the hard times, the rough stuff, and the embarrassing stuff to show people the other side to the cool pics. Even with sharing all day, the rad posts only make up about 10% of the life while the rest is hanging out in the shade at gas stations, reading a book in my hammock, or endless hours of flat/straight riding.
As far as the inner strength, yes it does require a huge amount of it. Besides being strong, brave, courageous, confident, fearless, there’s a huge thing I also have to remind people. I’m not lucky to have the life I do - it didn’t fall from the sky and land in my lap in any way. Every day I struggle with staying hydrated, healthy, fed, rested, warm, and dry. Every day I sacrifice to maintain this life, things like deep relationships, comfort, seeing my friends, routine, anything that costs money, and many foods. No, I’m not bitching at all, I love my life. But it’s not as easy as people like to think when they see the stories I share and I have to remind them of that.
A: Nearing the end of a stay at a McDonald’s in southern Missouri, where I hung out to gulp down massive amounts of water to come off of the verge of heat exhaustion, I had gone outside to prep to continue west. As I was loading up what was obviously a single seating motorcycle (my luggage gave no room for another human), an old man - who had been inside the restaurant and who had watched me try to drown myself in water on the hot and humid day - said “is that your boyfriend’s bike?” Unfortunately my brain was a tad toasted and what I should’ve said was something like “if it is, I don’t know where he would sit”, but responded with the overtly boring “no, it’s mine”. This is just one of the many ridiclous, and utterly idiotic things people have said to me on the road… Speaking of that...
“Hasn’t someone tried to rape you?”, “It’s too dangerous for a woman to travel alone”, “You’re going to get hurt/die.”, “That is an AWFUL motorcycle to travel on *starts a rant on how I’m incapable of choosing a motorcycle for myself*”, “You need to stop traveling and work for a 401K.”, “You can’t tour on that.”, “The world is too dangerous for what you do.”, “You’ve slept on the side of the road and not been attacked?!?”, “That Victory Crosscountry is too big for you.”, “You’ll never find a man if you don’t settle down/grow out your hair/act more feminine/wear makeup/dress better.”, “You can’t camp without a tent.”, “You can’t ride that bike because of weight/height/etc.”, “No you didn’t! (said seriously to some aspect of my life I shared)”, and many more things I can’t even remember have been said to me over the last 3.5 years of travels. Oh! Let’s not forget the time I chose to eat crackers, peanut butter, and jerky for dinner one time in Canada and more than one man (on FB) decided to berate me for “not carrying a water purifier, cooking supplies, and dehydrated food.” Funny thing, I had all that but I’m lazy and didn’t care to go through the hassle as I had enough to sustain myself, but they never asked if I did or didn’t before giving me couchside advice. All I have to say to it now is, “my middle name is ‘the fuck I can’t’.”
Here’s the thing… People are going to tell you every reason you can’t do something but all they’re saying is the reason THEY are scared to do something. For many people, lashing out at those who aren’t scared is because they are and feel threatened by our confidence to seize life. Be a bright light no matter what anyone says or does to you. There will be people who try to dim your light to make theirs seem brighter and those aren’t the people you deserve in life. You want bright lights around you to help you make the world less dark together.
Q: Hekta B. - “I'd like to know how people manage to hop on the bike and pick up jobs along the way, so when you get the work do you tell them you live on a bike, do you need to sort an address and when do you decide to move onward even if work is still available.”
A: As I was hanging out with a brand new vagabond a few months ago, I actually sat down and explained the dynamic to him so…. I’m a little more prepared to answer this now. From the ground up, the first thing is your resume. What I highly recommend you do for your gaps between work is come up with a purpose for which you traveled. “I’m writing a book”, “I’m blogging about food culture across the nation”, “I’m documenting how to camp across the world”, or whatever. I’ve even offered to host a webpage for other travelers or suggest they buy a domain and make one themselves because apparently that makes you legitimate (it helped me get a visa in Canada once). Even besides that, I personally run multiple communities and resources that I say I spend my “down time” on. The point is to appear productive when you’re not working and it justifies your time and also shows you’re capable of budgeting and self control over your finances.
As far as an address, no employer has ever checked to see if I’ve lived somewhere. So pick a local church or park if you need to, or reach out to the biker communities and see if anyone will let you use their address. UPS and other businesses offering mailing services as well that serve as “a residence”. There’s many options for that.
When it comes to interviewing, use your discretion. If it’s a small construction company, tell them you’re only around a few months. Since I tend to hit a staffing agency (they do all the leg work I don’t want to do), I simply say I just moved there and need work. My work of choice usually ends up being warehouse, and high turnover places at that, so I don’t mind “omitting” that I’m only there temporarily because these aren’t career-worth companies anyway. They’re high turnover for a reason. I’ll just say that I’ve been through a lot of different jobs, have a lot of skills, and a “traveler’s confidence” that I can sink any job interview with. Smile, have a firm handshake, promise you can always be on time to work, and ooze confidence. You’ll be fine.
(This may turn into a more “in-depth” piece in the near future)
Q: David M. - “Items you pack that can be used for more than one purpose, to cut down on how much you take.”
A: Instead of pulling apart my kit and explaining how I can use everything in it in multiple ways, I’m going to make this frustratingly simple. How many uses you can find for any one object is precisely related to your ability to problem solve, be imaginative, resourceful, and innovative with the things you do have. “Necessity is the mother of invention” - Plato. Besides using your imagination with your gear to solve the problems you have, simply start cutting out things you haven’t touched in months. If you have an abundance of anything on the road, it’s time to think about this in detail.
Q: David M. - “Campfires or no campfires. If we are wilderness camping, campfires aren't such a good thing. Solo traveling, do you go to bed earlier than normal?”
A: Why aren’t campfires a good thing when “wilderness camping”? (what’s this even mean?) If you do a fire, do a proper one. Clear away brush, don’t do it on high wind days, and KEEP IT SMALL. Ain’t no one person need a damn bonfire. As far as what time I go to bed, I would say I do. Living outside means I live by sunlight. There’s only so many things to do in the dark (like reading ebooks on my phone) so I’m usually asleep by 10-12pm. I’ll spend a few hours awake in the early AM (I have sleeping problems), will wake up once at sunrise, cover my eyes, and go back to sleep. I tell the sun “wake me up in 10 degrees” and am usually up and swinging in my hammock while reading by 8-9am. This all changes depending on the time of year and elevation though, but you get the idea.
Q: Timo S. - “Boxers vs briefs and Why do men have nipples🤔? Two questions I struggle with daily...”
A: Commando is the only right answer! It’s less crap to carry and less stuff to wash on top of being way more comfy. And men have nipples so the belly button doesn’t feel alone, duh. What I question is why these are daily hurdles for you..."
Q: Billy J. - “I'd like to hear about being in a crisis with nowhere to go and how you were railed on for it. I'm still pissed about that”
A: This is going to have to be a piece of its own…. And I’m still not sure I’m ready to write about it without throwing out too many emotional responses. I’ll need a minute to prose myself.
Q: Glenn S. - “How to get mail and financing for your travels."
A: Mail can either be a friend who forwards for you or a paid mailing service that forwards for you. (a quick google search will reveal these services and prices depending on the state you choose) Financing…. Well, that’s highly varied. You could stop to work occasionally, remote work, do the biker rallies, rent out your property, live on social security/401K/pension/disability/etc. It’s up to you and what works for you.
Q: Andy K. - “Your personal views on, and ways of dealing with the physical/mental toll that comes along with living out of a motorcycle”
A: After attending the Rubber Tramp Rendezvous in 2020, I realized that a year living on a motorcycle is like 7 years in an RV. It really is an extraordinarily hard life and I’ve seen many people burn out within 1-2 years of starting it. As for me, I make sure to listen to what I truly want and take plenty of time to stay in an area to relax. Moving too much and too often in 2017 took a harsh toll on me and I had an emotional crash in the later part of the year. Since then, I’ve learned the value of taking a few weeks off here and there to do nothing and to travel less days per week. I also make sure to keep a decently healthy diet, stay active, read often, and rest any time I feel like I need to. There’s no reason to make this life harder than it has to be.
Q: Ray A. - “ I was pulled in a short lived vagabond live by the romantic idea of one against the world and to experience all the world had to offer. When my reality set in and realized it was more than me and the world can be harsh place. I slowly settled down and eventually got consumed into my materialistic reality. Maybe you could talk about the romantic idea and the reality. I would think a true vagabond would have a huge inner strength and purpose to stay in the lifestyle.”
A: It’s actually a common topic for me towards my fellow travelers about how everyone thinks that my life is all rainbows, curvy roads, and sunshine. While yes, I get to see and do a numerous amount of cool as hell stuff, it’s not an easy life on the day end, day out nor is it as exciting as people think it is. I make sure to share on social media the hard times, the rough stuff, and the embarrassing stuff to show people the other side to the cool pics. Even with sharing all day, the rad posts only make up about 10% of the life while the rest is hanging out in the shade at gas stations, reading a book in my hammock, or endless hours of flat/straight riding.
As far as the inner strength, yes it does require a huge amount of it. Besides being strong, brave, courageous, confident, fearless, there’s a huge thing I also have to remind people. I’m not lucky to have the life I do - it didn’t fall from the sky and land in my lap in any way. Every day I struggle with staying hydrated, healthy, fed, rested, warm, and dry. Every day I sacrifice to maintain this life, things like deep relationships, comfort, seeing my friends, routine, anything that costs money, and many foods. No, I’m not bitching at all, I love my life. But it’s not as easy as people like to think when they see the stories I share and I have to remind them of that.
(Soon to come) The Next 9ish
Q: Timo S. - “Zee, you have talked a bit about the whole 'situational awareness' piece when it comes to questions of security and when you get the seemingly inevitable questions about what you carry. Without getting into a firearm debate, I think hearing your perspective on how this works for you, perhaps with some examples would be of interest.”
A:
Q: Christo B. - “I’d like to hear a little bit more about geurrilla camping. (it’s that camp spot you find when hotels, motels, KOA’s, cemeteries have all proved fruitless. It’s the spot that you’re not sure if you’re going to get in trouble for being in and hope it’s behind some bushes where you won’t be seen. All stealthy like. Like the guerrilla in Columbia or wherever those guerrillas are from)
A:
Q: Bruce O. - “What do you do to stay alert on the roads? Coffee, energy drinks, naps... what tricks do you have? Also how do you deal with the total alone feeling? I mean you not alone in a crowed of people you are alone in the middle of nowhere sleeping between two trees. secluded and truly alone?”
A:
Q: Matt C.- “Perhaps talk about the social balancing act of a solo vagabond. You seem to naturally be an extrovert yet you spend long stretches of time alone. It'd be interesting to see how the introverts feel about the topic compared to extroverts."
A:
A:
Q: Christo B. - “I’d like to hear a little bit more about geurrilla camping. (it’s that camp spot you find when hotels, motels, KOA’s, cemeteries have all proved fruitless. It’s the spot that you’re not sure if you’re going to get in trouble for being in and hope it’s behind some bushes where you won’t be seen. All stealthy like. Like the guerrilla in Columbia or wherever those guerrillas are from)
A:
Q: Bruce O. - “What do you do to stay alert on the roads? Coffee, energy drinks, naps... what tricks do you have? Also how do you deal with the total alone feeling? I mean you not alone in a crowed of people you are alone in the middle of nowhere sleeping between two trees. secluded and truly alone?”
A:
Q: Matt C.- “Perhaps talk about the social balancing act of a solo vagabond. You seem to naturally be an extrovert yet you spend long stretches of time alone. It'd be interesting to see how the introverts feel about the topic compared to extroverts."
A: