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Is it possible to just pack up and move somewhere with very little money and no job/no housing when you get there? im 21 and I want to move to Arizona real bad ( I live in NY)
I was thinking of just selling almost all of my possessions load the things I want to keep in my jeep and hit the road and never look back...
Has anybody done this and gotten by ok or would this be a completely foolish thing to do
Something to consider before you do this is what you would do for money? What is your occupation and what is the market in your target area for it? Would you consider doing any job just to get started? What is the general unemployment rate in the areas that you are interested in?
I don't want to talk you out of it, but these are important things to consider even if you only have yourself to support. You don't want to end up with no money in a place with 15%+ unemployment.
Location: ๏̯͡๏﴿ Gwinnett-That's a Civil Matter-County
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In another time that would have been more feasible. In this job market you're pretty guaranteed to get yourself in trouble that way.
The sunny warm places that everyone dreams of living have the biggest problems with employment. If they didn't, everyone from up north would do what you're talking about doing.
Is it possible to just pack up and move somewhere with very little money and no job/no housing when you get there? im 21 and I want to move to Arizona real bad ( I live in NY)
I was thinking of just selling almost all of my possessions load the things I want to keep in my jeep and hit the road and never look back...
Has anybody done this and gotten by ok or would this be a completely foolish thing to do
Many would say it's a foolish thing to do that if you do not have a job, no money, and no sense of direction.
My cousin, my uncle, and myself have all packed up and just hit the road. We are all successful in our own way and have never looked back.
My cousin left home when he was 17, worked two jobs and then created his own business which he is doing very well with today. My uncle packed up and drove from NY to Texas when he was 18 and is now a hotel manager and entrepreneur. I left home after I graduated high school and drove from NY to Florida, where I currently am. I too run two online businesses and have been doing quite well for myself.
My cousin did not attend college until he was around 24 years old. My uncle went straight to college out of high school. I did one semester and nearly committed suicide.
Just goes to show that education does not equal prosperity and neither does having a set plan with loads of cash.
Location: ๏̯͡๏﴿ Gwinnett-That's a Civil Matter-County
2,118 posts, read 6,373,478 times
Reputation: 3547
Quote:
Originally Posted by ja1myn
Many would say it's a foolish thing to do that if you do not have a job, no money, and no sense of direction.
My cousin, my uncle, and myself have all packed up and just hit the road. We are all successful in our own way and have never looked back.
My cousin left home when he was 17, worked two jobs and then created his own business which he is doing very well with today. My uncle packed up and drove from NY to Texas when he was 18 and is now a hotel manager and entrepreneur. I left home after I graduated high school and drove from NY to Florida, where I currently am. I too run two online businesses and have been doing quite well for myself.
My cousin did not attend college until he was around 24 years old. My uncle went straight to college out of high school. I did one semester and nearly committed suicide.
Just goes to show that education does not equal prosperity and neither does having a set plan with loads of cash.
Ah, BUT, did this occur during the biggest recession since the great depression?
I think back in the day, even 15-20 years ago, this might have been feasible. With the job market as it is now, it's a great way to find yourself sleeping in your car. Police are much less tolerant of "vagrants" in most places than they were "back in the day".
For your own sake, please find a job or at least make some contacts down there before attempting to do something like this. This idea sounds fun and exciting, but begging strangers for money and going around to soup kitchens for a meal isn't quite so appealing.
Is it possible to just pack up and move somewhere with very little money and no job/no housing when you get there? im 21 and I want to move to Arizona real bad ( I live in NY)
I was thinking of just selling almost all of my possessions load the things I want to keep in my jeep and hit the road and never look back...
Has anybody done this and gotten by ok or would this be a completely foolish thing to do
It's not a stupid thing to do, just be prepared. Don't set yourself up for failure. Others like you and myself are doing the same thing.
You say you would be moving with very little money, that is not something I would do. Have enough money to live on for awhile.
I did this in 1989. Moved by myself, single woman,age 33, no kids, from Philly to Phoenix, sight unseen, no job. No friends or family in Arizona. And yes, that was a bad time in the economy too. Everyone told me I was nuts.
Best decision of my life (so far!)
But I DID plan this out. I saved enough to pay my expenses for 6 months - including medical insurance. I had several fields to find temporary employment until I could find a position in my career field. I established contacts and started networking in my career field before I mved (which would be even easier today with the Internet.) i knew that if I really screwed up, I could just go back to Philadelphia. AND I knew that I could borrow money from my father if I needed it, so I wouldn't destroy my credit with huge credit card debt.
And with similar planning and financial resources, I'm doing it again, but this time with husband along for the ride. Next stop is Raleigh, NC. But at least we visited the area first for a whole 36 hours!
It's doable and I know people who've done it, but I would advise against doing it with very little money. The cheapest I've witnessed would be my ex who moved to South Florida with no more than 1500, no job lined up, etc. She sold everything, loaded up her car with clothes and took off. I think my most bare bones move was 2K, no job, etc. But, I had no car note, no car insurance no credit card bills so my monthly living expenses were already low.
With that said....
I would advise against doing it with very little money. Things are a little tougher now with the economy, gas prices, etc. This is your first attempt and the 1st time is always the hardest. You don't want to fail all over an unusual circumstance (a health emergency, car emergency, etc). It's easier to get hit with unexpected expenses on that first interstate move. You're not as resourceful since it's new either. You need enough to help you survive without any income for a couple of months while being willing to accept the most menial of jobs to get some kind of income while searching for a good FT job.
I would also advise against moving to a place site unseen. Have you been to Arizona? If not, heed this warning. It's easy to fall in love with a place from a far. I can name a couple of places I loved from a far, visited for the 1st time to be very disappointed. I'll give you one. Took a trip to Denver, loved it. Visited some places outside of Denver, loved the entire area. Love middle and north Colorado. Then I heard about Colorado Springs, stories, etc. Was told it was soooo much better than Denver. Finally visited in 2010...didn't like it at all. Could never live there.
My advice, save up as much as you can, sell everything, take a trip and visit the area you are thinking of. Work 2 jobs for a short time if you have to. Visit the area you want to live, scout out neighborhoods you think you'd like to live in. When you get back, if you still want to move, do more research, put a plan together and make it happen.
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