I'm about to be homeless....need your advice (Linden: bus, post office)

[SoloTraveler]

Originally Posted by nighthouse66

yeah. i am sure no one else has thought of the hostel probably because the one in venice is notorious for all the wrong reasons, and keep your stuff at the airport? you apprently don't know that you can't just HANG OUT at LAX. i've tried. what are you gonna suggest next, bathing in fountains? i call garbage on YOUR advice, o great one.

As long as he has a place to store the rest of this stuff (other than 1 or 2 bags, you know, carryons) he can stay at the airport. Please re-read my post. I've stayed at LAX a couple of times. As long as you're not airside, which he wouldn't be since he doesn't have a boarding pass, he can "hangout" (sleep) without ANY issues whatsoever.

Also, check out the hostel websites I provided before speaking. There are very highly rated hostels in the LA area. I've stayed at many of them.

Every bit of advice I've provided, I've taken myself. It works. Sorry if I touched a nerve. When you're desperate, you have to do things which aren't considered "mainstream" means of living. Doesn't mean they should be beneath you. Just my 2 cents. I was in the OPs position once. Were you?

[nighthouse66]

Originally Posted by SoloTraveler

As long as he has a place to store the rest of this stuff (other than 1 or 2 bags, you know, carryons) he can stay at the airport. Please re-read my post. I've stayed at LAX a couple of times. As long as you're not airside, which he wouldn't be since he doesn't have a boarding pass, he can "hangout" (sleep) without ANY issues whatsoever.

Also, check out the hostel websites I provided before speaking. There are very highly rated hostels in the LA area. I've stayed at many of them.

Every bit of advice I've provided, I've taken myself. It works. Sorry if I touched a nerve. When you're desperate, you have to do things which aren't considered "mainstream" means of living. Doesn't mean they should be beneath you. Just my 2 cents. I was in the OPs position once. Were you?

oh yes. i lived in my van for four months. in venice. and i know from the locals about the hostel. i would rather stay under a bridge than a hostel. i am paranoid about bedbugs.

actually i am looking at having to be homeless myself very soon, and so i am a bit grouchy. just the term "garbage advice" was a bit sweeping.

did you park your car at LAX? do you have a car? how the hell do you make it past the security point?

[SoloTraveler]

Originally Posted by nighthouse66

oh yes. i lived in my van for four months. in venice. and i know from the locals about the hostel. i would rather stay under a bridge than a hostel. i am paranoid about bedbugs.

actually i am looking at having to be homeless myself very soon, and so i am a bit grouchy. just the term "garbage advice" was a bit sweeping.

did you park your car at LAX? do you have a car? how the hell do you make it past the security point?

My sincere apologies if I was a bit harsh. I guess I read some things which were just lousy bits of advice. I guess I was speaking out of emotion as well since this is a topic I'm familiar with. See, fortunately I didn't have a car. Well, I did, but I sold it for some cash.

I made it past security by taking the car rental van to and from the airport and then taking the bus to where I needed to go.

And fortunately I've only had good (great, actually) experiences at hostels considering I stay at so many of them. Only experienced bedbugs once in my lifetime, and that was at a Hyatt in Phoenix! Never at hostels.

I'm in a position in life now where I make more / save more than enough money to support a family of four, and yet, when I travel, I still stay in hostels. Unless I'm with someone else. But, as my handle suggests, I travel by myself frequently.

[nighthouse66]

Originally Posted by SoloTraveler

I'm in a position in life now where I make more / save more than enough money to support a family of four, and yet, when I travel, I still stay in hostels. Unless I'm with someone else. But, as my handle suggests, I travel by myself frequently.

can i be in your family?

interesting, going through the rental terminal. i never thought of that. duly noted.

[dbuchko]

SAW anyone see it? No Hostel for meeee

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by SoloTraveler

Man, oh man, I read 6 pages of garbage advice, and I can't believe no one has mentioned staying at a hostel and working there PT (like 20 hours / week) to pay off the cost (yes, 100%) of living there. Tons of Euros do that over summers, and tons of college kids here do that when they go abroad. Hell, I'm 27, usually travel solo, and stay at over 2 dozen hostels every year. Trust me, you'll be able to set this up fairly quickly, definitely in less than a week. They're great places to stay, breakfast is generally free, you'll meet some pretty cool peeps. There are very few downsides to this plan. LA's got some pretty good hostels, just check out a site like hostelbookers.com or hostelworld.com.

Also, when all else fails, as long as you have a place to store your crap (other than 1 or 2 small bags), stay at the airport. Check out sleepinginairports.net. I've probably averaged 15-25 nights at airports over the past three years. When I do my weekend trips, I usually leave on Thursday evenings after work and get to my destinations generally close to, if not later than, midnight. No point blowing money, esp. considering public transportation is closed at that time. So I catch 5-8 hours sleep at the airport. Make sure you leave during the day. Also, make sure you stay at a different terminal each night...just in case some security guard sees you at 9 PM three nights in a row at Terminal 1. BTW, in my close to 100 nights sleeping in airports in my life, I've never, ever been asked what I'm doing there, and no one I've seen has, either. You won't be alone, tons of travelers will be some few feet away.

Edit: check out couchsurfing as well. I gave an English bloke a week at my apt when he first moved here. You can easily move around. In your profile, make it seem you're from Ohio or someplace that doesn't read Southern CA.

You're set, bro. Any other questions? PM me.

anyone else notice, the OP never came back after he posted?

Nita

[xani]

A lot of hostels (most of LA hostels actually), now require either foreign country passport or out-of-state US ID at check-in. A lot won't check-in a CA resident, with CA DL. Often a good policy, honestly, as those that allow local residents often end up filled with people who lay around and do drugs all day and hookers (staying in that company is worse than bed bugs, trust me).

[unwantedsr]

I'm in a similar position except I'm in my late 50's with no money, vehicle or place to stay. After receiving a little unemployment from my initial claim, I just received the dreaded letter saying that I didn't qualify for an extension, don't know why. Now I find myself trying to find warm and safe places to spend the early morning hours. Occasionally I'll borrow a car and try to sleep in that. One recommendation, do NOT rent a storage unit if you don't have to. I did that initially and when I fell two weeks behind in my payment they auctioned off ALL of my personal belongings! Plus, you can't stay in the unit. Good luck.

[TanyaPeterson]

My husband and I are both unemployed and my benefits have been exhausted. My husband's benefits will be exhausted in four months. Our home is in foreclosure and we've exhausted all our savings and have been struggling aggresively towards gaiining employment. We attend church regularly, pray and read our bibles daily. Nothing we do seems to work. We've gone from a six digit income to barely surviving. We're in our late 50's and we are so scared and on the brenk of losing what little remains. I never thought in a million years something like this would happen to us. I can't imagine being homeless, but we're very close to that. We have downsized and now we'll have to downsize more. We don't see an end to this. We're scared and have no family or friends to ask help from. We're even down to one vehicle in which we still owe...how are we going to pay for our vehicle...we can't even imagine being able to sleep in it as it will be repossed. Our debts are now high and creditors are theatening law suits. Our credit was in the high 700's just a couple years ago and we worked hard to get there...for what? I'm so scared....

[linden52]

I don't get it. You say you attend church regularly yet you have no friends? Going to church hasn't provided you with any support system at all? You say you once had a six figure income. Did you live off of ALL of that and not save or invest any?

I can see people who lose their jobs and are already poor or working class facing possible homelessness but people who had the means to save and didn't? Do you expect sympathy?

I think you need to start building some kind of support system now, because I imagine sleeping on someone's couch would be better than sleeping on the sidewalk or in some doorway.

Originally Posted by TanyaPeterson

My husband and I are both unemployed and my benefits have been exhausted. My husband's benefits will be exhausted in four months. Our home is in foreclosure and we've exhausted all our savings and have been struggling aggresively towards gaiining employment. We attend church regularly, pray and read our bibles daily. Nothing we do seems to work. We've gone from a six digit income to barely surviving. We're in our late 50's and we are so scared and on the brenk of losing what little remains. I never thought in a million years something like this would happen to us. I can't imagine being homeless, but we're very close to that. We have downsized and now we'll have to downsize more. We don't see an end to this. We're scared and have no family or friends to ask help from. We're even down to one vehicle in which we still owe...how are we going to pay for our vehicle...we can't even imagine being able to sleep in it as it will be repossed. Our debts are now high and creditors are theatening law suits. Our credit was in the high 700's just a couple years ago and we worked hard to get there...for what? I'm so scared....