Have you ever moved off somewhere on impulse?

[last_texas_dem]

Have you ever just packed up and moved off somewhere on impulse or essentially on impulse? Especially somewhere you had little or no connections to, and initially no place to live, a job, etc.?

If you have, I would love to hear your story/stories. Was it the best decision you ever made, the worst mistake of your life, or something in-between? What caused you to make the decision to jet out and start over? Did things go like you thought they would or was it much different? If you had the chance to do it again, would you?

Sorry for all the questions, but I'm just looking for some perspectives. I won't go into all the details for now, but getting out on my own and trying to find my way and all that this entails has been on my mind a good deal lately. I just can't decide if doing something rash like heading out on my own with nothing planned or in place is something worth doing if I have the opportunity to or just an illogically impulsive mistake.

[sir_captain]

1. I haven't, but a friend just did

He moved to NYC on a complete whim and is sleeping on my couch. Frankly, I hope he finds a job and place to stay relatively soon--I've got a small apartment!

[last_texas_dem]

5. Yeah

If I went somewhere else I would definitely want to make sure I wasn't putting too big of a burden on anyone if I happened to know someone there. Largely because a lot of the reason I want to go somewhere else is to kind of find my way and become more independent- which I know sounds great in theory, but it's the details of the situation I would want to have mapped out significantly better before heading out anywhere. (Which I guess may lessen the "impulsiveness" of the situation somewhat, but not too much.)

[alittlelark]

2. Once in my 20's... it was one of the best decisions in my life.

I had had enough of the current dysfunctional reality. I moved 220 miles away, took long baths every night, and comunicated nothing of myself to anyone but Tara, my cat. I went to school and worked as a ghost. 3 months later I joined my new reality's social structure.

It was one of the 3 best decisions in my life.

[last_texas_dem]

6. That sounds cool

I am glad that the decision was a very positive one for you.

I would like to get off on my own both to get more time to myself and to hopefully meet people who I have more common interests with. I know it's possible to unrealistically think that things will become much better in another place, but I think starting over in a different place with a different attitude could definitely play a large part in making things better.

A big reason that I am wanting to try another place is that I have grown to dislike more and more the place where I have lived for essentially all of my life. (Going and doing some political campaigning in New Hampshire and Wisconsin also gave me some real, if still fairly limited, perspective on other places.) The only thing that has kept me where I am for as long as I have been is that most of my family, who I am very close to, is here. But I have become more and more unsatisfied with many things in life lately, and I think living in an apathetic and dying area is playing a substantial part in this.

[enigmatic]

3. Most of my life.....

I've been on the road almost constantly since I was 19; I think the longest I've ever stayed in one place at a time has been up here; 4 years this July.

I'll never get the wanderlust out of me; picking up and leaving at a whim is the best drug I've ever tasted..

[last_texas_dem]

8. That sounds like it would be very interesting

I'm glad that trying out different places has been a good experience for you.

I'm not very old (21) but I feel like I've already missed out on a lot by staying in the same place for most of my life. Just spending short periods of time in some other places has taught me a lot. Making a permanent move would take a lot of getting used to and a lot of learning, especially for someone as sheltered as I am, but I have been thinking more and more that it is something worth doing.

[enigmatic]

11. Do it, you won't regret it

Travel, look around, see what you want to see in the world; you won't regret it. And if you ever make it up to Canada, shoot me an E and I'll help out any way I can..

[last_texas_dem]

13. Thanks

Several of the places I'm considering checking out in the U.S. aren't very far from the Canadian border (definitely much closer than the Gulf Coast- where I am now!). I wouldn't mind checking out Canada itself either; I visited there once when I was young and have good memories of it.

[Madrone]

4. YES -

Although I did have a place to live - it was with someone I'd never met before.

I don't know if I'd say it's been good or bad - 6 of one, half a dozen of another, really.

The move itself (drove, alone, cross country - stayed with friends I only knew from the internet along the way) was worth the price of admission. Best summer I've ever had in my life.

I believe everything happens for a reason - and while this doesn't seem like "home" to me, I don't feel as if it's time to move on just yet. I don't think I've yet to accomplish whatever it was I was sent out to do.

Things were MUCH different than I expected - but then, I have this little emotional problem called OPTIMISM - and life has a way with fucking with you if you're optimistic. It ain't all bad though - and it's not been anything I couldn't handle.

I'd say - if you're thinking about doing something like this - there's a small window of opportunity in one's life to break off and do something this "crazy" when you're not tied down in a number of different ways. Seize the opportunity - you can always come back.

[last_texas_dem]

12. Thanks

It was good reading your perspective on your move.

I can see how the move itself would be a lot of fun; I've only made a couple of real cross-country trips in my life but they were both fun experiences.

I tend to veer dramatically back and forth between being a strong optimist and a strong pessimist myself, largely because of what you mentioned about what life can do to you if you're optimistic. I think I really am an optimistic by nature but may have some mild sort of depression that can really put a damper on things from time to time. (I guess that may sound kind of crazy but I think it's a fairly accurate description of how I am.) I would be going into this move with guarded optimism I guess; basically optimistic and wanting a lot of good things to happen but with a lot of nervousness- which I guess isn't exactly unprecedented in that situation.

Yeah, a lot of why I have been considering this more and more is because of where I am in my life. I recently graduated from college, but have degrees (Political Science and History) that are difficult to use without either getting further education or taking a few additional steps (testing to be certified to teach, etc.) So despite being done with college I'm currently living with my parents and working a near minimum-wage job (not exactly where I wanted to be at 21!) I didn't take care of business with getting into grad school so am not lined up to do that for the fall. I'm single and most of my friends have moved off and becoming more and more disenchanted with the place I've called home for so long more and more everyday. So I guess I'm having some strong feelings that there's really nothing for me to lose by just going off and trying something different. I guess it's just difficult for an overly cautious person like me to very easily decide to make such a dramatic change in my life.

[Canadian Socialist]

7. I've moved most of my life

but the biggest move was 19 years ago. I just decided (at the age of 29) I had had enough. I was offered a great job here in Calgary, and within a week I had packed, moved and found a place to live. Do I regret it? Yes and no. I do not like Alberta. But, I realise now that to move is not such a bad thing.

btw, I'm an army brat, so most of my life involved moving. This was my first "adult" move. Now, I'm glad I did it. I know I can ditch most of my stuff and just keep moving on.

One thing I did learn, is make sure everything you have, you can move by yourself. If you and/or one friend can't move it, leave it.

[last_texas_dem]

14. That's interesting

I'm sure I'd definitely have a different perspective about moving if I'd done it quite a bit as a child. I may have more of a fascination with how good it would be because of my own inexperience with it. Then again, I guess I won't really know until I try.

That's interesting what you mention about limiting the amount of stuff. I do tend to hold on to junk, but mostly just because it's interesting; I don't have too strong of attachments to most of my "stuff." (The hardest thing for me to decide what to take from would be my record collection which I started back in the sixth grade. But I wouldn't really have to get rid of those 'cause I got my dad into doing it too so I figure he'd hold on to them- at least most of them.)

[driver8]

9. I knew one person in Los Angeles...he said I could stay with him

if I wanted. I packed up my car and drove from NY to CA. I had no job and knew no one. This was in March 1992. A few weeks later, my friend was out of town and I am sitting there watching Los Angeles burn on television...

Welcome to California!

[driver8]

10. One more thing -- I've been out here for 13 years, now...

[last_texas_dem]

15. Cool

That would definitely be a crazy way to start things off in a new place. But it sounds like things must have at least gotten a little better since you decided to stay out there!

[driver8]

16. I have to admit -- I did almost leave the state after the Northridge

earthquake destroyed my apartment. I have never been so scared in my life!!

[Kenneth ken]

17. yes

moved cross country to a state where I didn't know anyone. I had been there once on vacation for a week, and flew out for a week before I moved so I could find an aprtment to rent.

Best/Worst? Probably something in-between. It didn't go as well as I imagined, but I did learn some things about me. I stayed for about ten years or so.

Now I'm back in my home state, and among other things, I appreciate my family more.

I would have to say that it is good to get out and grow.

If you have pets, better planning is probably preferable to random non-planning. If you make a bad choice or two along the way, it is okay and can help you to grow, but it doesn't seem fair to make your pets suffer because of your bad planning/choices.

Actually, having said that, I think the best idea is to take as little as possible and make the trip to where ever you want to go part of the adventure. That old "the journey matters as much as the destination" thing (or however that wisdom goes)

:)

:hi:

[mark414]

18. i am doing it in january

i live in milwaukee but i'm taking some more time off from school and moving to san francisco. what i'll do, i don't know. but hey what the hell, you only live once.