Thanks for watching! Blog post with more detail on how I funded my hikes: www.couchtotrail.com/blog/how-ive-funded-7-years-of-adventure-travel-without-working-traditional-jobs CYTC Gear list: www.couchtotrail.com/blog/calendar-year-triple-crown-gear-list-and-reviewand-how-the-gear-changed-along-the-at-pct-and-cdt
You must have eaten a crazy amount of ramen over the years Jack. I’m glad you’ve been able to monetise your hard work and dedication. You deserve recognition for your badass achievements! I think you’ve hit critical mass now so I think your trajectory is going to be exponential.
Thank you for getting so specific. The jobs, the dollars, the savings, the Walmart parking lot. It grounds the videos in the reality of what it took to get there. Great video!
"Luck is when preparation meets opportunity." That's 100% you man, lucky is like being born to rich parents or something, you MADE all this happen. Thanks for this inspo, I just turned 33 and single and all you guys online with these badass lives are making me think lotttts of things.
So many smart, actionable points and advice in this video-thank you. Especially the idea everything doesn’t have to be figured out before making the first step. I am very happy all of your hard work has allowed you to pursue passion for adventure and challenge.
My wife and I have lived that "work hard, play hard" lifestyle for over 40 years. Great advice. The only thing I would add is to take the chance now. Don't wait, because at some point(76 yo, for me), the wheels begin to fall off, physically. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Jack for your honesty and detailed explanation of how you got to live your dream. My biggest take out to work on. Frugality! Two questions to ask ourselves: What you really need and what you want!! 🙏🏻
Phenomenal video. I've never seen anyone go in depth like you have, and also share the philosophy needed for this lifestyle. I also appreciate the fact you showed respect to those who are either unable or choose not to live this lifestyle.
People who think you just got lucky should watch you hike. (Or run, or fight fires.) You passed me one day in the sticky grind of NorCal. Step for step, just doing more and going harder. Day after day, year after year. A vast mountain of piled-up labor and sufferfesting and tenacity.
Watched some of your music videos, great stuff! And thank you, yeah that's a message I try to get to people, like you only see the final products and not the whole picture of the decades it takes to get there.
@@QuadzillaHikes yeah that's a funny thing - people watch your hiking videos and yet I suspect most viewers don't fully grasp either side of the WORK, even other hikers, let alone couch adventurers. The work of hiking at that intensity over a long period of time, and the work of creating the videos. They want some sort of shortcut where they can make low-effort phone reels, be an influencer without being an exemplary athlete, and still somehow make money. And sometimes it does seem to occasionally work out that way for a few folks. Mostly you just get people posing though.
@@caitlin.hardee Yes! I had to unsubscribe to all the entrepreneur, business subreddits because everyone just goes on there asking what kind of business they can start to make money with minimal work... like, that's just not how things work!
Great vid. Pretty much Henry David Theroux's philosophy followed by me and carried through to the vanlifers, hikers of today...and you! 😄 As a guy called Randy Vining once said; 'If I save a certain amount, invest it wisely and live frugally I can adventure on life now instead of amassing a lifetime of possessions and only being able to enjoy a few years at the end'. Glad you, Marvel and your Tramily enjoyed your NZ trip. Was good to have you all here 🤙
Yes! Loved Walden, that would be a fun experiment to do today, plant a buncha beans and live for a bit haha. Maybe someone will let me do that on their land. Yep 100% never made sense to me to work your whole life and then get a few years to enjoy when you're old and can't do anything anymore. I always said I'd rather live now and if I'm 70 or 80 and can't support myself, well then I can just die. Of course I'm sure I won't want to die at that age, but also feel it's very unlikely if I work hard for all these years and live happily that I'll be in a spot where I will literally starve to death or be homeless at that age.
Thanks man. I was always kinda the same. Quiting most of my jobs after a couple of months or a year, because I couldn't stand the feeling of being trapped in a routine. I did some traveling throughout the years, failed at Vanlife too. But now I am planning my first long distance hike through Europe. I have the same philosophy. You need to jump into the unknown and trust that the universe will provide. Feel really inspired by your video to get after it. Best of luck and a big hug brother!
Well played sir. You realized that having money does not make your life richer. Having zero debt and living within your means allows you to have freedoms that a lot of slaves to the 9-5 may never have. Like you, the military taught me a good work ethic and how to live within my means. Enjoy the ride and the experiences and keep doing what you do! BTW: I came across your content looking for a 15 min total body workout some years ago and still use it till this day!
The experience you have had, places you have visited and relationships you have developed along the way are truly priceless. He who dies with the most toys does not win in my opinion. BTW, I fought wildfires for several months in WA and MT while on active duty and have a ton of respect for those who do some amazingly hard and dangerous work for little pay!
In this video you shared details previously unknown to me of how you funded your amazing hikes. Thanks! I am reminded of Peace Pilgrim saying her journey wasn’t for everyone, especially for folks with family responsibilities. That’s why about six weeks in I became an AT section hiker after initially planning a thru hike for 2008. And because of that plan change I had the good fortune of meeting and hiking with you a bit in VA and ME in 2016 when I completed my AT section hike-then remained acquainted and spent an evening, night, and morning with you on the AT in 2022 during your epic CYTC. I think we all face a myriad of choices over the course of our lives, each potentially life changing for good or ill (with nothing being permanent). If made with positive intentions for all concerned and followed through with persistence and integrity, the best possible outcomes will result.
You are truly amazing. I wish I could rewind my clock, now at 60, i am finally realizing what is and is not important to me, yes me, not society, etc. I now understand your AT 1k challenge. So glad you are sharing your knowledge with others. Life is short.
I loved this! I enjoyed seeing your path to the adventure life you now have. I liked that you made it known that not everyone should/could have what you have. We should all strive to have what WE want, even if we don't know what THAT is. I get through my working life knowing all the fun adventures and travel it will pay for. I am able to travel 8-11 weeks per year while also building a retirement fund. I live frugally while I'm working and also am thrifty while traveling. My life is my own :)
@@Cody-Craven If you can find an opportunity to sell something that people want and are able to source the product at a price that leaves you a good margin, I wouldn't recommend just trying to get into ecommerce to make money without identifying opportunities first, and usually finding opportunities means being really knowledgeable about a specific industry, for example I'd never enter fashion or fishing industries cause I have no knowledge of those markets.
Honestly my main health insurance plan was just stay healthy and not get hurt. Most of these years I've been on ACA insurance, the highest deductible plan which is mostly subsidized because my income was low enough. Overseas I just rely on travel insurance(not really health insurance, but will cover catastrophic events and evacuation) and then rely on the fact that healthcare is much less expensive. In Thailand we got our teeth cleaned for $30 and a broken leg will only be a few hundred, not tens of thousands. This plan works reasonably well if you're young and healthy, and don't have assets to protect. I don't know of great options otherwise. ACA, but if you have decent income that can be quite expensive. Really wish our health insurance wasn't tied to jobs the way it is. This is one of the things driving me to want to live overseas more in the next years, it's a nice peace of mind knowing that if I needed medical treatment that I'm not going to go rack up ridiculous amounts of debt.
@@QuadzillaHikes Thanks for taking the time to respond! I assumed this was the case. I do have assets to protect and don't qualify for these low rates as your second paragraph says :/ I couldn't agree more about the desire for health insurance to *NOT* (edit) be tied to jobs.
Dude I love this! I’ve found myself on a similar journey and it’s inspiring to hear people like you talk about how they did it and that it’s possible to actually support yourself and thrive living this kind of lifestyle. Keep it up man!
Congratulations to you and all your success , I believe we crossed paths in Virginia along the AT summer 2024 . Love your channel and completely agree with your philosophy on life , work & travels . Thanks for sharing all your adventures : journeyman Jim
I think this video does such a good job of balancing the acknowledgement of luck/privledge and the reality that this lifestyle IS very possible for everyday people if and only if you make it your number one priority and are willing to put in the hard work and sacrifice to make it happen. For most people minimalism, discomfort, time away from family and community are hard to swallow realities, so all they have are bitterness and jealousy
I think for most people their priorities lie more with family and friends, and that's totally okay, it's important to figure those things out and then not be left with a bunch of FOMO from watching other people's paths.
Ive really enjoyed your content over the years. I had planned to hike the pct in 22 but broke my foot a couple weeks before and settled for watching your pct vlogs that summer and was able to hike the pct last year. I think im gonna try to start posting online more, but ive been so hungup on taking the jump on trying to put out content. idk, thanks for the videos
Yeah, get rid of that expectation for perfect, go back I have like 500 videos on my account now, look at how crappy the early ones were, but it was by putting those out that I learned, so if you never start you'll never improve.
Have always wondered about these financial/logistical questions for people like you who seem to be prioritizing the adventure more than just the social media game. Really appreciate the in depth story, showing how your process evolved. And appreciate that you're not trying to be too formulaic about it. To me, the takeaways are 1) do the thing, whatever that is and 2) live frugally/figure out how frugal is frugal enough for you. And the balance between those two will get you to where you want to go. Also appreciate the bits of insight about chasing dreams/overcoming uncertainties/following your insights. Really great video - thank you!
Getting comfortable with the uncomfortable is something most people are unwilling to do. What makes each of us uncomfortable can look a little different but there are threads we all share like the instilled desire for safety. This is the difference maker. If you can manage feeling a little bit unsafe (take on the unknown and risks), you create these ways to live differently that the safe folks become awe inspired by. Without lots of money, it takes sacrifice to live freely.
Feedback: Jack, this was a great video because you've grown wise over the years of adventuring. It takes someone with lots of experience, maturity, and the acknowledgment that they've made certain sacrifices in life to speak with your perspective. This is readily apparent when you caution the viewer that your choices would likely not be appropriate for most people, because everyone has their own individual path. I see you potentially partnering with groups like National Geographic and the Colorado Springs Olympic Training Center. "There is no fear for one whose mind is not filled with desires."
Wow bro you’re awesome! Very inspiring and felt a push to get out there and start taking risks.. I’ve always thought I had to have things all set in place, but you got me to really contemplate things
What you say here rings true to me. And was beautifully described. I have spent many hours watching your vlogs and so thanks for the entertainment too!
In this video you shared details previously unknown to me of how you funded your amazing hikes. Thanks! I am reminded of Peace Pilgrim saying her journey wasn’t for everyone, especially for folks with family responsibilities. That’s why about six weeks in I became an AT section hiker after initially planning a thru hike for 2008. And because of that plan change I had the good fortune of meeting and hiking with you a bit in VA and ME in 2016 when I completed my AT section hike-then remained acquainted and spent an evening, night, and morning with you on the AT in 2022 during your epic CYTC. I think we all face a myriad of choices over the course of our lives, each potentially life changing for good or ill (with nothing being permanent). If made with positive intentions for all concerned and followed through with persistence and integrity, the best possible outcomes will result. 22:24
in another note, I've been watching since you were doing workout videos and gaming videos over 10 years and I just turned 30 and really thinking about how I want to go about this next chapter of my life and have been doing a lot of introspection. You have done so much in such a short time whereas it feels like I've done so little. You mentioned in your video you started this journey at 29 with your hike in 2016 so that gives me hope. Just ranting but really just wanted to say I really liked this video. I haven't kept up with your adventures but for some reason decided to click and watch this one. Glad I stayed subscribed
I know that feeling. I felt pretty stuck and like I was wasting a lot of my life in my 20s until I started hiking, and then it was like I was on a rocket and my trajectory has been crazy ever since.
Your level of detail and honesty and talking about how everyone has a unique path to walk and to be ok with that, is so refreshing! I finally subscribed after watching a few videos here and there. This one made the difference.
Thanks for the breakdown and the positive encouragement. It is true that each of our best lives looks different. that is so important to remember as we all try to craft our way and live free. The best tip I think was to remember to live frugally and within your means otherwise the adventures can’t happen. Thanks for this episode 😎
“Luck, talent, opportunity.” I enjoyed this video very much. It reminded me to take some time for introspection and to ask myself if I’m living the life I want. And by and large I am! Thank you for your content. This video reminded me of the one you did about the meditation practice that taught you how to manage discomfort. That one stuck with me and I suspect this one will too. Please keep providing excellent content!
i love this, illustrating that if there's a will there's a way, and most of us in the west can get a life of adventure if we're really willing to put the work in
This video resonates with me more than any I have seen in a while. I spent the majority 2023 living out of my rooftop tent. I travelled coast-to-coast across the US and got to connect with diverse landscapes and communities. Now, I am staying with family in the northeast, bartending, finishing college online and planning my next adventure. In the conclusion of your video, you mention that not everyone is meant to live the “adventure lifestyle” and you encourage the viewer not to feel that their own way of living is wrong or that one should emulate the lifestyle you portray. And that is exactly true. We all have our own way of doing things that is authentic to us and makes us feel alive! Through embodying the mindset that now is the time to take the leap, since we don’t think well and connect with our intuition when we stay in a place where we feel stuck, we get ourselves to the place where we don’t have to worry. By believing that we will always find everything we need and the right things will align, life just unfolds that way. At least that has been my experience. One element of capitalism that can hold people back is the idea that we ought to be fearful and always concerned about making sure we have enough. By realizing that we can create a life of abundance where all of our needs are met, it just happens that way! But people with “normal” lives want to push people into lives of fear. They unknowingly try to put a ceiling on people and prevent them from living their dreams! I feel really encouraged after watching this and plan to create some similar content!
Really appreciate the detailed response. I agree that our system is designed to put people into states of fear, otherwise imo you couldn't keep people working these shitty jobs just throwing their lives away. They need to fear that there's something even worse than their already miserable existence and that something worse will happen if they stop working the job they hate. You brought up an idea that I want to touch on in a future video, it has been my experience that we can actually effect reality with our thoughts, and this works through intention and only works when we're following our heart and our path. The first step of which is to step off into the unknown and face our fear. I like the quote from Paulo Coelho "And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.'"
True a lot of people will say how “lucky” someone is to get to where they are. Not a lot of people see or even understand the hard work and sacrifice it takes to get there. Dedication and perseverance can get most people anywhere.
This is a great video! It goes to show folks that a little bit of hard work can give you a lot more confidence and freedom for whatever you want to do! I section hiked the AT and other trails. I’m still in the reserves and drill once a month and two weeks out of the year and also work at a job I enjoy doing! I think it’s awesome the adventures you go on and tagging me along with your through UA-cam helps people like me get the enjoyment and cheering you on even though you never hear the encouragement or cheers! I’m literally 30 minutes away from Gatlinburg so part of the AT it in my backyard! Godspeed my brother in arms and Hold Fast 🤙🏻🫡🇺🇸
Thank you for making this video. While I have different goals in life and different types of freedom I'm interested in gaining, I found your perspective enlightening, inspiring, and motivating.
Your story inspires me to work harder and think long-term. Thanks for your honesty. It's clear that your travels have given you so much perspective and wisdom😌
The hard work pays off, and it's crazy how fast time goes. If I'd stayed 20 years in the Army I'd be like 2 years from retirement now, so that long term thinking certainly pays off.
this is great. very motivating. i have the opportunity to not do what i hated and am trying to get myself to find out how to get the opportunities to do what i actually want. i am probably still scared to take the first step and just let it evolve from there without having it planned out. it was good to hear it!
Great work, Quad. Personal story is always powerful. Transparency about the challenges and down sides, more so. You've found the right path to being a real person, not a personality. Thanks.
Pretty easy to say this was a good video! Your channel has quickly become one of my favorites. Thanks for sharing your unique journey. I can't wait for the day I run into you on a trail! Hahaha
Damn man so inspiring to hear all of this, love your perspective and approach to life. Very humble. I've been living a similar life for the past 5 years or so and traveled to 35 different countries but currently working a job to save up for my next endeavor. My girlfriend and i are thinking much deeper this time how we can extend our travels with working somewhere else or whatever to not having to come back after a while. But a video like this puts it in perspective for me that there is no rush, the fact that you still get out there and do what you love is what matters. I'm hoping to find a way to live more freely without having to come back but theres no rush. Thanks for reminding me of that, im only 26 now. Love life!
I just came across your channel and can’t believe you went from playing path of exile 12 years ago to where you are today. What a journey (in the right direction)! Wish you the best in all of your endeavors!
Really resonate with this video. Just came back from a huge trip and have been saying the same shit to all my friends. Go do the damn thing! Love the vids brother keep up the good work!
Unsure if you wrote a book but I would live to see a series broken up by either decades or major events in your life. It takes a decade to master something and to hear a quick summary of your 2 decade journey after HS is super cool. About to retire after 20 years in the MC and hopefully can leverage my pension to have some cool journeys as well. Keep it up brother. #silkies
That's one of the many things on my list, hopefully I can get a block of writing time this year and knock it out. Hell yeah you can have such amazing adventures with that 20 year pension. If I'd stayed in I'd be retiring in 2 years. Really take advantage of it, that's such a nice safety net to allow you to do whatever you want, especially with the VA healthcare as well! Come out to Thailand and train Muay Thai if ya want! I'll be out there again this winter.
I love hearing this story. For one thing, I wondered how you did it, and it's good to have you explain everything so openly. When I was in my 20's, I went travelling for months at a time, where I made no money and spent my savings. Never regretted it in any way, nor will you, I think. The only caveat is CHILDREN. You & your girlfriend seem like an awesome couple, and I'd love to see you have some KIDS!!!! Can't do that with your lifestyle-- a rolling stone gathers no moss, man. I made the choice to settle down, have kids and be married for the past 25 years. I never regretted that either, except a tiny bit of me that yearns for the freedom and travel. But having kids is absolutely precious. Good video, thanks Jack!
really awesome! its nice to hear you open up and be plain about what you did in your life. i only found this channel 30 mins ago, but i seeing you climb thousands of miles and then hearing what you had to do to make that happen is super interesting. I do love the perspective that you cant ever plan for your best life when youre living in a hole, depressed. its out there doing what you love that youll find how to make it work.
This was an amazing video packed with tremendous wisdom! Loved it! Good for you for creating a life you love and on your terms. Very few people do what it takes to achieve that. I think you may have a book in you. 😉 You shine bright in a hundred ways! Bravo! 🌟
Inspiring story and answers a lot of questions I had. Your success is well-deserved and it's awesome that you have been able to craft this life for yourself
Great video. I think it’d definitely be worth your while to make more personal content like this - you’ve clearly led a pretty unique life and getting to hear more specific stories and lessons from throughout the years would be so cool. I bet it would be pretty easy content to churn out too, if that’s a goal of yours.
@@QuadzillaHikes makes sense, but what about off the cuff “story time” type videos, ones that you could easily film from your phone and splice together like that? I know I would watch something like that, even if it was just you talking to the camera while hiking on a trail and nothing more
Excellent video. I am 50, have always had the adventure spirit and still "fighting" for the ultimate freedom but getting closer every day. Haha, I feel the "not being able to stay at the office job," story of my ADHD life 😂😂😂. 2.5 years into my shuttle bus build, one board at a time but I can see the light. Looking forward to being in the van by the end of the year and maaaybe thru-hiking the PCT w 2 friends next year. But YES, this vid reinforced everything for me, and so appreciate you sharing. Thank you, keep up.the good work and keep living your life right. Happy Trails!
This is a useful video. Another thing people can consider if they have a good paying job is doing the Financial Independence Retire Early thing and then spend the rest of their lives doing anything they want.
I can relate to this. I got a remote IT part-time contract with pretty flexible hours before 2008. I biked across the country, back then working in bits and pieces at libraries. Finished the AT in sections, hiked the CO trail with a friend and two cars -- shuttling back and forth to the cars to hop on my laptop and work. I took a summer seasonal job working at a park in Alaska and worked my IT job nights there. I started working remotely from overseas, first in Europe and Asia and later Africa and Australia. I got a van and built it out for working on the road and shorter hikes, finished the PCT in sections, and hopefully this summer I'll finish the CDT. I still work enough that I can't take off the full 4-5 months for a big thru-hike, but I don't mind section hiking. I'm now considering a long kayak trip as I think I could bring a light and small computer along.
That's pretty impressive that you managed to work during the hikes. I would just be too tired I think. Cool life that you've built, what route are you looking at kayaking? That's something I've never done but could be a cool avenue to travel. I would love to be able to fish and catch dinners every night on a trip like that.
@@QuadzillaHikes I usually only need to work for several hours over a couple days every 7-10 days to get caught up with maintenance, and then here and there a solid block of 3-4 days of focusing on code. Hiking actually helps me think about programming problems with all the time my mind has to wander. A few friends have kayaked the Mississippi, I am looking at the Missouri River, Montana to St Louis. The pace is different from hiking or bike touring, you can get pinned down by wind and you find yourself with downtime, especially on the great plains. On the plus side, it's easy to carry a lot of food.
such an interesting timeline to see you take to where you’re at now. i’m in my early 20s, splitting rent with my partner, doing online freelance work. earning enough to safe a little bit after each rent, buy a few luxury items occasionally, and go on some backpacking trips here and there, but by no means a full salary. this has me thinking about how much of that money i could be putting aside if i lived a more nomadic lifestyle. me and my partner are both hoping to live like this eventually, whether it be vanlife in the us or maybe international travel somewhere in asia or europe. thanks for the inspiration
I think vanlife really is a great bridge to allow freedom, rent is such a huge expense, when you cut that out you can save tens of thousands each year without changing much else about your lifestyle. And then if you're able to arbitrage HCOL area with high pay while not paying rent and living out of the van that can increase your savings rate tremendously.
Like like the the story I started with a dollar store book bag and a Walmart sleeping bag in98 hiking the AT hiked 8 yrs after🤠 enjoyed your story it's just real!
Really love this video, thanks for the inspiration! I've been travelling on and off for years and want to find a way of making money while I am travelling and really appreciate your advice.
I stumbled across this video, and I'm glad I did. It's good to see that hard work and dedication has paid off for you. It was really inspirational. Thanks for sharing.
Another great, honest, and very motivating video. Kudos to you for the sacrifices you’ve made, which is directly proportional the amount of enjoyment you’ve been able to get out of this life. Keep being an inspiration and be safe out there. Congratulations for all your accomplishments.
Bro I lived in an NV200 for about a year!! It was a little beast haha. Bought it in Alaska and took it with me to the Lower 48. Ended up trading it in for an Impreza, probably should have kept it. It made some funny smells climbing mountain roads fully loaded...I was always afraid the transmission was gonna fail early. Too bad we never got the stick shift version.
So helpful, really applicable and interesting info & food for thought. Two things that I’d be interested to hear from you about: - what do you do about health insurance? I think the fear of the cost of being injured in a freak accident gives a lot of Americans anxiety - how do you deal with that? - (how) do you factor retirement savings into your budget?
I've carried ACA for most of my time. Some years if I know I'm going to hike the whole year I can list my expected income very low, there's no real penalty for estimating it wrong, it's an estimate after all. And I am able to off-set my travel hike expenses against my income to produce very low taxable income(since I actually make money from my hikes, I can write off my hiking expenses against my business income). Honestly, my plan is just not pay the bill if I get some crazy hospital bill after breaking a leg. They can come try to find me and collect. I think the insurance and medical system is so screwed up in this country that I have zero moral qualms about that, and financially, since I don't have hard assets or a wage for them to garnish, and they'd have a helluva time finding me to even sue me, so you want to charge me $50k for a broken leg, good luck collecting! That was a lesson I learned while working as an accountant. Debts really scare people but... it's actually pretty difficult to collect and often not worth the trouble, just if you're willing to take the hit to your credit score these debts often have very little impact on your life. Retirement, I always figured I'd either figure it out or I can die when I can no longer support myself. My entrepreneurial pursuits play a large role, I know that if I can keep building these platforms and growing my skills that I should be able to greatly increase my income. And that's generally played out, I expect to be earning quite a lot more in the next few years as I'm getting more traction on these online platforms. Other than that I try to max out Roth IRA and just invest and save what I can. But lots of psychedelic trips and such have made me much more okay with the idea of death, and it's worth it to me to live the life I want today even if that means I won't have enough money to retire by 70 or 80 or whatever and I can just die then. Plus, the whole existential thing of the world going to absolute shit with climate change and authoritarian regimes, I don't know how good of a retirement plan anyone is going to have...
Yo bro never knew you were in the army!! What was your MOS? did you get sent down range any? I sure as hell did!! You’re definitely inspiring my brother!!
Damn, what the heck was that e-commerce opportunity that made you 5 years worth of travel funds in 6 months?! Very interested to hear what that was, even though you mention that the opportunity has now passed (which actually makes me more curious as you knew it had an expiration date).
Great video, your best non-hiking one yet. Your statement that you don't need everything worked out before you start is true for almost everyone. Life is finite and if we wait for perfection (not possible) or near-perfection too much time has passed. As also mentioned, there is a concept of luck. Where you born in the USA or Cambodia, are you just "lucky"... I am scientific but when it comes to happiness I am all about my gut feelings on what to do. At the end of the day, your gut has to be ok with the decisions and don't worry too much and better yet try not to worry at all. Life can be a struggle but I prefer to look at is a long dance or more simplistically a journey; embrace it and don't look back except over a beer with close friends...
@@QuadzillaHikes I was part of the trail maintenance crew based out of Bozeman. Funnily enough the majority of our hitches were in Wyoming. Did a few in the Tetons and Wind Rivers. The pay was garbage, however they had host families in and around Bozeman that housed some of us. My rent was $30 a month. Others lived in the hostel or car camped. Good times.
This needs to be a chapter in How to live by Derek Sivers. Actually, we should each write our own chapter to add to his book. My chapter will be called “Build.”
I think your “luck” is discovering your passion early in life. Sometimes the life we have built and the passions we develop are incongruent. You have to be brave to take a new path, but we can’t confuse courage with a lack of wisdom. Chasing my passion at the expense of those I’m responsible for would be immoral. For now I have to find my adventures a weekend at a time.
Could you share any detail or a link to the type of e-commerce you mention? I'm hoping to work hard and save up for some travel and other goals. Thanks!
Its impressive and good on you for achieving these goals. But I'm always curious with people who live like you do. Whats your retirement plan? Or when you might be to old to continue?
I understand how you can do it by not having rent to pay, or a mortgage on a house with property tax to pay. Those things alone are a huge savings. I heard of people living on a boat in a marina, and paying a small monthly dock fee, you lived in a minivan and stayed in parking lots. Did you buy health insurance?
Especially post-covid. I honestly can't imagine myself living a non-nomadic life in the US anymore, how does anyone survive paying multiple thousands of dollars a month for rent?? Yeah I've met people that lived on boats, pretty cool they can sail from port to port and live in the boat and travel that way. I mostly had ACA insurance, my income always fell low enough that I could get a large chunk of it subsidized.
@@QuadzillaHikes I went to stop and shop today here in N.J. I saw the price of Boars Head Pastrami at 18.49 a pound in the deli, I never saw anything that high! I did not buy it. I do not know where they are coming up with these prices. A few years ago that was $11.00 a pound. Everything is going wild.
Thanks for watching! Blog post with more detail on how I funded my hikes: www.couchtotrail.com/blog/how-ive-funded-7-years-of-adventure-travel-without-working-traditional-jobs
CYTC Gear list: www.couchtotrail.com/blog/calendar-year-triple-crown-gear-list-and-reviewand-how-the-gear-changed-along-the-at-pct-and-cdt
Huge inspiration 👏, I am going to change my life so I can finally start living 🙌
@@Casual_BackPacking good luck!!
This is "Healthy Gamer", right? If so, congrats man, cool job/life 🤘😎
@@twalke0555 It is, I decided to change my channel name to reflect more of what I'm doing now.
@@QuadzillaHikes Good idea considering Healthy Gamers GG exists
You must have eaten a crazy amount of ramen over the years Jack.
I’m glad you’ve been able to monetise your hard work and dedication. You deserve recognition for your badass achievements! I think you’ve hit critical mass now so I think your trajectory is going to be exponential.
I still love ramen. Oh man, can't wait to go back to Japan and eat more ramen. $5 a bowl!!
Thank you for getting so specific. The jobs, the dollars, the savings, the Walmart parking lot. It grounds the videos in the reality of what it took to get there. Great video!
You are so welcome
Totally agree. More videos like this please.
Dude, I appreciate you being so open and honest. Definitely feel you on the desk job deal.
I appreciate you watching!
"Luck is when preparation meets opportunity." That's 100% you man, lucky is like being born to rich parents or something, you MADE all this happen. Thanks for this inspo, I just turned 33 and single and all you guys online with these badass lives are making me think lotttts of things.
Good luck to your future plans :)
So many smart, actionable points and advice in this video-thank you. Especially the idea everything doesn’t have to be figured out before making the first step. I am very happy all of your hard work has allowed you to pursue passion for adventure and challenge.
Yes! I think that's the biggest one. Taking your first big trip is SO eye-opening, and will really shape the trajectory of the rest of your life.
My wife and I have lived that "work hard, play hard" lifestyle for over 40 years. Great advice. The only thing I would add is to take the chance now. Don't wait, because at some point(76 yo, for me), the wheels begin to fall off, physically. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Jack for your honesty and detailed explanation of how you got to live your dream. My biggest take out to work on. Frugality! Two questions to ask ourselves: What you really need and what you want!! 🙏🏻
Love that!
Phenomenal video. I've never seen anyone go in depth like you have, and also share the philosophy needed for this lifestyle. I also appreciate the fact you showed respect to those who are either unable or choose not to live this lifestyle.
People who think you just got lucky should watch you hike. (Or run, or fight fires.) You passed me one day in the sticky grind of NorCal. Step for step, just doing more and going harder. Day after day, year after year. A vast mountain of piled-up labor and sufferfesting and tenacity.
Watched some of your music videos, great stuff! And thank you, yeah that's a message I try to get to people, like you only see the final products and not the whole picture of the decades it takes to get there.
@@QuadzillaHikes yeah that's a funny thing - people watch your hiking videos and yet I suspect most viewers don't fully grasp either side of the WORK, even other hikers, let alone couch adventurers. The work of hiking at that intensity over a long period of time, and the work of creating the videos. They want some sort of shortcut where they can make low-effort phone reels, be an influencer without being an exemplary athlete, and still somehow make money. And sometimes it does seem to occasionally work out that way for a few folks. Mostly you just get people posing though.
@@caitlin.hardee Yes! I had to unsubscribe to all the entrepreneur, business subreddits because everyone just goes on there asking what kind of business they can start to make money with minimal work... like, that's just not how things work!
Great vid. Pretty much Henry David Theroux's philosophy followed by me and carried through to the vanlifers, hikers of today...and you! 😄 As a guy called Randy Vining once said; 'If I save a certain amount, invest it wisely and live frugally I can adventure on life now instead of amassing a lifetime of possessions and only being able to enjoy a few years at the end'. Glad you, Marvel and your Tramily enjoyed your NZ trip. Was good to have you all here 🤙
Yes! Loved Walden, that would be a fun experiment to do today, plant a buncha beans and live for a bit haha. Maybe someone will let me do that on their land. Yep 100% never made sense to me to work your whole life and then get a few years to enjoy when you're old and can't do anything anymore. I always said I'd rather live now and if I'm 70 or 80 and can't support myself, well then I can just die. Of course I'm sure I won't want to die at that age, but also feel it's very unlikely if I work hard for all these years and live happily that I'll be in a spot where I will literally starve to death or be homeless at that age.
Thanks man. I was always kinda the same. Quiting most of my jobs after a couple of months or a year, because I couldn't stand the feeling of being trapped in a routine. I did some traveling throughout the years, failed at Vanlife too. But now I am planning my first long distance hike through Europe. I have the same philosophy. You need to jump into the unknown and trust that the universe will provide. Feel really inspired by your video to get after it. Best of luck and a big hug brother!
Well played sir. You realized that having money does not make your life richer. Having zero debt and living within your means allows you to have freedoms that a lot of slaves to the 9-5 may never have. Like you, the military taught me a good work ethic and how to live within my means. Enjoy the ride and the experiences and keep doing what you do! BTW: I came across your content looking for a 15 min total body workout some
years ago and still use it till this day!
I appreciate you sharing and totally agreed, living within your mean is the secret
The experience you have had, places you have visited and relationships you have developed along the way are truly priceless. He who dies with the most toys does not win in my opinion. BTW, I fought wildfires for several months in WA and MT while on active duty and have a ton of respect for those who do some amazingly hard and dangerous work for little pay!
@@chrissteinhilber8839 agreed 100%, life is about the experiences
In this video you shared details previously unknown to me of how you funded your amazing hikes. Thanks!
I am reminded of Peace Pilgrim saying her journey wasn’t for everyone, especially for folks with family responsibilities. That’s why about six weeks in I became an AT section hiker after initially planning a thru hike for 2008. And because of that plan change I had the good fortune of meeting and hiking with you a bit in VA and ME in 2016 when I completed my AT section hike-then remained acquainted and spent an evening, night, and morning with you on the AT in 2022 during your epic CYTC. I think we all face a myriad of choices over the course of our lives, each potentially life changing for good or ill (with nothing being permanent). If made with positive intentions for all concerned and followed through with persistence and integrity, the best possible outcomes will result.
You are truly amazing. I wish I could rewind my clock, now at 60, i am finally realizing what is and is not important to me, yes me, not society, etc. I now understand your AT 1k challenge. So glad you are sharing your knowledge with others. Life is short.
I loved this! I enjoyed seeing your path to the adventure life you now have. I liked that you made it known that not everyone should/could have what you have. We should all strive to have what WE want, even if we don't know what THAT is. I get through my working life knowing all the fun adventures and travel it will pay for. I am able to travel 8-11 weeks per year while also building a retirement fund. I live frugally while I'm working and also am thrifty while traveling. My life is my own :)
Great video man. Can't wait to see what you do next.
I'll be doing some more hikes this summer stateside with some fun challenging twists :)
Sounds awesome, would you recommend trying e-commerce. Sounds like that opportunity really propelled you forward.
@@Cody-Craven If you can find an opportunity to sell something that people want and are able to source the product at a price that leaves you a good margin, I wouldn't recommend just trying to get into ecommerce to make money without identifying opportunities first, and usually finding opportunities means being really knowledgeable about a specific industry, for example I'd never enter fashion or fishing industries cause I have no knowledge of those markets.
Can you cover what you do for health insurance? That's the biggest hurdle for me pursuing something like you did.
Thanks!
Honestly my main health insurance plan was just stay healthy and not get hurt. Most of these years I've been on ACA insurance, the highest deductible plan which is mostly subsidized because my income was low enough. Overseas I just rely on travel insurance(not really health insurance, but will cover catastrophic events and evacuation) and then rely on the fact that healthcare is much less expensive. In Thailand we got our teeth cleaned for $30 and a broken leg will only be a few hundred, not tens of thousands.
This plan works reasonably well if you're young and healthy, and don't have assets to protect. I don't know of great options otherwise. ACA, but if you have decent income that can be quite expensive.
Really wish our health insurance wasn't tied to jobs the way it is. This is one of the things driving me to want to live overseas more in the next years, it's a nice peace of mind knowing that if I needed medical treatment that I'm not going to go rack up ridiculous amounts of debt.
@@QuadzillaHikes Thanks for taking the time to respond! I assumed this was the case. I do have assets to protect and don't qualify for these low rates as your second paragraph says :/
I couldn't agree more about the desire for health insurance to *NOT* (edit) be tied to jobs.
@@stephenvolpe4338 Yeah out of all the options ACA is still the best option if you're not on an employer healthplan :/
Dude I love this! I’ve found myself on a similar journey and it’s inspiring to hear people like you talk about how they did it and that it’s possible to actually support yourself and thrive living this kind of lifestyle. Keep it up man!
Well done. I enjoy all your videos.
Thank you!
Congratulations to you and all your success , I believe we crossed paths in Virginia along the AT summer 2024 . Love your channel and completely agree with your philosophy on life , work & travels . Thanks for sharing all your adventures : journeyman Jim
Thank you for sharing your amazing and unique story. Truly spreading positivity and inspiration
I think this video does such a good job of balancing the acknowledgement of luck/privledge and the reality that this lifestyle IS very possible for everyday people if and only if you make it your number one priority and are willing to put in the hard work and sacrifice to make it happen. For most people minimalism, discomfort, time away from family and community are hard to swallow realities, so all they have are bitterness and jealousy
I think for most people their priorities lie more with family and friends, and that's totally okay, it's important to figure those things out and then not be left with a bunch of FOMO from watching other people's paths.
Ive really enjoyed your content over the years. I had planned to hike the pct in 22 but broke my foot a couple weeks before and settled for watching your pct vlogs that summer and was able to hike the pct last year. I think im gonna try to start posting online more, but ive been so hungup on taking the jump on trying to put out content. idk, thanks for the videos
Yeah, get rid of that expectation for perfect, go back I have like 500 videos on my account now, look at how crappy the early ones were, but it was by putting those out that I learned, so if you never start you'll never improve.
Have always wondered about these financial/logistical questions for people like you who seem to be prioritizing the adventure more than just the social media game. Really appreciate the in depth story, showing how your process evolved. And appreciate that you're not trying to be too formulaic about it. To me, the takeaways are 1) do the thing, whatever that is and 2) live frugally/figure out how frugal is frugal enough for you. And the balance between those two will get you to where you want to go. Also appreciate the bits of insight about chasing dreams/overcoming uncertainties/following your insights. Really great video - thank you!
Getting comfortable with the uncomfortable is something most people are unwilling to do. What makes each of us uncomfortable can look a little different but there are threads we all share like the instilled desire for safety.
This is the difference maker. If you can manage feeling a little bit unsafe (take on the unknown and risks), you create these ways to live differently that the safe folks become awe inspired by. Without lots of money, it takes sacrifice to live freely.
Feedback: Jack, this was a great video because you've grown wise over the years of adventuring. It takes someone with lots of experience, maturity, and the acknowledgment that they've made certain sacrifices in life to speak with your perspective. This is readily apparent when you caution the viewer that your choices would likely not be appropriate for most people, because everyone has their own individual path. I see you potentially partnering with groups like National Geographic and the Colorado Springs Olympic Training Center. "There is no fear for one whose mind is not filled with desires."
love that quote, thanks for sharing it.
Wow bro you’re awesome! Very inspiring and felt a push to get out there and start taking risks.. I’ve always thought I had to have things all set in place, but you got me to really contemplate things
What you say here rings true to me. And was beautifully described. I have spent many hours watching your vlogs and so thanks for the entertainment too!
Appreciate you taking the time to watch all that.
In this video you shared details previously unknown to me of how you funded your amazing hikes. Thanks!
I am reminded of Peace Pilgrim saying her journey wasn’t for everyone, especially for folks with family responsibilities. That’s why about six weeks in I became an AT section hiker after initially planning a thru hike for 2008. And because of that plan change I had the good fortune of meeting and hiking with you a bit in VA and ME in 2016 when I completed my AT section hike-then remained acquainted and spent an evening, night, and morning with you on the AT in 2022 during your epic CYTC. I think we all face a myriad of choices over the course of our lives, each potentially life changing for good or ill (with nothing being permanent). If made with positive intentions for all concerned and followed through with persistence and integrity, the best possible outcomes will result. 22:24
Always appreciate your wisdom Jim
in another note, I've been watching since you were doing workout videos and gaming videos over 10 years and I just turned 30 and really thinking about how I want to go about this next chapter of my life and have been doing a lot of introspection. You have done so much in such a short time whereas it feels like I've done so little. You mentioned in your video you started this journey at 29 with your hike in 2016 so that gives me hope.
Just ranting but really just wanted to say I really liked this video. I haven't kept up with your adventures but for some reason decided to click and watch this one. Glad I stayed subscribed
I know that feeling. I felt pretty stuck and like I was wasting a lot of my life in my 20s until I started hiking, and then it was like I was on a rocket and my trajectory has been crazy ever since.
Your level of detail and honesty and talking about how everyone has a unique path to walk and to be ok with that, is so refreshing!
I finally subscribed after watching a few videos here and there. This one made the difference.
Thank you! 😊
Good job! Most people have no idea of the freedoms that come from living below their means. It’s refreshing to hear that from you.
Yes! Doesn't help that we're all programmed to consume consume consume. Thru hikes were very helpful for me to break out of that mindset.
Thanks for the breakdown and the positive encouragement. It is true that each of our best lives looks different. that is so important to remember as we all try to craft our way and live free. The best tip I think was to remember to live frugally and within your means otherwise the adventures can’t happen. Thanks for this episode 😎
Thanks for the comment and thanks for watching!
“Luck, talent, opportunity.” I enjoyed this video very much. It reminded me to take some time for introspection and to ask myself if I’m living the life I want. And by and large I am! Thank you for your content. This video reminded me of the one you did about the meditation practice that taught you how to manage discomfort. That one stuck with me and I suspect this one will too. Please keep providing excellent content!
Haha such a good little van!! So great for road tripping, and nobody ever suspects you're living in one.
Some good lessons or advice here. Especially about living frugally.
i love this, illustrating that if there's a will there's a way, and most of us in the west can get a life of adventure if we're really willing to put the work in
Another great video Jack. Especially the closing remarks.
This waa great. Thanks for sharing your journey! Especially valuable as i just quit my 9-5 to live a freer life
Congrats on quitting, good luck to ya!
You are a great storyteller. Just out there figuring out how to live your best life. Thanks for sharing.
I really appreciate you saying that, thank you!
Very inspirational! I really needed this. Thanks Jack!
You worked so hard to live the life you want. Your videos are awesome to watch. Very inspirational. 🌻
Thank you :)
This video resonates with me more than any I have seen in a while. I spent the majority 2023 living out of my rooftop tent. I travelled coast-to-coast across the US and got to connect with diverse landscapes and communities. Now, I am staying with family in the northeast, bartending, finishing college online and planning my next adventure.
In the conclusion of your video, you mention that not everyone is meant to live the “adventure lifestyle” and you encourage the viewer not to feel that their own way of living is wrong or that one should emulate the lifestyle you portray. And that is exactly true. We all have our own way of doing things that is authentic to us and makes us feel alive!
Through embodying the mindset that now is the time to take the leap, since we don’t think well and connect with our intuition when we stay in a place where we feel stuck, we get ourselves to the place where we don’t have to worry. By believing that we will always find everything we need and the right things will align, life just unfolds that way. At least that has been my experience.
One element of capitalism that can hold people back is the idea that we ought to be fearful and always concerned about making sure we have enough. By realizing that we can create a life of abundance where all of our needs are met, it just happens that way!
But people with “normal” lives want to push people into lives of fear. They unknowingly try to put a ceiling on people and prevent them from living their dreams!
I feel really encouraged after watching this and plan to create some similar content!
Really appreciate the detailed response. I agree that our system is designed to put people into states of fear, otherwise imo you couldn't keep people working these shitty jobs just throwing their lives away. They need to fear that there's something even worse than their already miserable existence and that something worse will happen if they stop working the job they hate.
You brought up an idea that I want to touch on in a future video, it has been my experience that we can actually effect reality with our thoughts, and this works through intention and only works when we're following our heart and our path. The first step of which is to step off into the unknown and face our fear. I like the quote from Paulo Coelho "And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.'"
True a lot of people will say how “lucky” someone is to get to where they are. Not a lot of people see or even understand the hard work and sacrifice it takes to get there. Dedication and perseverance can get most people anywhere.
Yeah people only see the highlights and not the million steps it takes to get there.
This is a great video! It goes to show folks that a little bit of hard work can give you a lot more confidence and freedom for whatever you want to do! I section hiked the AT and other trails. I’m still in the reserves and drill once a month and two weeks out of the year and also work at a job I enjoy doing! I think it’s awesome the adventures you go on and tagging me along with your through UA-cam helps people like me get the enjoyment and cheering you on even though you never hear the encouragement or cheers! I’m literally 30 minutes away from Gatlinburg so part of the AT it in my backyard!
Godspeed my brother in arms and Hold Fast 🤙🏻🫡🇺🇸
Thank you for making this video. While I have different goals in life and different types of freedom I'm interested in gaining, I found your perspective enlightening, inspiring, and motivating.
Your story inspires me to work harder and think long-term. Thanks for your honesty. It's clear that your travels have given you so much perspective and wisdom😌
The hard work pays off, and it's crazy how fast time goes. If I'd stayed 20 years in the Army I'd be like 2 years from retirement now, so that long term thinking certainly pays off.
this is great. very motivating. i have the opportunity to not do what i hated and am trying to get myself to find out how to get the opportunities to do what i actually want. i am probably still scared to take the first step and just let it evolve from there without having it planned out. it was good to hear it!
Great work, Quad. Personal story is always powerful. Transparency about the challenges and down sides, more so. You've found the right path to being a real person, not a personality. Thanks.
I appreciate that very much!
Pretty easy to say this was a good video! Your channel has quickly become one of my favorites. Thanks for sharing your unique journey. I can't wait for the day I run into you on a trail! Hahaha
Thanks for watching! I'll be back hiking stateside again this summer.
Damn man so inspiring to hear all of this, love your perspective and approach to life. Very humble. I've been living a similar life for the past 5 years or so and traveled to 35 different countries but currently working a job to save up for my next endeavor. My girlfriend and i are thinking much deeper this time how we can extend our travels with working somewhere else or whatever to not having to come back after a while. But a video like this puts it in perspective for me that there is no rush, the fact that you still get out there and do what you love is what matters. I'm hoping to find a way to live more freely without having to come back but theres no rush. Thanks for reminding me of that, im only 26 now. Love life!
Definitely no rush. Follow your heart/gut and stay on your path :)
I just came across your channel and can’t believe you went from playing path of exile 12 years ago to where you are today.
What a journey (in the right direction)!
Wish you the best in all of your endeavors!
Thank you! Yeah pretty wild where you can go with focused intention
Really resonate with this video. Just came back from a huge trip and have been saying the same shit to all my friends. Go do the damn thing! Love the vids brother keep up the good work!
Thank you! Yes just go do the damn thing!!
Unsure if you wrote a book but I would live to see a series broken up by either decades or major events in your life. It takes a decade to master something and to hear a quick summary of your 2 decade journey after HS is super cool. About to retire after 20 years in the MC and hopefully can leverage my pension to have some cool journeys as well. Keep it up brother. #silkies
That's one of the many things on my list, hopefully I can get a block of writing time this year and knock it out. Hell yeah you can have such amazing adventures with that 20 year pension. If I'd stayed in I'd be retiring in 2 years. Really take advantage of it, that's such a nice safety net to allow you to do whatever you want, especially with the VA healthcare as well! Come out to Thailand and train Muay Thai if ya want! I'll be out there again this winter.
I love hearing this story. For one thing, I wondered how you did it, and it's good to have you explain everything so openly. When I was in my 20's, I went travelling for months at a time, where I made no money and spent my savings. Never regretted it in any way, nor will you, I think. The only caveat is CHILDREN. You & your girlfriend seem like an awesome couple, and I'd love to see you have some KIDS!!!! Can't do that with your lifestyle-- a rolling stone gathers no moss, man. I made the choice to settle down, have kids and be married for the past 25 years. I never regretted that either, except a tiny bit of me that yearns for the freedom and travel. But having kids is absolutely precious. Good video, thanks Jack!
Happy for you! I don't think I'm quite there yet on the wanting to settle down part. Thanks for watching!
Thank you for this. I think the fear is the thing that holds me back the most. Woking on that though! Getting perspective is so helpful
Yes indeed the fear is the thing. My life has expanded so much once I started not letting that fear hold me back.
really awesome! its nice to hear you open up and be plain about what you did in your life. i only found this channel 30 mins ago, but i seeing you climb thousands of miles and then hearing what you had to do to make that happen is super interesting.
I do love the perspective that you cant ever plan for your best life when youre living in a hole, depressed. its out there doing what you love that youll find how to make it work.
Appreciate the comment, yeah like these long hikes if you have a destination and then walk toward it everyday it's incredible how far you'll get.
This was an amazing video packed with tremendous wisdom! Loved it! Good for you for creating a life you love and on your terms. Very few people do what it takes to achieve that. I think you may have a book in you. 😉 You shine bright in a hundred ways! Bravo! 🌟
Haha maybe one day I'll actually write, I want to, just too busy walking :)
Inspiring story and answers a lot of questions I had. Your success is well-deserved and it's awesome that you have been able to craft this life for yourself
Great video. I think it’d definitely be worth your while to make more personal content like this - you’ve clearly led a pretty unique life and getting to hear more specific stories and lessons from throughout the years would be so cool. I bet it would be pretty easy content to churn out too, if that’s a goal of yours.
Yeah I gotta just stop hiking for a bit to have more time for this stuff haha
@@QuadzillaHikes makes sense, but what about off the cuff “story time” type videos, ones that you could easily film from your phone and splice together like that? I know I would watch something like that, even if it was just you talking to the camera while hiking on a trail and nothing more
Excellent video. I am 50, have always had the adventure spirit and still "fighting" for the ultimate freedom but getting closer every day. Haha, I feel the "not being able to stay at the office job," story of my ADHD life 😂😂😂. 2.5 years into my shuttle bus build, one board at a time but I can see the light. Looking forward to being in the van by the end of the year and maaaybe thru-hiking the PCT w 2 friends next year. But YES, this vid reinforced everything for me, and so appreciate you sharing. Thank you, keep up.the good work and keep living your life right. Happy Trails!
Heck yeah getting in the van will be a really nice sense of freedom! Thanks for sharing.
My favorite type of video :), wonderful to see man.
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching.
Bro, I still remember you and Stefan James in an interview back in the day. Gold nuggets!
Man that was a long time ago! Thanks for sticking around.
This is a useful video. Another thing people can consider if they have a good paying job is doing the Financial Independence Retire Early thing and then spend the rest of their lives doing anything they want.
I can relate to this. I got a remote IT part-time contract with pretty flexible hours before 2008. I biked across the country, back then working in bits and pieces at libraries. Finished the AT in sections, hiked the CO trail with a friend and two cars -- shuttling back and forth to the cars to hop on my laptop and work. I took a summer seasonal job working at a park in Alaska and worked my IT job nights there. I started working remotely from overseas, first in Europe and Asia and later Africa and Australia.
I got a van and built it out for working on the road and shorter hikes, finished the PCT in sections, and hopefully this summer I'll finish the CDT. I still work enough that I can't take off the full 4-5 months for a big thru-hike, but I don't mind section hiking. I'm now considering a long kayak trip as I think I could bring a light and small computer along.
That's pretty impressive that you managed to work during the hikes. I would just be too tired I think. Cool life that you've built, what route are you looking at kayaking? That's something I've never done but could be a cool avenue to travel. I would love to be able to fish and catch dinners every night on a trip like that.
@@QuadzillaHikes I usually only need to work for several hours over a couple days every 7-10 days to get caught up with maintenance, and then here and there a solid block of 3-4 days of focusing on code. Hiking actually helps me think about programming problems with all the time my mind has to wander.
A few friends have kayaked the Mississippi, I am looking at the Missouri River, Montana to St Louis. The pace is different from hiking or bike touring, you can get pinned down by wind and you find yourself with downtime, especially on the great plains. On the plus side, it's easy to carry a lot of food.
@@davidsixtwo That would be a cool trip, especially t he history with Lewis and Clark.
Good stiluff btotha! Still can't believe you don't have a bigger following. I've spread the word.
Happy Hiking, Roadrunner
Much appreciated!
such an interesting timeline to see you take to where you’re at now. i’m in my early 20s, splitting rent with my partner, doing online freelance work. earning enough to safe a little bit after each rent, buy a few luxury items occasionally, and go on some backpacking trips here and there, but by no means a full salary. this has me thinking about how much of that money i could be putting aside if i lived a more nomadic lifestyle. me and my partner are both hoping to live like this eventually, whether it be vanlife in the us or maybe international travel somewhere in asia or europe. thanks for the inspiration
I think vanlife really is a great bridge to allow freedom, rent is such a huge expense, when you cut that out you can save tens of thousands each year without changing much else about your lifestyle. And then if you're able to arbitrage HCOL area with high pay while not paying rent and living out of the van that can increase your savings rate tremendously.
I admire your honesty.
Like like the the story I started with a dollar store book bag and a Walmart sleeping bag in98 hiking the AT hiked 8 yrs after🤠 enjoyed your story it's just real!
Thanks for sharing Jack, you're a great role model ❤
I appreciate that!
Thank you Jack! 👊🏻👍🏻 Much respect for you my friend. Appreciate you always. Stay safe, take care🙏🏻God Bless 🫶🏻
Thanks friend!
Thank you so much for making this video!
Glad it was helpful!
Really love this video, thanks for the inspiration! I've been travelling on and off for years and want to find a way of making money while I am travelling and really appreciate your advice.
Where there's the will and intention you'll find a way, good luck and thanks for watching.
I found this video very interesting. I have seen almost all your UA-cam material. Keep up the great work!
Appreciate you watching everything!!
I stumbled across this video, and I'm glad I did. It's good to see that hard work and dedication has paid off for you. It was really inspirational. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for watching!
Another great, honest, and very motivating video. Kudos to you for the sacrifices you’ve made, which is directly proportional the amount of enjoyment you’ve been able to get out of this life. Keep being an inspiration and be safe out there. Congratulations for all your accomplishments.
Thank you so much!
Bro I lived in an NV200 for about a year!! It was a little beast haha. Bought it in Alaska and took it with me to the Lower 48. Ended up trading it in for an Impreza, probably should have kept it. It made some funny smells climbing mountain roads fully loaded...I was always afraid the transmission was gonna fail early. Too bad we never got the stick shift version.
Such a good little van for road tripping! Haha the few times I'd see another built out NV200 we'd always be so happy.
this was an awesome video on so many levels.
So inspiring! Motivates to live the life of your dream
Amazing :) it's truly inspiring. Hope you keep having fun and sharing your adventures with us ;)
Awesome! Thank you for the transparency!
Thanks for watching!
Great job explaining how you made thus happen!
So helpful, really applicable and interesting info & food for thought.
Two things that I’d be interested to hear from you about:
- what do you do about health insurance? I think the fear of the cost of being injured in a freak accident gives a lot of Americans anxiety - how do you deal with that?
- (how) do you factor retirement savings into your budget?
I've carried ACA for most of my time. Some years if I know I'm going to hike the whole year I can list my expected income very low, there's no real penalty for estimating it wrong, it's an estimate after all. And I am able to off-set my travel hike expenses against my income to produce very low taxable income(since I actually make money from my hikes, I can write off my hiking expenses against my business income).
Honestly, my plan is just not pay the bill if I get some crazy hospital bill after breaking a leg. They can come try to find me and collect. I think the insurance and medical system is so screwed up in this country that I have zero moral qualms about that, and financially, since I don't have hard assets or a wage for them to garnish, and they'd have a helluva time finding me to even sue me, so you want to charge me $50k for a broken leg, good luck collecting!
That was a lesson I learned while working as an accountant. Debts really scare people but... it's actually pretty difficult to collect and often not worth the trouble, just if you're willing to take the hit to your credit score these debts often have very little impact on your life.
Retirement, I always figured I'd either figure it out or I can die when I can no longer support myself. My entrepreneurial pursuits play a large role, I know that if I can keep building these platforms and growing my skills that I should be able to greatly increase my income. And that's generally played out, I expect to be earning quite a lot more in the next few years as I'm getting more traction on these online platforms. Other than that I try to max out Roth IRA and just invest and save what I can. But lots of psychedelic trips and such have made me much more okay with the idea of death, and it's worth it to me to live the life I want today even if that means I won't have enough money to retire by 70 or 80 or whatever and I can just die then.
Plus, the whole existential thing of the world going to absolute shit with climate change and authoritarian regimes, I don't know how good of a retirement plan anyone is going to have...
Yo bro never knew you were in the army!! What was your MOS? did you get sent down range any? I sure as hell did!! You’re definitely inspiring my brother!!
Loved this! So inspiring, thank you.
You are so welcome!
Damn, what the heck was that e-commerce opportunity that made you 5 years worth of travel funds in 6 months?!
Very interested to hear what that was, even though you mention that the opportunity has now passed (which actually makes me more curious as you knew it had an expiration date).
Hah it was selling g_n parts. Think 2A. UA-cam really penalizes any mention of that entire field. That market was hot hot hot in 2020/21.
Presidential election year 🤔
Great video, your best non-hiking one yet. Your statement that you don't need everything worked out before you start is true for almost everyone. Life is finite and if we wait for perfection (not possible) or near-perfection too much time has passed. As also mentioned, there is a concept of luck. Where you born in the USA or Cambodia, are you just "lucky"... I am scientific but when it comes to happiness I am all about my gut feelings on what to do. At the end of the day, your gut has to be ok with the decisions and don't worry too much and better yet try not to worry at all. Life can be a struggle but I prefer to look at is a long dance or more simplistically a journey; embrace it and don't look back except over a beer with close friends...
Yes exactly never a perfect time. And definitely your gut/intuition knows best and can lead us on a wild adventure that we can't even imagine!
New viewer, great vid! Inspiring.
Welcome aboard!
Yo I did a season with Montana conservation corps a few summers ago lol. He is basically my spirit animal ahaha.
Haha awesome! What kinda crew were you on? It's such a fun job but damn wish they could pay us a living wage.
@@QuadzillaHikes I was part of the trail maintenance crew based out of Bozeman. Funnily enough the majority of our hitches were in Wyoming. Did a few in the Tetons and Wind Rivers. The pay was garbage, however they had host families in and around Bozeman that housed some of us. My rent was $30 a month. Others lived in the hostel or car camped. Good times.
@@ParaditeRs Love bozeman! Tetons and Wind's are some of my favorite places in the US, awesome that you got to work out there.
Thanks for sharing it in such a detail.
This needs to be a chapter in How to live by Derek Sivers. Actually, we should each write our own chapter to add to his book. My chapter will be called “Build.”
Let's make it happen :)
I think your “luck” is discovering your passion early in life. Sometimes the life we have built and the passions we develop are incongruent. You have to be brave to take a new path, but we can’t confuse courage with a lack of wisdom. Chasing my passion at the expense of those I’m responsible for would be immoral. For now I have to find my adventures a weekend at a time.
Such a great video, thank you so much! Inspiring!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Great video, just what I needed today ❤
Thanks for watching :)
Could you share any detail or a link to the type of e-commerce you mention? I'm hoping to work hard and save up for some travel and other goals. Thanks!
Great video! Very inspiring. :)
Its impressive and good on you for achieving these goals. But I'm always curious with people who live like you do. Whats your retirement plan? Or when you might be to old to continue?
I'm building income and experience, if I can't survive on that when I'm old then it's time to die
awesome Jack. good content.
Appreciate it!
Great video , thanks for sharing
Thanks for watching!
I understand how you can do it by not having rent to pay, or a mortgage on a house with property tax to pay. Those things alone are a huge savings. I heard of people living on a boat in a marina, and paying a small monthly dock fee, you lived in a minivan and stayed in parking lots. Did you buy health insurance?
Especially post-covid. I honestly can't imagine myself living a non-nomadic life in the US anymore, how does anyone survive paying multiple thousands of dollars a month for rent?? Yeah I've met people that lived on boats, pretty cool they can sail from port to port and live in the boat and travel that way.
I mostly had ACA insurance, my income always fell low enough that I could get a large chunk of it subsidized.
@@QuadzillaHikes I went to stop and shop today here in N.J. I saw the price of Boars Head Pastrami at 18.49 a pound in the deli, I never saw anything that high! I did not buy it. I do not know where they are coming up with these prices. A few years ago that was $11.00 a pound. Everything is going wild.