

The Hobos of Instagram - behoove
http://motherboard.vice.com/read/the-hobos-of-instagram

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tcdent
I'm totally enamored by this group; it's the main reason why I actively use
Instagram. Tons of backpackers, nomadic families and weekenders that regularly
post incredibly inspiring content.

Recently I've begun seeking out and meeting some of these people in-person. No
other service has supported connections like this for me. There's an honesty
on Instagram: story telling, real life, often real-time that doesn't exist
anywhere else.

Not that the content people choose to post isn't curated, but it seems to be
less abstract. The form of expression that developed inside 140 characters is
still pretty strange to me. Sharing news and articles designed for social
media doesn't really give you an idea of who that person is, just like
reblogging images doesn't give you any information about a person's actual
life.

~~~
michaelchisari
Having grown up around these folks, I'm a little bit less enamored. But I'm
hardly one to reject them outright. I just don't feel the romance the way I
did before I knew the particulars.

~~~
tcdent
If you're specifically talking about riding freight trains and camping under
bridges (like Kevin Russ and Molly Steele in the article do sometimes) then I
can understand. However, there is far more variety in these lifestyles than
you or I even know.

Here are a few examples of one's I've personally met:

Family of 5 and a cat living full-time in an Airstream since '08\. It's not
novelty, it's sustainable and truly enjoyable for them.

Guy and his dog drive out of the city Friday nights as far as they can muster.
Wake up with the sunrise, hike all day, camp overnight, wake up with the
sunrise, hike all day, back home in time for work Monday morning. There's an
incredible amount of drive keeping him active most weekends – passion for the
outdoors – and he's going full-time as soon as possible.

77 year old retiree has been living on the road in various motorhomes for the
last 7 years — an evolution of his years backpacking and traveling between
work. Loves the freedom, loves the open space, is going to keep going as long
as his health allows.

~~~
michaelchisari
_If you 're specifically talking about riding freight trains and camping under
bridges_

The whole gamut. Crustpunks, oogles, hippies, old timer hobos, dropouts,
scumfucks, trainhoppers, wobblies, squatters, etc. Although my experience is
America (US & Canada), I know it's different elsewhere.

It's not bad. I just don't think it's quite so romantic. It just is.

~~~
tcdent
Enjoying our exchange. Admittedly risking taking the back-and-forth too far,
but:

Entrepreneurs, ninja coders, CTOs, sysadmins, dorm startups, progressive
syntaxes, ergonomic chairs.

It's not bad, just not as romantic as the freedom to travel.

~~~
michaelchisari
Oh, no, I would argue that stuff is bad. I think startup culture is generally
toxic, held together only by the exceedingly rare promise of success.

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dmckeon
It seems like /r/vagabond is getting the "15 minutes of fame" treatment - this
was last week's version:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9403385](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9403385)

Check back in August or so to see if a moral panic has erupted about the
dangers of young people hopping trains, or if Britt has become the new Burning
Man :-)

