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I’ve had a few of those types–the ones who are nomadic. Oddly enough I now find myself being one of those nomads–but I’m not using Airbnb because it’s just too expensive. I’m on the Oregon coast and have luckily, through word of mouth, found semi-private long term lodging without having to sign a year’s lease.
I’ve actually found that I’m in demand–if you can believe that. There are lots of flakey, dreamer, head in the cloud types out there looking for housing, which is why many landlords don’t advertise. I AM a flakey head in the clouds dreamer, but I can present myself pretty well and I look good on paper
You would be the perfect one to do it. And being the organized and thoughtful person that you are, you’d hardly be like so many I’ve been seeing on the road here in coastal Oregon.
I had guest who were nomads . 2 sisters , 24 and 22.
They both had a plan: to work 2 years and then travel the world for 5 years then get married and have babies.
I was jealous , in a good way, listening to them and thinking how awesome it is to have such an awesome plan for the future and know what you want at such young age.
They both work at fancy Margaritville making tons of money as bartenders renting weekly from Airbnb , living cheaply and saving for 5 years of travellings. Who knows what will happen to them on their journey to unknown , may be they will end up staying somewhere in India or Europe with love of their lives. But for now they are nomads, they call themselves “homeless” too because in fact they don’t have a home.
The term ‘homelessness’ normally applies to people who are ‘sleeping rough’. Literally applying to those who don’t have the means (money, contacts, knowledge) to put a roof over their head or who are unsafe in their current accommodation because of violence, eviction etc.
Not to those who choose to stay in temporary accommodation and have the means to do so.
Sorry I volunteer supporting homeless people and it really gets my goat when self entitled millenials use the term to describe their lifestyle choices.
You’re right they probably will end up in India walking past all the thousands of truly homeless people.
I am sure if they slept on the streets for a few days with no money, no food, getting abused, spat on and attacked and sometimes, in fear for their lives or of being sexually absused, they would get a better understanding of what being homeless actually means.
Those were usually men with female friends who were paying for their stay. It certainly is a good idea for a man to have a rich, female friend. I wish I knew someone like that caring for me, too. Cheers
In Webster dictionary “homeless” means “no permanent place of residence.”.
And this is exactly what these girls were: people with no permanent place of residency. They meant no harm to the whole "homeless " in your definition community by calling themselves that.
Hope they will never be living on the streets.
I am sure they didn’t - just a lack of social awareness.
By the way it is not ‘my’ definition.(I didn’t make it up) It is a definition used by the majority of governments, charities and quite a few dictionaries.
Oxford Dictionary Homeless a person) without a home, and therefore typically living on the streets.
UK government definition term “‘homeless’ encompasses a wide range of experiences. Rough sleeping (people living and sleeping on the streets and in shop doorways) is the most visible form of homelessness, but there are many more people homeless than those on the streets. These ‘hidden homeless’ include people in night shelters, and also large numbers of people who have unstable arrangements such as sofa-surfing with friends and family. There have also been reports of people spending the night travelling on buses to avoid the streets”.
There are homeless people living in shelters and cars not literally living in the streets. So while
there is a good number who are without permanent residence, no permanent job, no stable source of income (perhaps as a very conscious choice), they aren’t particularly in danger. It seems @J_Wang was describing some of these people as “flakey, dreamer, disorganized.”
Which is why I tip toed into the topic with a rumination on the lack of words to describe people like I would be if I sold my home and began traveling. Unless someone gives up possessions to enter a monastery, we only have derogatory terms for those who seek the peace that comes from possessing little.
If I called myself a “retiree” and drove a nice vehicle, I wouldn’t be discriminated against…yet. If our current government has any success implementing the policies they favor there will be an entire generation of baby boomers who will be destitute and reviled.
I quite like the idea of calling you an earth wanderer :)…
I agree it’s such a huge issue. There are people whose whole nomadic way of life from Greenland and Turkey to Africa, South and North America, Australia and New Zealand and the Far East, is being destroyed because it doesn’t fit in with Western concepts. Different again of course. These are people who from the cradle to the grave live a mobile lifestyle.
My son and many of his friends travel and work I have never once heard them refer to themselves as ‘homeless’. They call themselves travellers.
It looks like we all have a different opinion about what the term “homeless” means. For some it’s an offensive term, but for me it doesn’t mean that at all. It’s like me saying “dreamer, flakey…” They have a positive connotation to me.
I once had a very odd inquiry from someone from Norway who claimed he was on a “dharma quest.” I almost declined because the request was so odd. He said he would be meeting up with his wife here.
Well when he arrived, he and his wife were adorable. Turns out, he had been traveling all over and just blending with the homeless. He’d hung out in the homeless camp in Kona a month before checking in. He got staph from living outside so bad that his homeless friends urged him to get to the ER, and he did, just in time. Later the wife rolled her eyes and said… Men! They only go to the doctor when they are dying!
She was one of my best guests of all time and we still keep in touch to this day.
I don’t know what the big deal is. At the Open in LA a year ago, I was given a book published by Air called Your Keys to Our Home: the Senior Nomads Incredible Airbnb Journey about a retired couple without a permanent home who have spent years traveling the world from one Airbnb to another as a lifestyle choice. I would be happy to host them or others like them should they ever come my way.
