Biking across the US

Normally I'd suggest asking this on /out/ but they've been swarmed by /pol/ in the past week and are in the middle of all sorts of angry fights.

With only $100 it will be very, very difficult. And working for a meal or two in small towns is almost nonexistent these days. Conditions in many small towns are quite tough and most places won't offer a temporary job to a stranger just passing through.

If you're serious about this, first try to save up more. People who pull this sort of thing off successfully bring decent camping supplies and equipment for repairing and maintaining the bike.

You'll need a lot of water and a lot of calories to keep up the daily grind of cycling. Relying on dumpster diving seems like a good way to starve yourself.

Practice a few longer rides on your bike. Increase the distance until you're doing multi-day trips. That will give you an idea of how your body responds to repeated distance cycling.

Get some camping under your belt too so that you won't be nervous when you have to stop for the night in some remote place.

There's a few anons on here who have had all sorts of crazy bike trip adventures, so hopefully they'll chime in too.

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>>1207514
>make the journey and not die
>and not die

Don't take the journey.

>>1207545
> bring decent camping supplies and equipment for repairing and maintaining the bike.

I will definitely be going prepared with things like this in mind. I doubt a bike would last all the way to the west coast without needing some repairs here and there. I think one of those portable water purifiers and a reusable water bottle would be a good idea. First aide stuff too.

I will probably bring a little food as well, something dry and dense. I don't think I could be able to carry several months worth at a time with me though.

> Relying on dumpster diving seems like a good way to starve yourself.

Do you have any suggestions for other ways to obtain food? I won't be leaving until may at the earliest, so I thought I could also research/practice how to forage for food in nature. Maybe also seeking out any soup kitchens or homeless shelters along the way, if those even exist in any real capacity? I do want to have as many ideas for sources of food as possible.

Practicing long rides and camping is a good plan, as well. Thanks for the post

Post an ad on craigslist a few days before you hit each city along the way, offer your asshole for $100. Say you're straight but you're using this to make your way across the country, you'll get some interested guys.

Other than that, no, there's no way to do it on $100, what the fuck are you thinking. You will find something you need to spend that money on within a week.

>>1207555
Lots of people live without money. Of course it's possible.

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Don't let the naysayers scare you. It will be tough but can be done.

At some point you will need to stop and work, but $100 will get you far if you are cool sleeping in bushes and eating oatmeal every meal.

A friend of mine recently made the trip from Maine to California. He set off with $250 and made it to Colorado before completely running out of cash. He landed a job at a bicycle shop and worked for a month while sleeping in a bush. Saved up another handful of cash and finished the trip out.

>>1207514
>Is dumpster diving really as easy and prolific as they say online? In big cities it makes sense
Big cities are going to be the hardest for getting food.

Big cities have a lot of homeless and there is a big disconnect between classes. People that are barely getting by have huge egos about not being homeless and treat each other like shit because of it. Smaller towns tend to see people in need as relate-able and are more likely to offer up a meal.

Dumpster diving reflects that too. Large cities lock up shit or dump bleach on stuff so they don't have homeless digging through it at night. A smaller/mid size town is ideal. Kroger / Aldi are where I have the most luck and they can normally be found in rural areas. It is a very interesting experience and I highly recommend trying it out before setting off on this journey.

This trip would be hard to make in the winter for many places so you'd probably want to do it from late spring to early fall.
But even then the Midwest can kill you with wicked storms.
Don't get killed by a tornado.
As far as weather goes, will you be able to ride through a storm?
You're bound to hit one somewhere along the way.
And at some point you'll have to ride through the mountains.
You have a plan for that?
You can maybe avoid both the Appalachians and Rockies if you ride further south.
Maybe try from Georgia to Arizona.
Honestly, the bike ride just leaves you so open to elements and terrain.

Cycle tourer here. $100 is hard, impossible if you don't want to rely on hospitality and help. Many times you have to do some form of begging.

Abuse the hell our of warmshowers.org. Many of the hosts will feed you.
Some people will offer you food and hospitality spontaneously.
Get shameless and ask people outright if they have food to spare or a place for you to crash, explaining your situation. It matters a LOT how you look. formulate and articulate such a question. Being is often more successful: Ask people if you can camp in their yard - it's less direct and many will say "sure, why not". A few minutes later they will offer you to sleep inside and ask if you're hungry.

This sounds like taking advantage of people, but it isn't. Just make sure to return the same kindness to other travelers when you settle down.