Brave move, but I wonder how he keeps or makes new friendships and deeper relationships. Maybe this is fine for a while, but people need people (not just text in a chatroom), and I hope he has an exit strategy from this lifestyle, for this reason.
Probably as well as the average not-train dwelling person:
https://www.npr.org/2023/05/02/1173418268/loneliness-connect...
Breakfast in Berlin, Dinner in München.
His exit strategy is probably the same as mine, his bedroom at mom and pop’s hotel
They too are away from their old standing friends, and since they are usually not intending to stay forever in the country they stay in, they're probably not investing in any deep connections there either.
In fact, given the huge loneliness/isolation trends, he is probably not that different to the average stationary person in this regard either.
When I lived in New York, it wasn't that much different - my friends and I occasionally lived on opposite sides of Manhattan & Brooklyn; now I live in New Jersey, and if I want to see close friends, I have to dedicate at least half the day to it, and going somewhere on a whim is not always an option for me. Depending on where this kid is at any given moment, it might be faster for him to get to a friend than it would take me to get to mine.
Seriously, I have lived in remote regions and not everybody living there owns a car. Many people need hours to get to their friends as well.
He can hop on the train and trivially go to them. He probably sees his friends more than many others who are separated by long distances.
In a world of instant comms, he doesn’t need to be tracked down. He can be summoned and in a few hours, appear.
Both in terms of cheap throwaway reference and maybe that's actually how he does it?
When I was commuting a lot I'd always see the same faces, eventually got to nattering with some of them. Nothing super deep or anything but that's probably more on my social ability than possibility :)
While this lifestyle is not for me, i tend to concur on the statement. I personally pick my houses as distant from people as possible. People don’t need people. Sure it gets lonely sometimes but let me ask you if you enjoying the company you have all the time.
People don’t need people. It’s rather personality related
My question is: why do you post on HN for others to read? Why not just write your thoughts in a journal and keep it to yourself?
You are on a social networking site right now. People always need people, even if they don't think they do.
In a pinch he could hand-wash them, but I imagine drying might be an issue with that.
Why wouldn't city apartments have washing machines? (In Germany and most of the rest of Europe we also don't particular need, or care for, driers either, that's what clotheslines are for).
Laundromats I'd say are more for like, students, tourists, travellers, fresh immigrants, people with some temporary arrangements and no stable residence, etc.
That comes down to ~840€ per month. Unless you live deep in the countryside, life is not going to be much cheaper as a non-nomad.