Ask HN: I want to take a no-tech retreat for 6 months straight. Where? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: I want to take a no-tech retreat for 6 months straight. Where?

11 pointsrfnslyr23 comments

I'm working on a sweet contract job that pays decently. After it's done in 8 months, I want to drop off the face of the earth completely. No contact with friends/family/anybody. Just my mind and I. I don't even want an emergency phone or anything, I just want to be completely cut off.

Cancel my phone. Sell my computers. Sell it all. Take half a year or a few months somewhere totally remote to clear my head. Bring a ton of books/kindle and go at it. Maybe do some writing myself.

I recall seeing a video on Reddit of a woman going on a large ship, I think an ice breaker it was. It looked fantastic and inspired me so much.

Has anyone on HN done this? Where would I begin researching ideas? If it helps, I'm in Canada. I'd love to go up North in the wilderness for awhile.

I need to get the fuck out of this concrete jungle.

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edit: cold climate only. I hate the sun, I hate the tropics. I love the cold.

OK, I hear you, I do. You say you want to cut off.

At least, that's what you think you want. Is it possible this is an over-reaction?

You say you want out of the concrete jungle. That seems more plausible.

You're in Canada, so I'm guessing GTA or Vancouver?

Before heading "up north" (if you haven't been, you have no idea, sorry - don't mean to patronize, but you don't - one doesn't just "go up north" without having visited with competent guides), why not head out of town for a bit? If you are GTA, why not Perth or Smith's Falls or Arnprior? (Yeah, these are more my neck of the woods, but you need to get far from your neck to get to the woods, know what I mean?)

Consider a change of pace, before considering a harsh and radical cut off. Maybe some place that still has running water and electricity and where the amenities of civilization are only 1-3 hours away by car.

Rent a farm north of Bancroft, near Algonquin. Someplace rural but with folks not so far away. Close enough but not too far, you know?

You want even more remote, but still sort of civilized? How about Fermont, QC? (Last spot before Labrador, road pretty much ends there.)

If you're not GTA, folks from your neck of the woods can suggest places comparable to the above....

(I moved to T.O. after university - small place out east - and I hated the jungle, it went on forever. Moved to Ottawa after a couple of years. Been here over 23. It's grown, but it's way less jungle than the GTA. I'm in the burbs, I can be on a farm in 5 minutes and not see anyone for miles....)

Heck, why not just go canoeing in Algonquin for a week? A buddy of mine unplugs that way for a week every year - keeps him sane, and it's a less radical prescription.

Yes I want to cut off. Yes I want to be gone 6 months to a year with no connection to my current world.

Algonquin canoeing, I can do that, but for a few months at the very least. I want a unique experience. I want to be so out of my comfort zone I question all life as I know it.

Actually the canoeing/water idea is incredible. It'd be great to travel by water for a few months on a boat.

If you have never done this before, I think going on a six month trip is too ambitious. I suggest starting with two weeks first, and then continuing only if you still feel comfortable. An extreme change of lifestyle is more difficult than you think. I also think that the hermit life has been overly romanticized. It might not necessarily solve the underlying problem, which I assume is your frustration with your current routine. Not everyone is Thoreau or Emerson.

IMHO it's more worthwhile to do something active (a hiking trip with friends for example) in nature than to just isolate yourself. Some of my best memories have been week long trips in nature with a handful of close pals. I remember going almost insane with modern life and seeing all the anger and hatred fade away after a few weeks of physical activity in a new setting.

That said I think your desire to abandon technology for a while and taste freedom is laudable. Good luck to you, sir. All I ask is that you do not abandon human contact but instead seek new people to meet.

Your vision sounds great; I just caution you on the execution. Getting far away from your current situation is important in everyone's life journey. Doing this right will make you stronger for the rest of your life; doing it wrong will make for an ugly or even fatal experience.

Wherever you go, I encourage you to travel by land. People who get dropped off in the middle of nowhere can get in trouble fast. If you travel by land, you will see the transition from the concrete jungle to the far north unfold in front of your eyes. You can then decide how far you want/need to go, and how quickly. You could walk, hitchhike, bicycle, drive, take a bus, whatever.

I grew up in New Hampshire, but I find references to the Yukon in my early elementary school writing. The far north is just in some people's blood. I spent 18 months living on a bicycle in my twenties, and I wouldn't trade that time for anything. I live in Alaska now, and loved the journey here.

Good luck!

> I spent 18 months living on a bicycle in my twenties, and I wouldn't trade that time for anything. I live in Alaska now, and loved the journey here.

Please please elaborate. I'm extremely interested in hearing your experiences. Do you have a blog or any posts outlining your experiences in-depth?

Send me an email, and I'll write a bit more.

I really liked Siberia.

I did a homestay in a little village on Lake Baikal (maybe half an hour from Irkutsk, but I can't remember which one) and it was quite pleasant. It'd meet a lot of your needs, with no internet access, plenty of cold, and tons of outdoor stuff to do (and wolves, which might be considered a downside).

It was easy enough to arrange the homestay. I booked it in Beijing as part of a trans-siberian trip, from one of the local outfits who arrange such things for English speakers. I expect that if you did the same, you could probably arrange to be left in Irkutsk for a year and negotiate a long-term stay from there.

While we're in the area, Mongolia is also really cool and would remove power and cell coverage from your list of unpleasant western things. You could probably just outright buy a ger in Kharkhorin, and a horse to go with it, for a few thousand bucks. Drop it in any convenient patch of grass and set up shop for the duration.

Good luck!

Wow thats very exciting. I'd reccomend going somewhere in the winter months. Its difficult these days to get that full disconnect but you have a few options.

How about Japan? In the winter it will be beautiful. Some might be scared of this but having to learn a new language puts you to some degree into social isolation until you start to learn how to interact with the local people (hey you asked for it!)

Other then that, India? Might be too hot for you but it is an amazing and underrated country.

And then there's places like Nepal (known for Everest basecamp), a place where you will be guaranteed an amazing experience.

North China....

The baltic states in europe, add norway, sweeden, iceland to the list if you want it cold? The list could be endless. I'd love to be in your situation :)

... and yes I've done a lot of backpacking in my time for 6 months each shot. I stayed semi-connected though where i could.

Since you're OK with manual labor on remote ships, you might try manual labor on remote farms? WWOOF: http://wwoof.net/ I hear the youths in college are pretty into this, they use it for low-budget gap years & language study. Have never done it myself

Left-of-field, but Tasmania (the island at the bottom of Australia) is stunning and you will not regret it. It's very much a cold climate, and home to pristine air and wilderness like you can't imagine. Hobart is a perfect base, a place of history, makers and artisan food and brew producers, and you can hike Cradle Mountain, walk the Bay of Fires, relax at Wineglass Bay, whale watch at Freycinet and visit singal-malt whisky distilleries in the highlands. Then to up the ante, hop on the Orion from Hobart and explore Antarctica. Whatever you choose, enjoy! :)

If you really want to be alone and isolated, Alaska http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Proenneke

A far better choice would be to bike around Europe, goto Africa, drive the USA, something. See the world, experience life, live slow. Don't just go hide, that's easy and lame.

I'd love that, but I just want to settle down somewhere isolated and cold for a long time.

Alaska doesn't have the best track record for people that want to be alone but aren't really prepared with basic survival skills i.e. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_McCandless

Got to Tofino. Stay on Cox Bay. http://www.pacificsands.com/ I live in Vancouver and when I need to leave the concrete beast this is my favourite place.

I'd get away in my car if I could afford the petrol for that length of time. Travel across Northern Europe to get to the cold countries. Would be epic actually, might do that when I'm older.

There is a great deal of empty farmland in Ontario and New Brunswick. Many bachelors live a quiet life there. I am sure you could arrange to rent from someone and be nearly completely isolated.

BTW Kindle is technology. You'll have to leave that behind.

Follow the frog https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iIkOi3srLo

Based on your previous submission history, I'd say get a handle on your issues before going off somewhere isolated for so long.

How would you suggest doing that?

I'd recommend spending a few weeks in lapland, I suspect you'll rapidly want to come back to civilization :)

That seems like a plausible choice. I want to do labor somewhere, hence why I'd love working on a ship. Out in the cold, no technology, and just work.

You need to love the sun. Without it there is no life. Go to India.

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