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A dérive is an unplanned journey through a landscape, usually urban, on which the subtle aesthetic contours of the surrounding architecture and geography subconsciously direct the travelers, with the ultimate goal of encountering an entirely new and authentic experience.
The "column" aspect of the name refers to Buenaventura Durruti, a leader in the Spanish Civil War against the fascists. His column, one of the largest during the war, was also particularly internationalist, representing anti-fascist socialist and anarchist fighters from all over the globe.
Dérive is what I strive to become more comfortable with in my travels and the Column is in hopes to find like minded fellow travelers who want to live and support one another as a unit, near and far, and promote people's liberation.
Not the title of the post, which I understood and feel in admiration of. I wondered about the title of the journal itself though: Dérive Column. Over my head.
3 years agoWelcome to CycleBlaze Ken and congratulations on turning you back on the trap of the standard working life.
Leigh and I took a similar decision to Scott and Rachel Anderson and have been able to live, work and travel as homeless people since March 2016.
We're in IT so all we need is an internet connection, seldom a problem these days, so being able to work is not an issue.
You seem young and fit enough (and I am sure sufficiently adaptable) to slot into any work opportunity you might find along the way. I suspect networking with other travelers will make finding job opportunities easier.
Good luck and enjoy it!
If you are referring to the title of the post, it simply refers to my desire to keep moving, experiencing new places, people and things, and doing so self-sufficiently. In short, I want to work and I want to travel. Cacking the code is all about figuring out how to do both without it having to take on the character of a vacation. I'm 43, not particularly young, but not old either. Retirement doesn't seem to be much to look forward to personally and I don't want to stay in one place, at this time. Vacations are too far and between and always bitter sweet when you have to return to the grind. So I'm going to see what I can do, and from what I can see so far is that there are some unique opportunities (seasonal work on farms, campgrounds, park systems, resorts) and working in one of those environments is a pretty clever way to immerse yourself in an area for a brief period of time, have room and board, get paid for it and meet other working travelers. Otherwise some of these places would be incredibly out of reach.
3 years agoOK, I’ll bite. What’s the background on the title?
3 years agoWhat a great adventure! Enjoy the outdoors while you can! We retired in 2018 sold our place and have been doing cycle touring in Europe and the US 9 months of the year and returning to Portland, OR in between.
3 years agoGood luck to you! I think a lot of people are interested in unlocking that code of travel/work and this journal will be very informative for them. Welcome to CycleBlaze!
3 years ago
That definition of "dérive" was pulled from Wikipedia but it's a concept practiced by the Situationist Internationale, and conceived by one of their members Guy Debord when he was in the Letterists Internationale that came before the SI. Really excellent people's sociology / philosophy for these modern times.
3 years ago