There is VERY cheap land around, from 'Waste Lands' in the desert,
To very small tracts left over when large swaths are sold off in smaller tracts.
Also, most states have 'Habitat Exemptions',
Buy the land, promise to leave it 'Habitat' land instead of subdividing it for 'X' amount of years, and you don't pay taxes on it as long as it's listed as 'Habitat' land and kept together.
The trick of owning 'Land'...
(Land is a Misnomer in a lot of states, it's all 'Real Estate', don't kid yourself!)
Is to make the land PAY for it's self.
Recently, a local declared his 180 acres as 'Habitat' then started charging people for 'Nature Hikes' through his 'Nature Preserve'.
No taxes, $450 to $1,000 a week during the summer for folks to walk around in poison ivy and rag weeds...
We farm. Nothing like garden and chickens/rabbits!
Large gardens for decorative plants and garden produce,
Some land leased out for crops, the back side rented out for horse boarding.
More than pays the mortgage, insurance and upkeep...
Hunting leases are also a way to pay for 'Land',
If you can put up with them littering up the place, shooting at livestock and generally making a mess of things, city hunters will pay a tidy sum for the rights to hunt on your land one or two weeks a year.
Personally, I don't want them slinging lead around us and the horses, so we don't do it, but there are plenty of others that do, and it's PROFITABLE!
Some guys are getting enough from 'Turkey Season', Then 'Deer Season', and if you have water, the bird hunting leases are CRAZY EXPENSIVE...
So for about 4 weeks a year, you have to put up with 'Strangers' popping up everywhere, but they WILL pay your taxes and insurance for the year!
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Personally, If I were on the move (Nomad) I would do like I did when young and decided to tour the US on a motorcycle...
Nothing more than a few tools and cooking stuff in saddle bags, bed rolls and cloths strapped to the bike...
I used to find a hill with a concrete drain along an interstate, and ride up the concrete rain gutter, camp on top.
Never had anyone stumble on me even one time in 4 months of doing that, and I've done it tons of times since then on trips with virtually NO ONE finding me up there...
I ran into a group of homeless (Run Aways) young folks that had taken up residence inside a bill board, one of those HUGE two sided, 'V' shaped things that had been abandoned after a tornado.
Up off the ground, partially secure, out of the elements for the most part, and they were pretty happy up there.
Not far (about a mile) from 'Civilization' and they said the local cops had NEVER hassled them since the maintenance road to the bill board had grown over.
If you want to get off the beaten path,
There are THOUSANDS of privately owned plots of land you can pick up for taxes, or 'Squat On' along the old travel routes before the interstates were built...
Old truck stops, tourist traps, ect. all over the west, both north and south.
Travel some of the old 'Route 66' and you will see HUNDREDS every day...
One way to travel is by water.
If you have ever taken a trip on a river very far, you will find THOUSANDS of old commercial businesses that couldn't compete with cheap oil after WW-II.
Those big old buildings are all over...
Every dried up little town that fell victim to improved highways after WW-II will have abandoned buildings... All of them available for a night or two...
Every city has a 'Old Warehouse' district, usually along river or canal, where you can 'Squat' for short periods of time.
The COOLEST place I ever saw was some guys had taken up residence in an old water tower at an abandoned military installation!
Two stories built inside the tank, all wood panel lined from the buildings the military left behind, great place to crash and SECURE since no one is stupid enough to try and climb a narrow, open 50' ladder to assault them!
Windows cut into it (amazing what you can do with a hack saw and some time!), wood floors, wood paneling, good ventilation, cool in the daytime, warm at night, GREAT VIEW of the surrounding hills, just plain COOL!
Finding those dispersed Cell Phone towers that are everywhere now is a place to 'Camp' if you don't mind a good dose of microwaves...
They always mow around the fenced compound, have a good driveway, and as long as you don't enter the fenced area, you are not going to get arrested, just told to move on...
Old oil fields, mining sights, ect. that have long since closed will be a source of raw materials and shelter. I found a few of those on my trips out and about...
You wouldn't believe what some mining and oil companies have left behind in the way of equipment and buildings...
Another tact is 'On Site Security'...
Lots of places will let you stay if you patrol the place, and not even the local 'Law' can run you out.
'Caretaker' is better than 'Homeless'!
One thing I learned when traveling quite a bit was...
I purchased a 'Ryder' rental truck.
Didn't have the 'Ryder' name down the side anymore, but it was still that yellow color...
I used it for a 'Toy Box', transporting motorcycle, tool box, scuba equipment, ect.
Installed an air conditioner and built a bunk, microwave and took off down the road...
I could park in ANY truck stop, convenience store parking lot, and when I was in a larger town, I parked on the RYDER LOT!
I was looking like a needle in a stack of needles!
Since Ryder trucks are usually 'House Hold Goods', and LOW BUDGET household goods (Since you are doing the work yourself, most people think there isn't anything of worth in there) no one paid me one minute of attention!
I actually camped in the beach side parking lot of a Daytona motel for over a week with NO ONE asking the first question...
I don't know if they though I was a workman (Security saw the tool box in the back and just nodded at me) or if they thought I was a guest on my way somewhere, but not the first person asked about what I was doing there!
Swam in the ocean, used the outdoor showers to clean up, had the built in ramp to get the tools/bike in and out easily, was a GREAT vacation during bike week with no hotel bills!
The hotel and local restaurants provided bathrooms, the sea wall showers provided hygiene showers,
And the bottled water and microwave provided small cooking and 'Wash Up' water.
Went all through the Fla. keys that year, came up the gulf side, went over to New Orleans, and NOT ONCE did anyone give me 2 seconds of interest...
Wish I'd kept that Ryder truck, great buy, great 'Toy Box', and pretty good for makeshift camping unit.
