The other day I was thinking about what it would take for someone to just disappear, just seem to have dropped off the face of the earth, if they were to wish to do so.
I’m not talking illegal stuff, no, just using strictly legal means; how can a person just disappear into thin air without a trace?
It’s not like I’m planning to do this anytime soon or ever really, but well sometimes my mind does wonder off to such weird ideas, and I think that it’d be cool to have a plan if someone ever felt the urge to do something like that, even for a little while, if one day they just got fed up of it all maybe.
So I’m thinking these following steps could somehow work and make it seem like you dropped off the face of this earth:
– Throw away your mobile phone, blackberry, whatever connected mobile devices you have.
– Sell whatever you don’t need to different people so no one gets suspicious.
– Choose a destination country to move to that is vast, where you can move around freely and easily extend your visa.
– Get a visa to that country.
– Make one-way plane reservations through a number of different travel agencies transiting through some other countries to get there, with the outgoing flight not on the same day as your incoming one.
– Travel without saying goodbye to anyone.
– Once at your destination country, move to a small rural town or island.
– Find a simple job at a small place that doesn’t get you too much attention.
And well, for as long as your passport is valid, to everyone you know, it’ll basically seem like you just dropped off the face of the planet.
Now that I’ve finished this post, it feels even weirder that I’m thinking of this, but well the time has been wasted so I’ll publish it anyway.
What do you think? Would you ever think of doing something like this? And do you think there is an easier way maybe?
Excuse me, MMM, but can’t you just head off into the Atlas Mountains? Or do you insist on amenities?
And what does Eman think of this? 🙂
@Janissary: Well I’m thinking if you want to drop off the face of the earth, you might want to do a little tourism along the way 😛
Plus, I’m talking only legal stuff here, so if I head into the Atlas Mountains, it’ll be just in the Tunisian bit of them, and a quick check would show that I didn’t leave the country, so it’s known that I’m somewhere in the small area of Tunisia, not exactly falling off the face of the planet.
Oh and of course Eman and Adam would disappear with me too 😉
You could always pick up one of those overseas consulting jobs in Asia or Europe, MMM. (You’ve done that before, or am I wrong?) My wife spent an exciting year in West Africa at the African Development Bank, which I believe is now in Tunis.
Or if you really want to disappear, there’s New Mexico–we’ve some gorgeous land ringed by what the Realtor assured us are dormant volcanoes. The nearest neighbor is a seasonal visitor, an Egyptian Sufi poet. (British English accent. The shopkeepers probably think he’s Asian Indian, or an American Indian who talks funny. 🙂 )
We bought the land from a French archaeologist who’s also a noted authority on American Indian pottery of the Southeast. Suspicion is rife he was using this remote acreage as a base for forays into nearby off-limits Hopi village remains to forage for pottery. But then I’m but a romantic and he a member of the Legion of Honor.
Cheers,
J.
Here is a quicker way, a bullet to the head.
One way tickets are a red flag. Many countries will not let you enter without a return ticket! Buy a refundable ticket that you can cash in when you get to your destination. Leave the return date open. If the booking site does not allow this, then put it several months down the road
I think you should simplify. take out some cash, stow away on a freighter with a lot of cheddar and peanut butter crackers. but the key is simplify. just do it. like walk out and get on a bus. take it to the end of the line and get on another. POOF
the problem with a visa is that it can be traced so that part of your “plan” would not work to well
1. Get a little money, a good backpack, boots, couple changes of clothes, poncho, knife, whatever else you might need
2. Do not bring any form of id or any item that could give your identity away. Do not bring a cell phone. Do not bring a computer.
3. Do not check into hotels, buy bus, plane, or train tickets
4. Do not give your real name to anyone
5. Do not stay in the same place for too long
6. Lay low. Avoid police interaction
7. Enjoy the free life of a vagabond
Yes, i’ve thought about just dropping off the face of the earth to the point where noone would ever know that i existed, and that is something that i’m going to truly consider doing in the near future.