Hike More, Work Less: the “Dirtbag Rich” Lifestyle
Publication date: 05 May 2025
Inspiration
What Is “Dirtbag Rich”?
The term “dirtbag” originated in the Yosemite Valley rock climbing scene in the 1970s. These early dirtbags were famous (or infamous) for living out of cars and tents, eating leftover pizza crusts, and chasing their vertical passions with fanatical devotion. Some called them “bums,” but they were really just people who valued time, movement, nature, and community far more than money or traditional stability.
Fast forward to today, and dirtbags come in many forms: climbers, yes, but also hikers, cyclists, sailors, skiers, and dancers. What they share is a radical orientation toward life: work less, spend less, and do more of what you love—especially outside.
As for being dirtbag rich? That’s when you manage to pay the bills, stash a little savings, and still have loads of time to hike, explore, and live meaningfully. You may not be conventionally wealthy, but you’re financially self-sustaining. You’re dirtbag rich when you find that magic of balance of time, money, and purpose—and you feel like the richest person on the trail.
Blake Boles
Blake’s heart belongs to the California Sierra Nevada, where a 3-day backpacking trip at age 11 kindled the love affair that eventually brought him to hike the Sierra High Route, trail running adventures across Desolation Wilderness, and a short-lived PCT thru-hike attempt.
Further afield, Blake has hiked and run on New Zealand’s Great Walks and Te Araroa, along Spain’s lesser-known Caminos, in Nepal’s Nar and Phu valleys, and among the French, Swiss, Austrian, and Italian Alps. He’s a U.S. citizen who currently calls Europe home. Learn more at blakeboles.com.
Ever fantasize about quitting your job, grabbing your pack, and heading for the hills for weeks—or even months—at a time?
You’re not alone. And you’re not crazy. You’re just catching the scent of a different kind of wealth: dirtbag rich.
I’ve been living this way for nearly 20 years. I don’t own a house or a car. I’ve never had a “real job” for more than a few months at a time. Instead, I run a small travel company for teenagers and work 6-12 (intense) weeks a year, which leaves plenty of time for extended trips abroad, writing books and blogs, and spending most of my time hiking, dancing, running, and scheming my next big adventure.
This lifestyle wasn’t handed to me. I cobbled it together through trial, error, and a few glorious meltdowns. I quit jobs dramatically. I failed to thru-hike the Pacific Crest Trail at age 22. I chased sunshine across hemispheres. I built my career through trial-and-error, and the most important lessons came by going off-trail.
Now, through my podcast, Dirtbag Rich, I’m interviewing others who live this way: seasonal workers, remote freelancers, low-income adventurers, and creative weirdos who have figured out how to spend more of their lives outside than inside. Spoiler: there are more of us than you might think.
How This Lifestyle Supports Long-Distance Hiking (and Cycling, and Traveling…)
Living dirtbag rich is basically a love letter to long-distance hiking. When you’re not tethered to full-time work or a permanent lease, you can suddenly say “yes” to:
A week of trekking in Madeira followed by an affordable co-working spot to catch up on remote work.
A 6-week cycle trip from Germany to Portugal, with no boss waiting when you return.
Instead of scraping together vacation days and squeezing nature into narrow weekend windows, becoming dirtbag rich let you flip the script: play outside most of the time, and occasionally dip into work.
Sound like a fantasy? It’s not. But it does require intention, creativity, and a solid sense of what you truly need to feel rich.
Can You Do This in Europe?
Absolutely. While “dirtbagging” was born in the American West, the lifestyle is highly transferable—especially in Europe, where public transportation is stellar, nature is accessible, and remote work options are growing.
You don’t need a van, a trust fund, or a YouTube channel to live this way. You just need a flexible source of income and a willingness to question the “normal” way of doing adulthood. Whether you’re section-hiking the Triple Crown as a solo adventurer or thru-hiking the Te Araroa as a single mom with a 7-year-old, much is possible.
Dirtbag Rich ≠ Dirt Poor
To be clear: dirtbag rich isn’t about being broke. It’s about being intentional with your time and money. Most of the dirtbag rich people I know earn between €15,000–€40,000 per year, work seasonally or part-time, and still manage to travel, save, and hike as much as they want. They’ve figured out a simple equation: Work you love + expenses you control = freedom to hike whenever you want.
The number one act of frugality I’ve noticed among my interview subjects is this: not eating out. Number two: not accumulating unnecessary junk. Number three: not paying high rent.
I’m not here to say you can’t drink nice coffee, own fancy running shoes, or enjoy a decent apartment—I indulge in all three from time to time. But instead of obsessing over the well-worn territory of “living cheaply,” the dirtbag rich focus on a more upstream question: How are you spending the time of your life?
If you can find powerful meaning and satisfaction in the simple act of spending time outdoors—happily occupying yourself with long hours of hiking, running, swimming, cycling, slacklining, backpacking, frisbee, surfing, bouldering, climbing, or acroyoga—then you can feel rich almost anywhere.
Want to Learn More?
This article barely scratches the surface. If the dirtbag rich life intrigues you, check out Dirtbag Rich for interviews with nurses, teachers, sailors, photographers, writers, entrepreneurs, and others who’ve figured out their own way to escape the full-time grind and reconnect with what matters.
Your next great hike might not just be a trail—it could be a trailhead to a whole new way of life.
How This Lifestyle Supports Long-Distance Hiking (and Cycling, and Traveling…)
Can You Do This in Europe?
Dirtbag Rich ≠ Dirt Poor