The 100 Best Affordable Vacations (76 page)

 Radical self-reliance

 Radical self-expression

 Communal effort

 Civic responsibility

 Leaving no trace

 Participation

 Immediacy

Although Burning Man has a children’s camp, veterans advise against bringing kids due to the open sexuality. As for the nudity, you’ll quickly grow immune to it. As May says, “It’s always Murphy’s law. The people who you don’t want to see with their clothes off, take them off. And the people you might want to see, keep them on.”

Like real cities, Black Rock has a violent side, although it tends to be restricted to a “sport.” Crowds gather at the Thunderdome, a giant geodesic arena out of a Mad Max movie, where two fighters are suspended from bungee harnesses. A referee, who appears to be as much sorceress as human, gives the signal and the combatants pummel each other to the roar of the crowd. Blood and injuries are not uncommon.

But more typical are the incredible leaps of imagination. You’ll find fields of solar-charged pods that change color when you jump on them, or giant mechanical dragons shooting lasers skyward from their eyes. There might be a tree made from cattle bones, or a bowling alley that uses flaming balls. Many of these attractions are found in theme camps, where participants create an experience for other guests.

Black Rock City has newspapers and more than a dozen pirate radio stations to help you keep track of all the spectacles. But even if you stay the whole week, you’ll never see it all.

True to its independent roots, a visit to Burning Man requires preparation and resourcefulness, what festival organizers call “radical self-reliance.” Given that Black Rock City covers 7 square miles, an important item to bring is a bicycle, preferably a single-speed ride and one you don’t have too much invested in, monetarily or emotionally. “Inevitably people will borrow it,” May says. Also bring a strong stomach, and toilet paper. The portable toilets get increasingly grim toward the end of the day.

You will also need to bring water—at least 1.5 gallons per person per day. And shelter. A mere pup tent won’t do much good in the middle of a sandstorm. Veteran Burners suggest picking up a sun cover, or better, a temporary garage made from PVC pipes and canvas walls, available from home improvement stores. If you put your tent inside the shelter, you may avoid some of the dust and the burning desert heat. Remember to pack food that doesn’t require refrigeration and don’t forget the earplugs. Self-expression isn’t always quiet, and often it comes in the middle of the night.

HOW TO GET IN TOUCH

Burning Man, LLC,
415-863-5263,
www.burningman.com
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rebuild together

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA

Home is a name, a word, it is a strong one; stronger than magician ever spoke, or spirit ever answered to, in the strongest conjuration.

—
AUTHOR CHARLES DICKENS,
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF MARTIN CHUZZLEWIT
(SERIALIZED 1943–1944)

95 |
From songs by Sugarland to Simon and Garfunkel, we’re reminded of that basic truth we all know so well: Home is sacred. But for many American homeowners who are poor, elderly, or disabled, the costs of food and medicine overtake all but the most basic household maintenance. Increasingly this includes returning war veterans.

Thanks to the efforts of high-profile volunteers such as President Jimmy Carter, many of us are familiar with Habitat for Humanity, which works with recipients to build new houses. Perhaps less known is Rebuilding Together. Founded in 1976, this national organization is dedicated to helping people stay in their own familiar surroundings—homes that often are important assets, perhaps belonging to a family for generations. With donated goods, skilled labor, and the elbow grease of volunteers, the 200 Rebuilding Together affiliates across the United States work with low-income homeowners to address major maintenance issues and make homes both safe and physically accessible. There is no cost to the homeowners, who are nominated by local social service agencies.

Most Rebuilding Together projects draw on local residents who pitch in for a day at a time to rebuild 10,000 homes each year. But some needs are greater than a single community can handle.

Since Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in 2005, the national organization has pulled together volunteers who go to the area for a week at a time to refurbish homes that suffered less than 60 percent damage and ensure the homes are safe, warm, and dry. Projects are scheduled several times throughout the year, starting Sunday afternoons with an orientation on why a particular homeowner has been chosen, so volunteers feel more connected to the mission. Volunteers pay $260–$285 each, depending on the project, and provide their own transportation to the Gulf Coast. Meals, basic lodging, and transportation to the work site are included with the fee.