How Do Hobos Live?

Hoboes travel across the country by hopping onto trains (although other modes of transportation are also acceptable), but crucially they work for their living, performing seasonal labor and taking on odd jobs. Tramps travel, either via rail or hitchhiking, but they rarely work (and instead often beg).

Is being a hobo illegal?

"I tell people the best way to enjoy traveling is always the safe way," says Connecticut Shorty, a former hobo "queen," as crowned at the National Hobo Convention that takes place the second week of August, every year since 1900, in Britt, Iowa. "Hopping freights is illegal and dangerous."

What is a hobo lifestyle?

A hobo is a homeless person who lives a vagrant lifestyle, traveling from place to place. Hobos are also sometimes referred to as vagrants, tramps, or transients, depending on regional preference, and some people use the term “hobo” to refer to a specific type of vagrant homeless person.