Freeside
the Mars Culture Camp

Yes — for all creative and academic programs it is, but we have to build the camp, and hopefully get it to a functional state before the semester begins on January 11th, 2027.
Therefore, if you have build skills, we need as many hands on deck in December as we can find.

Similarly, if you can stay beyond the end of the semester, beyond March 28th, 2027, to help pack up the camp and assist in what we call “un-build” — great!

This is not a requirement, and we won’t hold it against you if your travel plans don’t allow for it, but if it’s something you are considering, please talk to us. Freesiders will tell you that some of their most memorable experiences happened during build and un-build times.

Housing is the most important need to fulfill on Mars. Most recently Freeside housing was a mix of RVs, vans or travel trailers belonging to Freesiders, self-built plywood structures, from star-shaped pods to hexagons or live-in sheds, we got it all. Freeside has a bit of a reputation for our “rustic jankiness housing projects,” and we are very proud of it.

In your application make sure to tell us what housing you will bring or what housing you might need.

Freeside Camp created the famous “Mars Meal Plan.” That meant most days a camp member or two (or three) would prepare dinner for all. Breakfast and lunch would be handled casually mostly DIY style, sourced from a communal food supply that everyone had a say in, and everyone would pay into. Last year that amounted to a food bill for everyone of $40 per week. It will likely be a bit more now. The communal food supply would be “all you can eat” for paying Freeside members.

To make a meal plan work, some Freesiders would be shoppers, some would be chefs, some would be cleaners, some would be water haulers, some would be the food kitty & expenses treasurer, some would be BBQers, some would be bakers, some would switch around and be some of it sometimes. This would be guided by people’s talents and preferences. One thing was clear though: everyone had to pitch in.

Not for sure, but likely. The Meal Plan happens if there are enough of us wanting it and willing to do the work.

Probably not. We’ll work with you. You will however have to participate in kitchen chore and expense sharing somehow.

We have had vegan, gluten-free, and raw food Freesiders. We can make it work. If you have severe food allergies however, you might need to do your own food thing, as we cannot guarantee an allergen free kitchen environment.

This is a little hard to answer before we know how many members we will be this semester, and if the majority decision will be to run a Mars Meal Plan or not.

Based on past experience, with a meal plan in place, it is realistically at least 8h per week, excluding “build hours.” This included two weekly shifts of either cooking, doing dishes, cleaning, shopping, water hauling, propane refilling, fixing things, trash collecting, organizing… some of that time would be spent together with all of us at the weekly “Mars Care” deep-clean day. This is in addition to time spent at camp meetings.

Furthermore, all the infrastructure will have to be built before the semester starts. If you are handy and available much earlier than the semester begins, let’s say November, make sure to check out DPW camp and see if that resonates with you, or join our own build crew that will be assembled in the winter.

Well, someone has to! A few Freesiders are quite handy, and we are fortunate to have an off-grid architect extraordinaire among us, but we will need many hands to build our little village. Whoever can join the build crew usually shows up in December to build the camp. In past years, the build process would extend far into the start of the semester, taking valuable time that could be spent on Mars programs. While there really never is such a thing as “being finished,” we do strive to have a functional kitchen and basic housing done before the semester goes into full swing.

Also, for the first time, this year, we will have DPW Camp on Mars, offering a program starting as early as November. If you want to be a Freesider, have some build skills, and can see yourself coming early to participate in the build process, please contact DPW Camp. Freeside will much appreciate any work and time you can contribute toward build.

You do not. Martians come from many places and far away countries and often arrive via airplane. There will be ride sharing logistic connections available and some limited public transportation to nearby towns (like Indio or El Centro) where you can get close enough to be picked up. The closest airport to fly in is El Centro, which has connections to LAX and Phoenix. Palm Springs is the closest international airport.

Just know that Mars is somewhat isolated and to reach services or stores during the semester you will then rely on the availability of others.

Yes. Many Martians successfully continue their remote jobs while attending Mars. Please let us know your needs during the video interview, and we’ll discuss your options. One way is to place your housing away from immediate busy places. Another way is to retreat to a further location at times, including locations in Bombay Beach. Another way is using the likely to be established “quiet work place.” We can help you figure this out.

Listen. This is good stuff. We like to learn from our neighbors. This practice was a gift from Co-lab Camp. It’s really simple. All of us who participated in it have come to value it. It helps us understand each other better, forgive ourselves and one another, and with that it can take a lot of weight off your shoulders. You can participate even if you prefer not to speak, being a listener is great too. Think of it as stress reduction if you’d like.

Most importantly, it also somehow makes us love ourselves and each other better. Yes, there you have it: Love! We care about love at Freeside! Love isn’t woowoo, it makes us happier Martians.

Yes you can. You can apply at any camp that seems a good fit to you. Some camps might fill up before others, so make sure to do so early. If you get admitted to Freeside and then at another camp, and choose that camp over Freeside, just please let us know quickly, so that we can keep your spot open.

That is perfectly fine. It would be in your and the other camp’s best interest though to figure this out early, as your labor that you might have put into helping build and settling into Freeside will be lost to them. It also would be good for us to know soon, so we could possibly offer your Freeside spot to someone else.

We would like to say no. Especially at Freeside, where we put much emphasis on building a functional and fun team, having members come and go isn’t helping. That being said, we understand life happens and maybe there is such a good reason for you to still be a Freesider that you can persuade us.

Maybe yes, but it’s not ideal. Freesiders thrive from the togetherness we create by mastering our daily life on Mars, by sharing all the responsibilities and joys in succeeding to make a rather inhospitable patch of desert sand a vibrant and welcoming home. If you live in Bombay Beach, you will miss out on a lot of the spontaneously occurring happenings. We’d still consider you, if you are a really good match for our group.

This can vary a bit depending on your needs and desired comfort level. In the past, about $50 a week would cover the very bare basics of your portion of food and essential co-pays toward things like portable toilets.

You will also be asked to contribute to the Mars general fund a minimum of $500, to help pay for the many infrastructure developments and services Mars depends on, from building materials to internet. Mars does not charge tuition fees.

If you aren’t bringing your own housing, you will need to pay toward the materials of building your sleeping quarters. This could be a non-refundable usage fee, or you could choose to build and own your own pod, and then store it locally for your future visits. Freesiders have done variations of all of that. Last year some Freesiders made pre-arrangements for a sleeping pod to be built for them before their arrival, and they were asked to pay $300. This year might have different options.

As mentioned, Freesiders like their amenities, but some, like solar systems, can be expensive. We also use a good amount of pallet racks and plywood. Thankfully we have had generous help from within Freeside and from Mars to have these expensive camp components available. If that weren’t the case, we would need to explore crowd-sourcing options among ourselves and that would add costs.

Naturally you will have to budget for any of your personal expenses just as you would during that time if you were to live elsewhere.

One of Mars’ and Freeside’s goals is to be low cost and thus we strive to make it work for people of all walks of life. Talk to us if you have financial concerns.

At Freeside we love welcoming people from all over the world. So does every camp on Mars. In just the past couple semesters, Freeside united eight or more nationalities.

You might want to start the process of obtaining a visa and learning what you need for it early.

We also ask that you purchase travel health insurance for emergencies. The US does not have universal healthcare as many other countries, and obtaining medical care as an uninsured patient can be unaffordable.

Once you are here, we will go over some US intricacies to help you feel safe and be able to move around freely.

We sure can! Just reach out to us and let us know your specific requirements.

If you have read all the way to this question, your English is good enough. If not, we also speak Martian — and so do you. So don’t worry about it. Your English will be much better when you leave.

Yes, Freeside is pet friendly. We like non-aggressive dogs and any well behaved pet.

Please know that we live in close quarters, and also that academic programs often need a quiet undisturbed environment. Therefore we ask that you take full responsibility for your animal at all times. Also, for the safety of your animal, you will need to keep them protected from a not too distant freeway, rattle snakes and scorpions, and you might not be able to keep them inside your housing unattended during the later part of Mars due to heat related risks. Talk to us about your pet and we’ll try to make it work.

We’d love to hear from you. We interview all viable applicants by video call, but if you’d like to talk to someone at Freeside before applying, just reach out via the same application form, and one of us will get in touch with you.