Whether it's a ride to the corner store, around the world, or just to know, there is a method to the madness of hitchhiking. The following instructions have been gleaned from the experience of many experienced hitchhikers.
Steps
Step 1. Invest money in a good map
A detailed map is worth the money it costs. In the US, look for the Rand McNally Map Book of the United States at truck driver stops. In the UK, Ordnance survey maps (not explorer, but better than a national A5 map), you can borrow from libraries for free. These are the ones used by truckers who cross the entire state and mark rest areas, refueling areas for trucks and service stations. If you need a free map, then find a tourist spot like a hotel, airport, bus station or tourist information office and grab one of the flyers with a decent map inside. State welcome centers on interstate highways have free highway maps for their state. Car rentals usually have the best free maps. Look for a map showing street numbers, rest areas, and petrol stations.
Learn the street numbering system, if there is one. On US interstate highways, even-numbered roads run east to west, and the higher the number, the further north the interstate is. Streets numbered with odd numbers run north to south, the higher the number the more east the interstate is. Three-digit interstate numbers indicate junctions and connecting lines outside of interstates. In Europe, two-digit numbers ending in 5 indicate a reference road that goes from north to south, while those ending with 0 indicate roads that go from east to west
Step 2. Take precautions
- Scan your ID card (and passport if you are traveling abroad) and mail it to yourself. If they steal it, print a copy at the library. For passports, go to the embassy with your copy and do what it takes to get a new passport. Americans must bring two passport photos and fill out forms to get a temporary passport.
- Get the phone number of your credit card company before you leave. If you lose your credit card, call them right away, cancel it and have a new one sent to an address where you can receive it (such as an embassy).
- Bring a pepper spray in case you run into shady guys, on the road or not.
Step 3. Make a sign. Show people that you can write and are on a planned trip. Bring a marker and a notebook. Write your destination clearly (it doesn't have to be the final destination). Add a frame around the lettering - it makes the sign a little easier to read.
Step 4. Find a good place to hitchhike
Go to the part of the city that is in the direction you want to go. That is to say, if you head west, you go to the west sector of the city. Look for a place that meets most, if not all, of the following criteria:
- it is on a straight stretch of road (700m in both directions) and is sloping, so that drivers can see you for longer.
- cars run at less than 80km / hr
- there is enough light to look passing drivers in the eye
- the cars go in your direction
- a visible and easy to manage parking and climbing area.
- there's no other hitchhiker in sight - if you see someone there before you, don't show up and wait your turn.
Step 5. Introduce yourself well
Show that you know where you are going, and what you are doing. Maintain a neat, well-maintained appearance and keep a clear and clean sign; you smile.
- A male hitchhiker shared these observations:
- they are less likely to catch you on board if you wear too many jeans clothes.
- shorts for men are not seen well in many rural communities in the south and west of the United States.
- ultra short hair makes people think that you have escaped without permission from some institution (prison, army, asylum, boarding school), or that you have recently been released from one of these institutions.
- Wearing sunglasses is not a good idea because it makes contact between the eyes difficult.
- couples usually wait longer, due to space issues in passing vehicles, however, make it clear from the outset that you are in a relationship with the person you are traveling with, or the driver may try; be protective.
- rain does not increase the likelihood of them taking you aboard, especially if you are soaked. Snow, on the other hand, or a recent snowfall, tends to increase the chances of finding a passage. People don't mind finding a few snowflakes on the car upholstery, it cleans easily, before it melts, but rain on clothes tends to collect on the seats.
- Always be nice to people who stop to get you in their car, and remember to thank them for the ride.
- Many drivers are more likely to pick up a hitchhiker who is walking. Don't walk away from a good spot though! They are more likely to give you a ride to a good place where a car can stop than to an unsuitable place while you are walking.
- Using a suitcase or dirt bag instead of the classic backpack also automatically makes you miss most of the steps.
- For obvious reasons, the less baggage you have, the better. However, a backpack will clearly demonstrate your intentions and that you are traveling, while having nothing at all might seem a little suspicious.
- In most European countries, hitchhiking is allowed on minor and secondary roads, but it is illegal and unpleasant on motorways.
- In the UK and most of Europe, it works great. Befriend a truck driver and get him an old used tachograph record. Show it to passing truckers when you hitchhike, it will make you look like a fellow truck driver and therefore greatly increase the chances of them stopping to give you a lift. Since North America does not use tachographs, doing so would have no effect other than confusing drivers.
- Hitchhiking is anything but an exact science, but kids' cars and RVs (mysteriously enough) are tough customers. As a result, it is very difficult to find a ride in areas full of tourists or traveling vacationers.
- Single women without baggage, or with the baggage mentioned above, will generally give the idea of being on the run from something (a violent partner, the law, etc) and it will be very difficult for them to find passage.
- If it rains, an easy-to-remove poncho or umbrella will let picky drivers know you won't get their car wet. That said, if you have a lot of time, it is often best to wait for the storm to end.
- While this isn't always true, it's a little more dangerous for women to hitchhike alone. If you can, or if it makes you feel better, see if you can travel with someone else.
- A portable CB or ham radio can be your best friend.
- The hitchhiker's thumb is unknown in certain parts of Asia. In South Korea, you simply put your arm out with the palm facing down, then make the gesture of having someone come to you.
- Hitchhiking to cross the US takes about 4-6 days. From west to east it is faster than the other way around.
- Do not hitchhike in places where it is important for the driver to focus on the road, especially at pedestrian crossings or in areas where children play.
- Hitchhiking on the motorway can be dangerous. Use your judgment to decide if the entrance ramp is better than the main lane.
- Watch out for the police. While it's legal to do it where you are, they may ask you questions.
- Whenever you hitchhike, you take risks by getting into the car with strangers. Be cautious and careful, but beware that prudence and attention won't protect you if you go up with someone who has other intentions.
- Don't hitchhike at night unless it's in a well-lit place, and avoid hitchhiking on pay days in rural areas. You don't want a passing drunk to invest in you.
- Hitchhiking is illegal in some counties and countries, such as Australia.
- In some European countries, the hitchhiker's thumb can be taken as an insult.
- Do not hitchhike near a broken down vehicle; you don't need the police or the owner to come and ask you questions. Also, most motorists, as soon as they learn that the vehicle is not yours, will probably not give you a lift.
Step 6. Select the steps you take. You will arrive at your destination first in this way. It is better to travel 80km and be dropped off at a gas station or truck stop than to travel 150km and be dropped off in a bad place for hitchhiking. So use the map! If you have been on a busy road for more than two hours and no one stops, you are probably on the wrong road or on the wrong side of the road. If someone stops and you don't want to accept the ride, for whatever reason, tell them you want to wait for a longer ride or it will take you to a better place. Just because they stop doesn't mean you have to go up. Always follow your intuition.
