Hitchhiking tips: 5 years of experience in 55 countries
Do you want to travel by hitchhiking? Do you REALLY want to? So read this post until the end! Trust me, just going to the road and lifting up your thumb will not help you! After that, you will only be one of those people who say that hitchhiking does not work. Bullshit! Hitchhiking works and it is a great way of discovering a country!
Hitchhiking is a wonderful way of visiting a country! You meet a lot of locals and they tell you about their country. Passing through different regions, you get to know different perspectives of a same country. You will meet some truly wonderful people, always willing to help, to take care of you and make sure you are safe and feeling welcome! People often invite me for a meal, for a coffee, give me chocolates and other snacks, or even invite me to stay overnight in their home! It happened many times to me! Plus, it is definitely the cheapest way to go around. It gives you almost unlimited travel coverage for FREE!
People often ask me if I am not afraid of travelling by hitchhiking. My answer? No! Based on my experience, and not in the news, I cannot be afraid. Based on my experience of hitchhiking in so many countries, entering most likely more than a thousand cars, and only meeting wonderful and friendly people, how can I possibly be afraid? How could anyone be?
Before starting my travel, I read a lot about hitchhiking. I have never done it before, so I wanted to be a pro. I think that nowadays I can say I know one thing or two about hitchhiking, all based on my own experience. So here it goes some tips and suggestions…
Positive thinking is the key! You have to believe that you will be picked up and that only good people will stop for you. I believe in the law of attraction, so if you believe deep in your heart that only good people will stop, so it will happen. I know it sounds tacky, but honestly, I do believe that that is the reason why I have been so successful on hitchhiking, in all the countries I have been, even in those where other travellers were unsuccessful.
Hold a sign! Uncountable times the drivers tell me that because I had a sign they stopped. It seams it is much easier for them to decide if they stop or not if they actually know where you are going. I have heard from some hitchhiker once that, if they want to stop, they will, no matter what. It is true. BUT why not to make it easier for them to stop? After all, you are asking for a favor. Why not to increase your chances of being picked up? Some people say you should only write down the next big city, if you are looking for a long lift. I try to save my markers so, most of the times, I write my final destination. I believe people are capable of understanding they can give you a shorter lift.
Don’t be afraid of waiting. It can take only 5 minutes but also up to 5 hours. Hitchhiking is not a exact science. Of course it helps if you, like me, have your tent with you so in case you get stuck, you can just camp around overnight and start again next morning. Honestly, the only time I had to do that was when I started hitchhiking already late in the afternoon, so there wasn’t much time for me to be picked up while there was still daylight.
Trust in your instincts, let your heart guide you! Your feelings towards the people who stop are very important. How do you feel when you look in the eyes of the person who stopped? What is your immediate reaction to it? If for any reason you don’t feel comfortable, just say a simple “no, thank you!”. Don’t worry! Most likely, you will never see that person again in your life! In these 5 years hitchhiking, I guess I only denied a lift 3 or 4 times.
Don’t let stereotypes to influence you! Countless times I got in a car with 3 men. Sometimes 4! Sometimes they were huge guys, like American football players, with tattoos and a what some people would cal “a style”. And guess what? They were the sweetest guys ever, always very kind and taking care of me as I was there little sister. As I said before: it all has to do with how do you feel, what your heart tells you, and not how people look like or dress like. And it is always funny to quote what one guy told me once in a lift (they were three guys in a RAM): “There are very little chances of two serial killers being in the same car”. Or three!
Your attitude and your posture tell what you want! I have met lots of respectful men on my way. But some men are to think that a woman standing alone on the road, want something “more”. So let it always clear that you only want to go from point A to point B. You can be nice and friendly without give them the wrong impression. Dressing appropriately is also important. The chances of men to think that you want some “fun” just because you are showing lots of skin, are high. I have hitchhiked with shorts, of course, but not a high-waist destroyed jeans ones, showing more than actually covering.
If a man ask you something inappropriate, don’t panic! We are no kids here, right? We know that lots of men only think in one thing. Even though the majority of men who picked me up were great people, there were some few occasions where I was asked for sex or some disgusting thing. What did I do? I was straight and short and said: No! I am not that kind of woman! But no need to be rude and yell or curse them! Just tell them they should respect you and that you are offended by the request. It is not that they are bad people per se, but some men don’t lose the chance of “just ask”. In 99% of the times when that happened to me, after my reaction, they felt extremely ashamed and begged for my forgiveness, saying that they didn’t want to offend me or anything.
In general, I don’t hitchhiking at night. There were a few exceptions though, but only one when I was actually standing by the road, and it was in Finland. If you necessarily need to arrive at some place and it is already dark, you can go for gas stations. They allow you to see the people in the cars, so you can choose with whom you will talk and ask for a lift. But it happened many times that, after getting to know the driver and knowing in my heart that he / she / they were good people, I could keep travelling with them through the night, sleep in the same car or just camp by over night.
Smile! Lots of people told me they stopped because I was smiling. Wouldn’t you feel more comfortable by stopping your car to someone who has a friendly smile than someone who look serious and grumpy? Your smile tell people they can trust you, that you are a friendly and lovely human being! So smile! =)
I hope these suggestions and tips help you out in your future journey as a hitchhiker!
If you have any questions, please write them down in the comments. I will be glad to answer them!
