# Hitchhiking as a minor



## BluExplorer

I'm currently 17 and planning on taking a hitchhiking trip down south to Florida for spring break. I was just wondering about dealing with cops as a minor. Would I get into shit for traveling at 17? How should I deal with cops if I get stopped? This would be my first time hitchhiking by the way.


----------



## daveycrockett

ny to fla many times where are you leaving from where are you going 1st time iwas younger thanyou about 7 8 timesback and forth


----------



## BluExplorer

Haha I'm actually going NY to Florida. Leaving from NYC


----------



## daveycrockett

go to chat if..or message me if you go iknow that route


----------



## Matt Derrick

are your parents cool with you traveling? i traveled with a friend that was 17 once and we didn't have any issues, since he would give the cops his parent's number if they gave us any hassle. his parents would just tell the cops it was cool and that he can take care of himself.


----------



## Alaska

Matt Derrick said:


> are your parents cool with you traveling? i traveled with a friend that was 17 once and we didn't have any issues, since he would give the cops his parent's number if they gave us any hassle. his parents would just tell the cops it was cool and that he can take care of himself.



That's pretty much how it worked when I first started traveling. They didn't really care as long you said you moved out or whatever.


----------



## Alaska

Also, at first, I read the topic as if you were studying hitch-hiking in school or something.


----------



## K L

ya that's how it works. i been travelling for a few years and i'm still a minor. a few times i told them i was 19 and they bought it, sometimes they don't believe an underage person doesn't have an id. in that case, i fess up, tell them i'm underage, and they usually call my parents, who are gettin tired of calls from the cops. soemtimes the cops give me shit for my parent's attitude, but they always let me keep goin.


----------



## GetOutOf717

Unless your parents are cool with you leaving home and going to Florida, you face the risk of getting into a messy situation with a pig. I left home for the first time when I was 15. My parents would report me as a missing person to the cops. You just need to be careful. Avoid cops whenever possible. Giving a fake name worked a couple times for me. One time they just told me to just go home, and that he had better things to worry about.

If you get caught it isn't much of a deal. At least in my state they sent me home and told me to stay in school and not run away again. (Multiple times. 6,7? lol )

If you're on probation it's a totally different story. You CAN NOT get caught. I learned the hard way. After getting woken up from a sound sleep one morning by Mr. Law Enforcement I was promptly hancuff'd and shipped off to Juvie. After staying there for a little while I had to be transferred to another Juvenile Detention in Delaware before I could go back home. (I was arrested at the beach in Delaware, so I was given probation in both there and in Pennsylvania, where my parents lived.)

Don't get into trouble and make sure you know what you're doing before you take off. Since you're going to be hitch hiking know the risks involved. Make sure you at least try to talk to your parents about what you're going to be doing.


----------



## GetOutOf717

Also. 

If you're reported as a runaway by you're parents, and you are discovered as a runaway by the cops and you're with an adult, your "ride" or whoever you are with can be charged with harboring a runaway. Even if they don't know you're a minor. 

Some people take this risk very seriously and if you're obviously underage or if someone finds out you're a minor sometimes this can hurt you. (snitches! happened to me once..)


----------



## BluExplorer

My parents know that ill be traveling, they dont know I'll be hitchhiking tho. So I really would rather not have my parents contacted.


----------



## EphemeralStick

Don't be that guy who gets everyone he's with in trouble because he didn't tell his parents the whole story. Better to just man up and tell them truth then to lie and face a shit storm later. Best advice I ever got was that you should always tie up as many loose ends as possible before you leave lest they come back to fuck you over.


----------



## GetOutOf717

NeoMaxxAKI said:


> Don't be that guy who gets everyone he's with in trouble because he didn't tell his parents the whole story. Better to just man up and tell them truth then to lie and face a shit storm later. Best advice I ever got was that you should always tie up as many loose ends as possible before you leave lest they come back to fuck you over.


 
Exactly. Try to maintain a relationship with your parents even if you don't get along with them. You'll regret it later when you're down on your luck and have nowhere to go


----------



## EphemeralStick

GetOutOf717 said:


> Exactly. Try to maintain a relationship with your parents even if you don't get along with them. You'll regret it later when you're down on your luck and have nowhere to go


Not necessarily what I was going for in that post.
Either way, tell them the truth. It's just easier.


----------



## wokofshame

I hitched cross country at your age, no problems. For there to be a problem I think you'd have to be flagged as a missing person when they call in your name. I got asked if i was a runaway plenty of times but it never went beyond that.
It was WAAAY easier to get rides before I could grow a beard. Esp with truckers. Carry some pepper spray in a quick-draw holster. No weapon is useful if you can't draw it quickly.


----------



## Deka

Im 16, without much money. Im planning to hitchhike from Redding CA to the 2013 rainbow gathering in Montana, though ive never hitchhiked before. No beard, though im about 6' tall. Any information or tips would be appreciated. Specifically I was wondering legally if I would have any trouble. I would be traveling during the summer months, and I plan to tell my parents (though they might respond negatively).
Im planning on taking the fallowing route, because the roads will be more crowded, most likely making it easier to catch a ride. https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&...1nH1&ei=eaXTUNmkHYayigKyuYAQ&ved=0CIUBEPgPMAo

I was going to wear some hippy-ish clothes but im open to suggestions.


----------



## Deleted member 20

Please start asking your parents now about your trip. What scares me is that you have zero traveling experience and you are thinking about what costume your gonna wear & naively thinking your height will somehow protect you in this world. Perhaps you should read everything thats available on this website & try to get a clue about something; anything! Networking with other locals close to you will prob be your best bet, maybe a rideshare from craigslist or saving up for a bus ticket or combination of these & maybe hitching. Your thumb & the road will always be there. No sense not spending all your time trying to line up something better in advance while educating yourself.


----------



## daveycrockett

go for it , youll probably get a ride pretty easy when you get closer to the gathering,,just remember to smile!(at the cars going by) ive hitched a decent amount of time if you want to ask anything in particular, doesnt matter what you wear really, its all about chance and who connects with you in that moment so be yourself.


----------



## Matt Derrick

Deka said:


> Im 16, without much money. Im planning to hitchhike from Redding CA to the 2013 rainbow gathering in Montana, though ive never hitchhiked before. No beard, though im about 6' tall. Any information or tips would be appreciated. Specifically I was wondering legally if I would have any trouble. I would be traveling during the summer months, and I plan to tell my parents (though they might respond negatively).
> Im planning on taking the fallowing route, because the roads will be more crowded, most likely making it easier to catch a ride. https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&client=firefox-a&ie=UTF-8&gl=us&daddr=Montana&saddr=Redding, CA&panel=1&f=d&fb=1&dirflg=d&geocode=KS8gSjvWkdJUMVcPNnvsWDMf;KdOKey2cK0FTMRhsKs9Y1nH1&ei=eaXTUNmkHYayigKyuYAQ&ved=0CIUBEPgPMAo
> 
> I was going to wear some hippy-ish clothes but im open to suggestions.


 
i second highwayman's suggestion of finding a craigslist ride to the gathering, your odds of finding one are pretty darn high, and you might even find a free one. you could hitch on your way back after meeting some folks at the gathering. if you do hitch out there, it's likely you'll get your name run by the cops. if you do, be cool, just be like "yes sir, no sir" and polite, and most likely they'll let you go on your way. it's important to remember and act like you're not doing anything wrong, and just tell the cops your parents are okay with what you're doing.


----------



## Matt Derrick

oh, and upload a profile picture... dammit.


----------



## daveycrockett

yeah they are probably right, if youre 16 i shouldnt be giving you advice, i remember hitching when i was that young cross country but the laws were different then,the laws werent different people were just cooler , i didnt have parents to tell either..i dont care what you do, just dont forget your drug rug or youll never get there


----------

