Do you really like to hitchhike?

[mittens]

I enjoy hitchin'. I usually don't have to wait for more than an hour. It probably has something to do with the fact that Im in canada, but In four years i've only had one ride that could even be remotely considered sketchy. I told the driver to drop me off at a gas station near the edge of town. Something was off with buddy's eyes. It didn't seem like he was on anything. He was just off. After he passed the gas station, I told him that he'd missed my stop and that he'd better stop the f-cking car. He did, and then went on his merry f-ckin' way.

I've had so many interesting rides. I've been picked up by soccer moms, truckers, a dispatcher for the CPR, a prison guard, a van full of Mexicans, hippies, a prospecting member of the HA, a guy with a broken neck, a SF vet whom fought in Vietnam (thats odd for Canada), Business owners. One time I was hitching out of a town called Moose Jaw. As i walked across the ditch from the service rd to the hwy, four cars in a sheep train passed, and the last one stopped. She was hot chick in a mustang. That was my fastest pickup ever.

The people that stop are usually pretty interesting. I've loved some of the conversations that I've had. The ones that don't suck. Ive almost been hit. I've had stuff thrown at me. Once I even had an 80 year old woman that had trouble seeing over the steering wheel, flip me the bird. Can you imagine being stuck in a car with those people for hrs. That would suck even more.

I love hitching because its interesting.

 

[Charlie]

Yes, I really like to hitchhike. It forces me to stay optimistic, calm, creative, and most of all to have fun.

I just discovered that a walking stick makes an excellent prop. Not only does a walking stick make a great prop, but it also gives me something to do when walking down a road with few cars. I'll start counting my steps like a beat (1, 2, 3, 4) and walk the stick on every 1st beat, add a hop into my beat, and I start adding silly things like foot drags and knee slaps, into my beat until I'm practically dancing (I haven't tried doing this with my thumb out while cars are passing, yet), I throw extra counts into my beat and do short sprints for that (1&2&3&4&1 2 3 4), and revert back to walking for regular count. I start twirling my stick and beating up the guard rail, throwing it like it's a spear, run up to it and pick it up. I also use it in ways that assist my hitching, I'll stand at one of those big green signs that show a few cities and how far they are away and I'll point at the next (or which ever one I can reach) city and put my thumb out. Surprisingly, a walking stick was responsible for 2 rides I got on my last trip that was 240 miles.
As for hitching on a freeway entrance, I gave up at this. The first time I tried this, I stood there for a few hours and the sun was almost down. People kept pointing at something and I kept thinking "What are they pointing at? they must be stupid.". Well turns out they were pointing at a gas station next to a restaurant. Eventually, I thought, I'm going to take a break and smoke a cigarette in the grass by that gas station. While I was there, I saw a dodge ram with a trailer that said 4x4 racing, I LOVE 4x4s and racing! So I decided to make some casual conversation with the driver. Turns out the driver was a Mexican (yes, from mexico), and when I approached him, he seemed surprised and confused, I said "excuse me, I couldn't help but to notice your trailer says 4x4 racing, are you driving to Moses Lake by chance?", he replied "Que?". HA!! Then I asked "Moses Lake?" while showing him my cardboard sign. He replied "Nooo". I was perseverant so I asked "Spokane?". He replied "Ci", I asked "Can I ride with you?". He thought about it and then replied "Sure, hop in.". HAHA! So I got a ride from the first person I asked, he even said that he was driving all the way to New York (from Washington) and I could ride with, I declined his offer as I wanted to see as many sites and meet as many people along the way and had another route in mind. A few months later, I realized that this was the perfect technique for hitching on freeways and I perfected it. Now if I'm stuck in a city, I'll walk to the other side (in the direction I'm hitching), and ask for rides at the gas station nearest the freeway entrance that I would hitch onto. A lot of freeway entrances are illegal to hitch on in some places, this method is a bypass to that and only takes a few minutes versus a few hours.

Highway hitchhiking is the best, I get to walk (or bicycle or skateboard) and take in the scenery and when night comes around, it's usually easiest to find a place to camp out.

i normally hate hitching. but sometimes you get a ride with a hot girl and maybe you get laid, or you get $20, or someone buys you dinner.
when you're waiting for a train, a box car with 3 good looking women doesn't pull over for you with comfortable leather seats and AC. (i guess most of the time that doesn't happen hitching either but your odds are much better)

Haha, so a few days ago I was hitching into town, and a VW Jetta pulled over to pick me up after about a half hour. It was 3 good looking college gals, I got in the car and it was comfortable leather seats and AC. They were quite friendly and made great conversation. They took a picture of themselves with their first hitchhiker at my destination and we parted ways.

 

[Ri Raw]

I kinda love hitching. The first half hour standing there sucks but then you get comfortable and its just a waiting game. I usually get picked up pretty quickly and almost always get picked up eventually. I have had to give up or wait more then 2 hours maybe like 10% of the time. not too bad. Alot of that has to do with being a 20 year old white girl. I am currently a part of the most successful hitching demographic. I meet random people who I can basically say anything to because I will never see them again, and I have had people say some really weird and personal shit to me which is fun. I sometimes just invent a personality when I can tell that this person and me wont actually get along, like if they are super religious which alot of times they are in the south where I have the most experience. I always lie about why im hitching because really its just for fun and to get somewhere I want to go but dont necessarily have to be and people dont like letting strangers in their car for those reasons. I like meeting random people and the really unique social situation that is driver and hitcher. You are both trying to make sure the other is not trying to kill you, while getting to know them, while being in eachothers personal space, while navigating the road. And all the while there is this kinda back of the head narrative where this specific interaction is going to somehow prove or disprove that humans are good and nice and things might just turn out okay. Talking to the cops or getting beeped at or refusing rides from creepy people sucks though. But even worse is accidently taking a ride with a weirdo which happens eventually no matter what. But the stories are good and every time you learn stuff that will help you out of your next fucked up situation. But all the romantics aside I LOVE HITCHING CAUSE ITS FREE!

 

[Ash Ludd]

I enjoy it when you've got someone with you and doing it every once in a while. I just got back from hitching round Europe for like 3 weeks a couple weeks ago. Because we only had 3 weeks and wanted to see as much of Europe as we could we were hitching pretty much every day and it got really tiring and boring. I think like anything it kinda sucks when you sorta "have" to do it. But I think it would have been a lot more enjoyable if we'd set off with an indefinite amount of time and been able to stay places for a while. Before that trip we hitch-hiked from Andover (this is in the UK) to Sidmouth for the Folk Week which is a nice short distance and we stayed in Sidmouth for a few days playing folk sessions and doing ceilidh dances and then hitched back home. That was a really enjoyable week.
So yeah, I think it depends when you do it, who you're doing it with and whether you "have" to do it.

 

[Roosterruler]

I thoroughly enjoy hitchhiking (and wouldn't do it if I didn't) as a solo female traveller.

It's always been a keen way to meet rad folks.

I'm not aiming for money or getting laid (that's the last thing I want, actually) - I crave connections. Since I travel alone, I thrive in the conversations I have in the moments I share with the strangers. Also, as mentioned above, getting around for free is rad!

My start with hitchhiking was pretty vanilla. I was living on an island in Canada that promoted the hitching culture so much that they had hitch-stops (signs with thumbs on them) around the island that you could just stand at and wait for someone to pick you up at. Folks had coloured tags in their cars that identified which part of the island they lived on so hitchhikers could more easily decide who to accept a ride from.

I've gotten some pretty sweet rides. There was the man that wanted to stop and buy me a cookie and then there was the woman in northern Scotland who ended up hosting me for a week with her family and they truly made me a part of the family, taking me out to the movies and a concert - complete with a departure gift (complete with a packed lunch and dinner) for when I had to leave. Can't wait to go back someday and see them again.

Sure, there's a handful of creepers out there, but I've never felt unsafe (which I know is the exception to a lot of folks' experiences and this isn't something I take for granted). Part of it might be that I seem to trigger everyone's darn maternal-instincts - even folks who didn't know they had 'em.

I was getting a ride to California and it was me and this grizzly sort of man in the back seat. After we dropped him off, the driver turned around and said, "You really don't know the affect you have on people, do you?" I asked her what she meant and she expanded to explain that I sort of just soften up everyone I meet - she described it as "melting" them. She said that the moment she picked me up, all of a sudden, grizzly man turned from grizzly to papa bear.

I dunno.

It has yet to let me down.

 

[HitchTube]

i love it because it's social
unlike taking buses or trains
even a rideshare through craiglist is usually unsocial
drivers who pick up hitchhikers can be very interesting

 

[falcon91]

It's not about the destination, but the travel. Sure sitting on an on ramp in shitty weather for days on end isn't ideal. The best thing about hitchhiking is the assholes pass right on by. I prefer to keep in constant motion, most people will leave you with a charitable donation. I don't fly a sign or panhandle much.

 

[Rob Nothing]

No. But have done enough hitching to feel alright about it when I have no other option. Have to admit I've met some cool chicks that way and even some dudes that I felt tight with before we split. And I don't even smoke. It's the magic of knowing you will never have to see one another again.

Regardless, I avoid it as much as possible.

 

[WanderLost Radical]

I swear theres a such thing as hitchhikers dellirium. After about an hour I start acting kinda loopy and generally crazy in a happy way. Probably akin to how they say some people who are on the verge of death happily accept their fate. I guess its my brain happily accepting my fate of living forever on the exit in trying to get a ride out of.

I get weirdly joyful too xD I think it's just about telling yourself: okay, this sucks, so lets make it not suck ahah

i read a body language book that said to not hitchhike in Greece because they take the thumbsup as a "fuck you"
random little bit of info for you guys

Depending on where you are in the world, hitchiking signs are different. For example, here in asia, instead of sticking out your thumb, you wag your hand up and down that kinda sucks though, cuz some people just think you're waving them hello xD

Back on topic:
I really enjoy hitching, for the only reasons that:
1. It's free
2. People that pick you up are either nice or weirdos. And if its weirdos, you just ask to get out and wait for someone nice, and then have a good time chatting with them. It really helps my cynism.

And like someone said, it's all about the journey, not the destination. And hitchiking happens to usually make fucking good stories

 

[Whereamiwhatdoido]

Hitchhiking has become quite a thing in my life. Several times when there's been a set destination to my trip it's been exciting and amusing.

The last time from Denmark to Southern France took 27 hours, starting at 22:30 a tuesday night. - Trips like that are a blast!

Last time, I went without a destination and it was pretty awful, not because I had no rides, just a complete lack of amusement where everything was kind of old.

It's tough though, because travelling alone is what's gotten me down lately.

As have been mentioned it's not the destination but the ride that matters. But having travelled(hitchhiked) through Europe more than 7-8 times back and forth, people start blurring together, the stereotypes that pick you up gets old, conversations are about reoccuring subject and emotions; therefore I've started thinking about hitchhiking down east, through Istanbul. There should be more excitement and new things to experience.

To the subject of the thread, I think hitchhiking is absolutely awesome, because it's free. And sleeping at reststops and gas stations doesn't get old, that's probably what I enjoy the most, waking up early mornings and hearing the trucks starting to thrub their diesel bellies, feeling refreshed and well rested and getting back on the road.

 

[iflewoverthecuckoosnest]

I am fairly new to hitching, but I really enjoy it so far.
For one thing, when I am traveling alone I can barely even leave a gas station before I get a ride. Hitching as a girl is easy as pie.
I love some of the folks I've met, too. Definitely make a lot more connections than I ever did rubbertramping.
I suppose that what I enjoy the most is the adventurous freedom. I never know where I will wind up that night, and I certainly don't have to worry about car insurance payments or repairs. All I really need is a few good meals a day, and that's never hard to find. I get what I need.

 

[sd40chef]

In a single, simple statement, yes, I hugely enjoy hitchhiking.
But, I mostly dart between Toronto and Vancouver, floating around the prairies of Canada where getting rides is 10x easier than trap like Ohio.
I could do without intolerant truckers, Medicine Hat, and Sault Ste. Marie though -- those are the things I dislike.

hahaha.... medicine hat and the soo.... you could perhaps add thunder bay, regina, kelowna or Moncton if we are talking about shitty places to get stuck in Canada.
north Americas still somehow the most interesting place to hitch for me though, asia or Australia hasn't had as much diversity in rides that ive got, still interesting nonetheless.