Favorite hitching sign

[Grace]

Eh, I'd have to be pretty desperate for a ride and/or interested in receiving something else if I wore a short skirt on the side of some road in Bumblefuck US of A. As a tactic for getting picked up, I'm sure it works. As a tactic for not becoming later raped, well, it all depends really.

 

[jamessheaj]

yea i have a friend nate whenever he goes to france every summer him and his cousin just hitch all over europe

 

[menu]

I always try to keep it simple. largest city or just the hwy and direction desired. although usually people prolly dont even read the sign. I assume they know what you're doing when you're standing on the on-ramp. ya know? made it from portland to SF real quick with I-5 to 101 sign. simplicity is great

 

[menu]

haha. that is a good one.

 

[desaparecido]

"i'd pick you up."

 

[veggieguy12]

Hitchin' with a girlfriend, she'd hold the destination sign a few feet in front of me, and I'd hold the sign "I Ain't Killed Her Yet!"
Got a lot of smiles and laughs (even from cops), but still people passed us up. People just generally do not want to pick me up.

 

[katiehabits]

i usually write where i'm going like "west". or the city i'm trying to get too. one time i was hitching from calgary to edmonton with two of my friends & their two dogs & we had a sign that said "will pay $10 EDMONTON PLEASE!" we where only there for like 2 hours & we got a ride who was more than happy to give us & our two dogs a ride.

 

[Raging Bird]

"Jesus Would Help Me Out" works the best of anything I have ever used.
But then again, I travel almost exclusively in the South.
Even if people won't pick you up, the sign stirs them to pull over and give me a few bucks.

 

[rebequah]

Hitchin out of Arcata we flew a sign saying "we dont stink" Little did the passing drivers know that i was wearing the clothes I was wearing when I had puked on myself a week and a half ago. Usually I like to fly " I'm going that way too...." then I mumble under my breathe curses at the passing cars with only a single rider.

 

[Beegod Santana]

"Christian in need" has gotten my ass out of a few bumfuck towns I'd never thought I'd escape in the mid-west and deep south. I always feel dirty when I do however and it always means that I'll have to bullshit about jesus for the whole ride, but damn does it work.

"I HAVE BEER!!" is my favorite sign of all time, it kinda locks into everyone's inner drunk, you'd just better have beer if you fly it. My friend used this sign to get from cresent city to SF one time when he had two PBR's on him. He got picked up by some dude who drank the beer, went and got a 30 rack, and then got my friend wasted all the way down to SF. He could barely walk when we met up with him.

 

[veggieguy12]

"Don't Be Paranoid"

 

[iamwhatiam]

i just hitched down the 101 too, from coos bay to san francisco. the two kids i was travelling with had a banjo and a washboard and every time we were waiting for a ride, they would just set up and play. we got rides so quickly, i felt bad that i was just holding the sign, but i think we looked like such bumpkins people assumed we were harmless =)

yea i have gotten many rides by just sittin down at the on ramp and pulling my guitar out and playing. also have had money, beer, and other stuff thrown at me by doin that.
yes "anywhere but here" or "the hell outta here" has worked where other signs have failed.

 

[Angela]

yea i have gotten many rides by just sittin down at the on ramp and pulling my guitar out and playing. also have had money, beer, and other stuff thrown at me by doin that.

Musical instruments do seem to work wonders. My fiddle has gotten me many rides even though I don't play it that great.

 

[Uncle Stinky]

Instruments ARE great-- they're just a little cumbersome, but at times can LOSE you a ride due to space requirements (guitars with cases...).

I reserve the finger for the SWERVERS. Chickenshit motherfuckers.

The solo riders think they have alot to lose and nothing to gain from picking you up. Their minds aren't focused on humanity.

Arrow, I've had people pick me up with their kids in the car. While I'm gratetful, I always wonder, "What the fuck are you thinkin'?"

 

[sharks77]

arrow, you're a badass

 

[Angela]

I have also had family folk pick me up, and even though i am a female, I have also wondered what they were thinkin'. We could be anyone , for sure...

I've also had lots of folks with kids pick me up and even put me in the back seat with their kids. Yes I'm a woman and I guess I remind them more of someone's daughter than a potential serial killer but still I wonder what in the hell their thinking. Even the last couple of years when I've been traveling with a dog that's a bit overly protective I've had folks with kids pull over for me, it seems like my dog is more selective about who he wants to get in a vehicle with than alot of these folks.

 

[Dameon]

I don't see the problem with people who have kids picking hitchikers up. Obviously, their judgement was good, because presumably you didn't kill them. More importantly, they're teaching their children by example (the best way) that it's good to help people out, which is good for the hitchikers of the future. We have more reasons to be scared of the people driving than they have to be scared of us, statistically speaking.

As for signs, I almost never use them. I just stick my thumb out. Surprisingly effective, except that this country is either filled with jackasses who think putting their thumb out as they drive by is clever, or morons who think I'm hanging out by the road giving everybody the thumbs up as they drive by. I'm on the fence about it.

 

[Geoff]

Just thought of a great one.."This Could Be Your Kid" -

i've seen similar signs for spanging. some girl in austin (i believe) was holding out a sign that said "what if i was your daughter". seemed to be successful.

 

[Labea]

I'm thinking I have a fat fuckin knife in my car and I am a petty intimidating gal, so they are always fare warned that I will kill or destroy whoever tries anything stupid. Plus, the kid carries mace and also knows how to do a close up direct eye ball shot. Riders need to be aware of driver's child. I have no probs driving and pushing someone out either. Had to do it once before. I had picked up a young guy and his girlfriend.( this was back in AK and the kid was not with me this time. But he thought that was he gonna touch me and i warned him, "Try that once more and you'll walk the hard way. And your gal there will get to ride up front from there on out." So he waited about 60 miles down the road till he thought we had a connection grabbed my leg and made some bullshit off hand crack about him and her and me..., and a sailing he went on a slow (40mph) turn off and push...He looked so incredibly shocked that I was not kidding. I asked the girl if she wanted out too, she said, "Speed up, dudes a freak, I'm only 13...and thanks". We drank the bottle he'd had stashed in his gear and she got a new pack out of the deal. (cuz i never let any one put their gear in my car, trunk always. ) But see, I traveled for so many years before I was a mom, if there is any one parent out there that can tell when things are not good, it's a paranoid single mom that has 20 years road trippin' under her belt...Not that I had to defend my choices....but i understand the concern too. I have also had family folk pick me up, and even though i am a female, I have also wondered what they were thinkin'. We could be anyone , for sure...

in alaska? thats disappointing... were they from around here or what?

 

[stove]

"Toyko" worked great for me, getting from London up to Scotland and all around (both on Motorways and a few A/B backroads). I had a few old thumbs come up and ask "where are you really headed?" along with plenty of smiles, pointing, and laughter. The sadness came with the fact that a few did (and seemed honestly concerned) point out that I was headed in the wrong direction. Oh well...I'm settled for a few months, but plan on flying that baby again soon. We'll see how Montana likes it...