Favorite hitching sign

[wartomods]

and....

 

[Poe Boy]

. . .and. . .

I was a single, lonely heterosexual guy in my 20's. . .what do you think?

I WENT DOWN UNDER!!!!

 

[Poe Boy]

That sign got me picked up by a lot of, apparently, lonely women.
I don't know if it's because they figured I really was from another country, so there was no danger of getting caught cheating on their husbands, or if they just wanted some excitement.

 

[Ivy League]

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.

Dude I know how you feel, I live in Humboldt and I used to pick up hitchhikers when I still had a car, but yeah that first sign is always good to have. People always complaining "those damn smelly hippies" pfft, whatever man. But yeah I don't have a great sign idea as of yet, but when I was trying to go south of SF I just remember laughing at all the people mouthing the word south, and the assholes who laughed when they saw I had a peace sign up. Jerks....:club:

 

[Ivy League]

I hitched from Shawnee, O.K to Lebanon, T.N.
with a sign that said "To the Moon Batman!"
and surprisingly it worked!

I honestly love that and after reading all of these, my friend Maddie and I have decided to use your sign for going south and the "this could be your kid" on the way back up north, because people around the bay area are not so nice about giving rides to people, those damn city slickers.

 

[Ivy League]

"Down Under"
Let me paint the picture, so you understand. I hobo'd about with a med ALICE pack, Carhartt pants and shirt, a Tilley broad-brimmed hat, and a walking stick. People actually believed I was an Aussie on an "American walkabout". Helps that I can do a passable Australian accent.

I picked out a few cities to memorize on a map of Australia and I'd tell them a load of shit about "walkabouts int he outback, from here to there". People ate that shit up. Family people loved me telling there kids stories, "outdoorsy" guys liked to shoot the shit about their adventures, and I got picked up by a lot of lone women, some of whom actually wanted me to go "down under".

The one I won't forget went like this:
Her: "You aren't going to rape me, are you?"
Me: [Aussie accent] "Not unless you ask me to."
Her: "Get in."

I love Aussies.....too bad, but I know how that is the story telling and the accents and everything. I once pretended I was a french/german girl, because I have a habit mixing my accents so I had to say something about it, and people believed me. It's always nice to pretend for a little while.

 

[skunkpit]

flew a sign once " Human evolution was probably a horrible mistake.." then an arrow pointing to me

 

[Poe Boy]

I've been thinking about flying a "Yes, I was the fastest sperm" sign. Doubt I'd get many rides, though, LOL.

 

[Dirty Rig]

My favorite's always been "At least I'm not a hippie."

But that usually gets me more cash than rides.

 

[JonnyNothings]

My fav. is "We'd Pick You Up"

 

[RnJ]

I just fly the next substantially sized destination and dance on the highway. Not sure it has gained me rides, but I've seen a lot of chuckles on people's faces as they pass by. I can only hope they will see hitchers as more fun than threatening.

 

[gypsygirl]

within the first week i was hitching we flew my favorite sign ever: 'putting off procrastination'
we got tons of smiles and puzzled looks. along with our 'west and wandering on' sign and a very colorful 'california please!'(make time;3hrs at denny's with crayons while it rained, fly time; 2minutes!) we got from denver to sacremento in no time!

 

[RnJ]

I don't think I've ever got a ride flying a joke.

In Cleveland, they didn't like the "West to Chicago for Ninja Skool"
In Sault St. Marie, they ignored my "Anywhere But Here!" and "Out of This Hole!"

I agree that the drivers that really want to help, will pull over and ask you where to, if nothing else. Several times, I've gotten the right ride before I even finished writing up a sign. It's almost disappointing when you been trying to make something nice, and it suddenly gets wasted.

 

[RnJ]

Forgot to talk about the time we used "Detroit, to record an album."
It worked -- after about 2 hours...of course, we then explained to our driver and passenger that we weren't recording an album at all. They didn't seem phased.

ArrowInOre, you've got some great stories. I'm always a fan of 'em. I have a car, but I try not to burn gas the way that most do, so I'm not on the highways much -- I have to say, I feel I should be driving more just so I can help out a few hitchers. It kinda makes me want to aimlessly patrol the highways.

 

[genghis braun]

getting from boston back down to FL, I made a sign that said, "Florida anything helps!" and it worked pretty good.

 

[jojomnky]

i hate to hitchike but when there's no other option i bust out the big thumb. the bigger the better. i think it makes people more comfortable. you get tons of smiles. it hasn't let me down yet.

 

[logan714]

I tend to pick up hitchers, but there are things i have to be aware of too, for them and for my self. If there are two, one must be a girl and there has to be no packs or bags in my car, it all has to go in the trunk. Any dogs must sit in the front floor boards with the strongest of the two riders and they may not smoke in my car. The smokin thing is just common sense, the dog thing though. I usually have my kid with me. I would rather have the dog attack me in the front where i have control of the vehicle and the owner has better confinement of the dog. I will not allow any pets in the back seat, that is my kid safe place, ya know... HOWEVER>>> I also hated it when a driver with more than one empty seat would;d rather leave me out there in the rain than save my ass from a cold...The finger was hard to not flash occasionally. I got the finger the other day, and stopped, reversed and said look, "Been there done that, I have a kid in here, otherwise i would have, but now, I know your face and from here, you can walk...He apologized and waved as i pulled off. Curses under his breath were mostly likely what i would have heard, but I had to make my point to at least one raised middle finger...It gets more understandable from all angels once you have been in them all..ya know... Have a great New years, and may all of our signs be good...

ArrowInOre

I find your attitude about hitchhikers entirely strange. The only thing I can think of coming from a person who has been out on the road and has facial tattoos is that you've got poor karma, or you're paranoid. Oh, I'm a father. I'm 45 and have two kids. IN your road skills that you acquired on the road, you didn't learn how to read a persons vibe in like 5 seconds. I stop and pick up people whenever I can even if I have the kids with me and so does my wife.

If I see somebody hitchin I immediately go to my inner sences and say "hey, what do I feel?" If I feel great, I stop and immediately give them a ride. If I don't know, I'll stop and talk to them for a second. And sometimes when I have money and I'm not going anywhere I'll pull over and slip them five bucks.

I just think of how many times I've been on the road and some nice person has made my day, week or month by showing a little kindness. And you know what all these people that showed me a little kindness just asked me to pass it on. And I do keep doing it. I don't care if they're a chick, a dude, whatever. The only people I don't stop for is people with pitbulls because I don't like pittbulls. Their idiot dogs. But that's not because I'm paranoid of the person, it's the dog I don't trust. And also, the 110 lb little girl with a 120 lb pittbull, there's no way she can control it.

Logan

 

[SpaceCadet]

In response, I've hitched a lot and have had a lot of women pick me up. Although I am gracious that they did, I always think "What if I was a creep and she just picked me up. She'd be fucked". I pick up hitch hikers, regardless, unless they have a dog. But to say that I would want my old lady with my daughter pick up a hitch hiker, you, my friend, are fucking nuts.

If I pick up a hitch hiker and the person decides to rob me, or whatever, I can handle my own. My old lady, as tough as she is, is still only 5 feet tall weighing in just under 110 pounds. She wouldn't be able to fend off a 6 foot tall male. And then put my daughter in the car? Fuck that, that's not paranoia, that's using your fucking brain. I would never put my daughter in danger and if you are picking up hitch hikers with your kids in the car, I wish them luck.

 

[Avon Drunquist]

I've never used any sign other than my destination

 

[logan714]

In response, I've hitched a lot and have had a lot of women pick me up. Although I am gracious that they did, I always think "What if I was a creep and she just picked me up. She'd be fucked". I pick up hitch hikers, regardless, unless they have a dog. But to say that I would want my old lady with my daughter pick up a hitch hiker, you, my friend, are fucking nuts.

If I pick up a hitch hiker and the person decides to rob me, or whatever, I can handle my own. My old lady, as tough as she is, is still only 5 feet tall weighing in just under 110 pounds. She wouldn't be able to fend off a 6 foot tall male. And then put my daughter in the car? Fuck that, that's not paranoia, that's using your fucking brain. I would never put my daughter in danger and if you are picking up hitch hikers with your kids in the car, I wish them luck.

my wife is 5'8 160 lb and x us army and can handle her self

as for the rest of it as i said its the vibe. But i have been on foot all through C.A. and south central LA and never hade a probalm + have been in this life(ie on the road) since '77 where I have been and who I know is enough to stop shit most of the time and my friends know my old lady then there is the old PPK/S

l