Hitching boats & planes

[The Wanderer]

Has anybody ever hitched commuter planes or cargo boats?
How do you do it?

 

[kokomojoe]

If there was ever even a possibility of hitching on a commuter plane it was before 9/11. Boats would be interesting but it'd practically be impossible considering most cargo boats can be out at sea for a month or more.

 

[Noble Savage]

I got a ride once from jefferson airplane on a starship tour around the big blue marble in the middle of the night when even the devil felt alright and was groovin' to the blues on a moody night in june when even the cicadas were in tune

 

[Earth]

ok, forget about hitching - but stateside - you can inquire if there are any flights which are "deadheading" - which I think is the slang for simply traveling from point a to b with a minimal crew and that's it.
Sometimes they will sell you a ticket dirt cheap just to make a little something, but keep in mind no services will be provided, then again - if your hitching - you dont care about any services/

Boats??
If you're willing to work, you can probably work your way from point a to b, as free help is never a bad thing.
Someone mentioned 9/11, yeah everything changed after that, unfortunately for the worse...
Stowing away is probably a very very very bad idea, as these cats don't have a sense of humor anymore.

On a different note, there was an older couple who were traveling all over Europe - using either public transportation - or an AIRE Sea Tiger II, which they carried in a large soft case.
http://www.aire.com/aire/products/default.aspx?id=229

I know, it's expensive, but trust me - well worth it...

However, for those looking to do the public transportation / flying thing + kayaking, the Pakboats XT-16 definately fits the bill, just takes forever to put together.
Trust me, as I've got one of those too
http://www.pakboats.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=99&Itemid=148

Good luck in your travels............

 

[fox eating an ear of corn]

I've tried to do a little hitching of private planes, and have never really succeeded though I think I could if I kept at it. As far as I can tell though, it seems like it'd be more useful for fun seat-of-the-pantsing it than for actually getting where I want to go. The trick might be something like how you can hitch at a truck stop: hang around the fuel line and chat with people. Travel light and solo. If you manage to snag a ride on a teeny tiny plane, like a Cesna 150, you could actually split gas for around the cost of a Greyhound ticket (for anything larger, fuel costs rise so rapidly you could just as easily walk up to a commercial ticket counter and buy a seat on the next flight out). Lots of cities have regular flight clubs, i.e. a bunch of old guys who fly from Tucson to Flagstaff every Sunday morning for breakfast. There's also a little bit of info on Hitchwiki, some of which was written by me.

 

[trainfinder222]

New Yorks State Erie Barge Canal....Boats tend to start in the Morning around the locks and most of the system has a biking and hiking path next to it...best to chat up boaters around locks in the morning see website

 

[turnip]

not quite the same but i have hitched a ride from the seattle side of the puget sound to the kitsap peninsula. some people on their private motor boat gave me a ride; all i did was hang out at the marina with my stuff - i didn't even have to approach anyone, i had people talk to me.

if any of you live in western washington and want to get between mainland/peninsulas/islands on the cheap and bypass the ferries and their hella expensive fees i'd say try catching a ride with some folks out on their boats. probably just a summertime thing.

 

[trainfinder222]

plane hopped exactly once.....small country airports have lounges that small plane ethustes use to shoot the shit and if you are a airfan will talk your ear off....you have to have ID and willing to chip in for gas and sing a waiver. 30-45 min radius is a good distance---I hopped from Selkirk (Albany) air port which is next to the CSX yard to Rutland VT and saved about 2 days of travel time had I hitchhiked or taken the bus