how much do you spend travelling by hitching?

[tinyrainbows]

im planning a trip this summer and wanna know what to expect. i intend to scrape some money together for when i go out hitching but i dont intend to spend a lot. ive seen a lot of people in threads on here saying you should bring a fair amount of money just in case for food and stuff, and also many people saying you can do it on $0. so im wondering what you guys think about this. i was mostly intending on stealing beans and shit from random grocery stores but that might not always be a viable option. what kinds of things do you usually need to spend money on?

 

[TheUndeadPhoenix]

Just fly a sign at off ramps or the exits of drive thrus that says hungry

Edit: panhandling is legally protected speech, the only laws they can enforce is shit like blocking traffic, so if they run you off (they have to warn first), just find a place with foot traffic

 

[croc]

I personally try to not be flat broke, especially bc I have a dogter to worry about. Makes u feel like shit when u have no money, there's no decent food in the trash, and ppl are standoffish bc they're sick of the homeless in the area and u gotta eat mayo packets from the gas station for dinner.

If u can bring a couple hundred as back up for when u can't steal, no good trash food, and strangers won't give u the time of day it'll make ur life a lot less miserable.

U should have the option to not spend money plenty of the time if ur willing to search for food n steal tho. Plus if ur sitting outside w a pack ppl will sometimes just give u money without u asking. Hopefully that can go toward new socks, fuel or other supplies, the inevitable "I'm so sick of standing on this on ramp for 3 days fuck this I'm taking a bus" etc.

A good idea is to bring pins/buttons/small drawings or other lightweight craft to sell when ur sitting outside "for a donation" or when ppl ask what u do for money (u will get this question from almost every car that picks u up). When I ask for a donation when asked how much something is ppl often give more than I wouldve charged for a button or whatever anyway.

TLDR: bring money if u can but it should be pretty easy to not spend much if u are serious about that n not lazy. Ppl will give u money for existing outside. Consider some kind of hustle.

 

[mellowedout]

A hundred dollars could last me weeks if I want.

I could also get the same amount or more (or less, but it's honestly rare) in food items or just straight up donated cash by flying a sign that says I will work for food.

 

[tinyrainbows]

I personally try to not be flat broke, especially bc I have a dogter to worry about. Makes u feel like shit when u have no money, there's no decent food in the trash, and ppl are standoffish bc they're sick of the homeless in the area and u gotta eat mayo packets from the gas station for dinner.

If u can bring a couple hundred as back up for when u can't steal, no good trash food, and strangers won't give u the time of day it'll make ur life a lot less miserable.

U should have the option to not spend money plenty of the time if ur willing to search for food n steal tho. Plus if ur sitting outside w a pack ppl will sometimes just give u money without u asking. Hopefully that can go toward new socks, fuel or other supplies, the inevitable "I'm so sick of standing on this on ramp for 3 days fuck this I'm taking a bus" etc.

A good idea is to bring pins/buttons/small drawings or other lightweight craft to sell when ur sitting outside "for a donation" or when ppl ask what u do for money (u will get this question from almost every car that picks u up). When I ask for a donation when asked how much something is ppl often give more than I wouldve charged for a button or whatever anyway.

TLDR: bring money if u can but it should be pretty easy to not spend much if u are serious about that n not lazy. Ppl will give u money for existing outside. Consider some kind of hustle.

omg i never thought of selling stuff on the road but thats such a good idea! thank you for tha tipz!

 

[AnywhereMan]

Im a smoker and beer drinker. $30 a day has me comfortable, but if ya dumpster dove and offered to sweep up fast food parking lots (they hardly actually make ya do it) it could be free.

 

[leaves]

flying is a good way to make money, but takes more time. most people ignore you but sometimes you'll get a decent kickdown of a big bill or food.
crack spanging is the most time effective in my experience. nobody gets a pass. you're more likely to meet with nasty reactions from people, but the few who do give are worth it.
if you have a skill like playing an instrument, or anything to sell to people like patches, you'll be much more noticed. i sold random pages of my sketchbook to people walking by in Miami and made enough to have a decent time.

 

[AnywhereMan]

flying is a good way to make money, but takes more time. most people ignore you but sometimes you'll get a decent kickdown of a big bill or food.
crack spanging is the most time effective in my experience. nobody gets a pass. you're more likely to meet with nasty reactions from people, but the few who do give are worth it.
if you have a skill like playing an instrument, or anything to sell to people like patches, you'll be much more noticed. i sold random pages of my sketchbook to people walking by in Miami and made enough to have a decent time.

Ive been busking a month, and theres definitely a huge difference in income and hospitality. I only get run off 90% of the time instead of 95% 😂

 

[Scrubydon]

$20 a day is where I can be happy. Smokes, a few beers, a box of Mac N cheese to cook for dinner and still got change for a yogurt the next morning. I try not to be broke through. Having nothing in your pockets sucks.

 

[sevedemanos]

as it happens only hitching ive ever done was when i was flat broke or close to it and stranded somewhere away from the rails. so not a whole lot. in general i spend a lot more on beer than food in a typical week.

a fourty of 211, 5 dollars
a sandwhich and some chips for after i drain the thing, 8 and some change in foodstamps

more to the point though theres usually a foodbank nearby, and flying a sign for a few hours at the offramps can be an ok plan c for when local cvs / dominoes / grocers have their food dumps all locked up like absolute savages.

im not a people person though and hate begging, so rarely travel without a wad of savings these days. getting old and lazy ig

 

[mellowedout]

Wanted to add to the instrument thing and flying a sign :

I only ever flew a sign WITH a ukelele. I would set the sign up and jam my little heart out.

I 100% believe that a smile and a skill will set you so far apart from the average guy or gal holding a sign, as well as not looking like a fucking crackhead.

You don't have to know how to play, also; sometimes, when I was creatively sapped but needed to keep flying, I would just bar 3rd fret to 5th fret back and forth (so ez, you literally just hold down all the strings, or if lazy just the bottom string) and strum rhythmically.

Also, you can normally make enough money to buy a cheap ukelele from flying the sign. It's a pretty simple way to really stand out a bit with absolutely no skill at all. Just strum the damn thing, they're in a car anyways, they barely ever hear you.

 

[MxEx]

most people give you money or food if hitching sometimes even a hotel room. but the hell rides and long walks are real. mostl just be nice and rarely ask for anything

 

[Jimmy Beans]

There was a guy on here that rode freight from his hometown to another terminal about a hundred miles away and then returned back home the same day or next day at most and I think it costed him like 700 dollars lol. There was an Amtrak ticket involved and I think a car rental too? I did the math on that trip once to try and figure out how much it would cost him to travel across the entire country at that rate and it was like tens of thousands of dollars. I think a lot of people here could make that entire trip on zero dollars. Everyone travels differently.

 

[ElNayshon]

Cash grass or ass

 

[Coywolf]

100% believe that a smile and a skill will set you so far apart from the average guy or gal holding a sign, as well as not looking like a fucking crackhead.

You don't have to know how to play, also; sometimes, when I was creatively sapped but needed to keep flying, I would just bar 3rd fret to 5th fret back and forth (so ez, you literally just hold down all the strings, or if lazy just the bottom string) and strum rhythmically.

I'll second this notion. Having a skill of any kind, a hustle, or things to sell will get you everything you need, and anywhere you want to go.

When i first set out hitching for the first time, I got a part time job to buy a Martin Backpacker guitar, without knowing anything about playing. I spent all those long hours on off-ramps, and miles (and miles....and miles...) of walking learning to play the thing. It made me all the cash I needed, and then some. People offered to buy my guitar, because of how unique the look of that thing is.

I never needed to fly a sign until things got real rough in Eureka, CA in pouring rain for days on end. Ill never forget the amount of shame and embarrassment I felt at that Taco Bell drive-thru line....but im over it now. You eventually figure out that there is not shame in flying a sign or spanging or dumpstering if you are in need. I am kinda ashamed of myself for ever thinking it was ever 'bad' to do that in the first place.

I'm now a confident busker, and usually always carry an instrument on me when traveling, even if I have a ton of cash to make the trip. If nothing else, its something to do when waiting on trains.

TLDR: find a skill, play an instrument, or sell stuff to make money. I would recommend at least $10/20 a day depending on if you like to drink/smoke/ect regularly. Dont ever run out of money completely....because you know the universe will make that the day you are out of food and water in a shitty conservative small town with no way out.

 

[Beegod Santana]

If you're not making $ hitchhiking your doing it wrong.

 

[daveycrockett]

I usually hitch because I have no cash or other option but to.

 

[daveycrockett]

Just fly a sign at off ramps or the exits of drive thrus that says hungry

Edit: panhandling is legally protected speech, the only laws they can enforce is shit like blocking traffic, so if they run you off (they have to warn first), just find a place with foot. I am able.

 

[TheTexasRoadrunner]

I mean , really Google map is your best friend . What I mean by that is , for example, I plan my days and destinations by stores available, creeks and bridges we can sleep under and places to dumpster dive.

Every highway and railway I walk has a couple of creeks and rivers between towns I can easily access to let my pups get water. Both pups know how to hunt for them selves so I don't normally worry about dog food that much and a lot of the smaller town dollar generals alaays throw good sruff out.

So really money isn't a bother for me .

 

[laughingman]

Hey op. I try to shoot for a 10 dollar a day budget for longer trips. I also don't smoke or drink so that helps. If things are a bit more open ended though my favorite method when available is to have capital M money, Then pretend that I don't. Forgetting your money is a good way to spend as little as possible. Its nice to come home from a long trip with cash on hand to smooth things out and make finding a job or a hang or a grift. Its also nice to be able to spend that money when you desperately need it.