Solo Female Hitching Den-SF

[MollieRoseV]

So, I'm 18, and tired of mundane 9-5 societal life, and am ready to embark on a journey of spiritual growth, and personal freedom. I'm headed from Denver to San Francisco solo.. I'm semi-new to this, but am excited for something new. Debating if I want a road dog or if I can do it alone.. Any advice is appreciated.. But you can't change my mind I'm clean off hard drugs finally (excluding psychedelics ofc) and am confident in my ability to refuse anything that will harm me or set me off track. I have a purpose and a goal and im finally ready to feel free.

 

[A New Name]

The hardest step of getting on the road of freedom has been taken. You need only walk it now. Bon voyage.

 

[MollieRoseV]

why san fran? what do you intend to do once you arrive?

meeting up with a friend, unless the plan changes..

 

[MollieRoseV]

i go there every chance i get.

That's cool !

 

[wonder]

i used to live in glendale,co loved going up in the mtns need to get back up that way after get plane to running right want to try some of the fly in spots

 

[Shwillam]

Stay safe, travel hard, expect hell, know the best is coming. Maybe find a road dog to show you the ropes. Youre perfectly able to do it on your own but itll be a lot easier to learn from someone thats already done this shit the hard way. Stay safe kid, welcome to StP, and welcome to freedom

 

[spectacular]

Just be your charming self, carry mace, follow your gut and don't try to stretch it out for too long... In other words, know when to let go.

Best to u.

 

[meatcomputer]

I have very little experience hitching but I gather you might be more in danger of falling into the toxic sillycon valley ideologies of san fran, in fact I'm certain that there are predatory tech bros who dress as road dogs in the hope of converting a "cool travler kid" into "dank social entrepenuer". You might end up a yacht owning techie if you're not careful.

 

[Bedheadred]

Go to haight Ashbury when you get to San Fran, a lot of kids hang out there and I'm sure you could find a road dog if you wanted

 

[iflewoverthecuckoosnest]

Stay safe, travel hard, expect hell, know the best is coming. Maybe find a road dog to show you the ropes. Youre perfectly able to do it on your own but itll be a lot easier to learn from someone thats already done this shit the hard way. Stay safe kid, welcome to StP, and welcome to freedom

Totally agreed. I've hitched coast to coast across the US. First half was with a very experienced roadie. Not only can it be a great bonding experience, it's also incredibly helpful to have that kind of leg up when ya start on your own. There's lots of little things someone can teach you that make a big difference.
Solo travel is great, too, so go for it by all means. Don't let anybody tell ya that ya can't travel independently because you're a girl (you will deal with a lot of folks reprimanding you for it). For me, the experience of being out there on my own, knowing that I can go anywhere and do anything I want, is one of the most freeing, powerful, enlivening, and lonely experiences ever. Don't let anyone take it away from you or talk you out of it.
Good luck, girl . Keep us posted.

 

[Shwillam]

Totally agreed. I've hitched coast to coast across the US. First half was with a very experienced roadie. Not only can it be a great bonding experience, it's also incredibly helpful to have that kind of leg up when ya start on your own. There's lots of little things someone can teach you that make a big difference.
Solo travel is great, too, so go for it by all means. Don't let anybody tell ya that ya can't travel independently because you're a girl (you will deal with a lot of folks reprimanding you for it). For me, the experience of being out there on my own, knowing that I can go anywhere and do anything I want, is one of the most freeing, powerful, enlivening, and lonely experiences ever. Don't let anyone take it away from you or talk you out of it.
Good luck, girl . Keep us posted.

Im very confused why @TheWindAndRain disagreed with this? Was it a mistake or are you one of the many DUDES who hate on the female form and their ability to travel without male company? Because if its the latter FUCK THAT.

 

[TheWindAndRain]

" Don't let anybody tell ya that ya can't travel independently because you're a girl (you will deal with a lot of folks reprimanding you for it"

I disagree. You should listen to what those people have to say and I doubt anyone who "reprimanded" you had more hatred than love for you. My opinion is based on years of experiences and questions. Your risk is tenfold on any given hitchhike or any given night you (god forbid) sleep in a populated area alone, unsheltered, and unarmed because your principals overwhelmed your logic. There is a reason womens shelters are almost always available versus mens shelters. Anyone can and does travel alone, but women face stupidly greater risk in those circumstances and need to take more precautions.

As for @Sirius comment about hating on the female form, those are the people not to listen to. Rationality and caring about you are different than bringing hate into it.

 

[VictoriaWhite]

So, I'm 18, and tired of mundane 9-5 societal life, and am ready to embark on a journey of spiritual growth, and personal freedom. I'm headed from Denver to San Francisco solo.. I'm semi-new to this, but am excited for something new. Debating if I want a road dog or if I can do it alone.. Any advice is appreciated.. But you can't change my mind I'm clean off hard drugs finally (excluding psychedelics ofc) and am confident in my ability to refuse anything that will harm me or set me off track. I have a purpose and a goal and im finally ready to feel free.

How far have you gotten? We're in Fort Collins, looking for a female who wants to travel with us. We're planning on California at the beginning of the month.

 

[Shwillam]

@TheWindAndRain youre a sexist. Ive known plenty of female travelers in MY 4 years of traveling that were way more able to defend themselves than men. IVE been raped, its a thing thay happens to ANYONE. Get over yourself dude. And fuck youre perpetuating of the rape culture. And NO. Just because shes a female bodied person does NOT mean shes more at risk, and if that WAS the case, she dont need no man. Fuck that dude.

 

[iflewoverthecuckoosnest]

" Don't let anybody tell ya that ya can't travel independently because you're a girl (you will deal with a lot of folks reprimanding you for it"

I disagree. You should listen to what those people have to say and I doubt anyone who "reprimanded" you had more hatred than love for you. My opinion is based on years of experiences and questions. Your risk is tenfold on any given hitchhike or any given night you (god forbid) sleep in a populated area alone, unsheltered, and unarmed because your principals overwhelmed your logic. There is a reason womens shelters are almost always available versus mens shelters. Anyone can and does travel alone, but women face stupidly greater risk in those circumstances and need to take more precautions.

As for @Sirius comment about hating on the female form, those are the people not to listen to. Rationality and caring about you are different than bringing hate into it.

Well, of course the road is risky for women. Of course we exist in a sexually dimorphic species where women are more physically vulnerable than men. I'm sure she knows that. Personally, I always carried a bowie knife and pepper spray. Never had to use either one in self defense.
She is a grown woman who assessed the risk involved and decided she was okay with it if it meant experiencing freedom. That's what we ALL do when we go on the road. Traveling by foot or train is dangerous for everybody, regardless of what's betwixt their legs.

 

[Shwillam]

Including my road dog, who is a way better natural fighter than i am. She doesnt identify as female but theyre a female bodied person and you (thewindandtherain) have no clue what youre talking about. Female bodied people are ABSOUTLELY able to defend themselves and anyone who says otherwise can go talk to and fighr Ronda Rousey (a MMA fighter who held the UFC belt for quite some time and beat the fuck out of a rapey dude in a bar) or even @Dragononn and i guarantee youre gonna get your ass handed to you on your sexist silver plater. Women bodied people are just as strong as men, IF NOT STRONGER. You try have a baby... Good luck.

Edit: i realize the baby comment could in itself be sexist but my point was that women bodied peoples are able to deal with a lot more pain and stress than most men.

 

[iflewoverthecuckoosnest]

@TheWindAndRain youre a sexist. Ive known plenty of female travelers in MY 4 years of traveling that were way more able to defend themselves than men. IVE been raped, its a thing thay happens to ANYONE. Get over yourself dude. And fuck youre perpetuating of the rape culture. And NO. Just because shes a female bodied person does NOT mean shes more at risk, and if that WAS the case, she dont need no man. Fuck that dude.

I've always found that double standard odd... This assumption that men are just inherently safe from assault or random murder, whereas women are encouraged to think there's rapists behind every bush just waiting for us. There have been many famous cases of serial killers and rapists who exclusively targeted men and young boys.
I get that many of the people who have told me, "OHNO! Don't take a walk by yourself in our quiet rural town! OHNO! YOU can't travel by yourself, you DEFINITELY get raped any day now! OHNO! You can't go drinking!". etc. Really meant the best, but those warnings were based in this cultural assumption that bad shit would happen to me because I am a woman, and random bad shit pretty much never happens to men.
This assumption leads to this mentality that men can go, be wild, brave the odds, have independent adventures, so on and so forth, but us girls? We better hang back until we have a big, strong man to protect us all the time.
I get that it may be well meaning, but I am frankly sick to death of it. I make my own damn choices and take my own risks.

 

[Shwillam]

I've always found that double standard odd... This assumption that men are just inherently safe from assault or random murder, whereas women are encouraged to think there's rapists behind every bush just waiting for us. There have been many famous cases of serial killers and rapists who exclusively targeted men and young boys.
I get that many of the people who have told me, "OHNO! Don't take a walk by yourself in our quiet rural town! OHNO! YOU can't travel by yourself, you DEFINITELY get raped any day now! OHNO! You can't go drinking!". etc. Really meant the best, but those warnings were based in this cultural assumption that bad shit would happen to me because I am a woman, and random bad shit pretty much never happens to men.
This assumption leads to this mentality that men can go, be wild, brave the odds, have independent adventures, so on and so forth, but us girls? We better hang back until we have a big, strong man to protect us all the time.
I get that it may be well meaning, but I am frankly sick to death of it. I make my own damn choices and take my own risks.

Two things

1) could not of worded better myself (because im a cis male)

2) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffrey_Dahmer

 

[iflewoverthecuckoosnest]

Two things

1) could not of worded better myself (because im a cis male)

2) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffrey_Dahmer

Oh yeah. And Dahmer's just the tip of the iceberg. What about Gacy? The "Kind Killer" in Britain who lured young gay men into his home only to murder them when they tried to leave? That poor sex therapist who was murdered by those tweakers at Hardly Strictly? We just had a thread about that on here. The numerous men I know who were raped and think they can't be sad about it because it wouldn't be manly? I mean, come on.
Better watch out, boys. Better not go anywhere without someone to look after you. Too risky
Anyway, I'm ranting now. I'm gonna stop. I've made my points.

 

[TheWindAndRain]

@TheWindAndRain youre a sexist. Ive known plenty of female travelers in MY 4 years of traveling that were way more able to defend themselves than men. IVE been raped, its a thing thay happens to ANYONE. Get over yourself dude. And fuck youre perpetuating of the rape culture. And NO. Just because shes a female bodied person does NOT mean shes more at risk, and if that WAS the case, she dont need no man. Fuck that dude.

Youre making this about rape, which its only partially aboit. The only person I knew who was murdered in their sleep was a female. Likewise when Ive heard... Very bad things that happened at night, screams or worse, female victims. I dont advise anyone to do this without proper precaution, and anyone can tell you a woman faces far greater risk sleeping alone outside. For you to deny that... Call it sexist even, is so fucking stupid that it would be laughable were it not for your shitty attitude risking people's lives.