The logistics of couchsurfing + hitchhiking

[Badly Drawn Girl]

Hi all. Sorry to immediately barge in and start asking questions, but it took me a while just to find a dedicated hitching forum and I'm trying to get on the road fairly soon. I want to do a hitchhiking trip just to see how far west I can get...I've been using my various social media platforms to build a couchsurfing network roughly along my projected route. (I have hitched before, in New Zealand, but obviously that doesn't even remotely compare.)

My concern is, will it be too difficult for me to hitch rides to specific towns? I imagine that most hitchhikers need to just go where their drivers are going, and you can't really ask someone to drop you off somewhere if they are ultimately heading to a town 30-60 minutes away. Most of the folks I'm staying with are not in major cities (and I don't want to have to hitch through a big city anyway) and I don't want to be in a situation where I literally just can't get to my destination by nightfall. I don't really care where I go, per se, but I do need to somewhat plan things so I'm not just sleeping on the side of the road. And I just have a feeling that writing XYZ Specific Town on your sign is going to get you a lot fewer rides than just putting SOUTH or I-95 or whatever.

Any thoughts?

 

[WanderLost Radical]

From what I've been reading on here, big cities aren't the best place to hitchhike. Just make sure you don't end up in rednecktown in the middle of buttfuck nowhere. If that's where your driver is headed, ask him to drop you off in the closest suburb-ish city he'll drive through, and you should be alright. Remember that hitching in the states requires more patience than in Europe, because people here are afraid, so try to look clean and nice. it'll help a lot

 

[CosmicBrothaCam]

There is a quote "Someone will always pick you up anywhere, The question is how long will you wait"
You can spend all day on STP, Youtube or Reddit but it will never prepare you for the real thing.
It took me a year of traveling to find out about this site. I think that was a good thing.
If I knew about traveling sites id would have end up spending more time online then on the road.

You will ALWAYS regret waiting. Just go. NOW!

 

[Badly Drawn Girl]

Yeah, I'm definitely steering away from big cities. I guess my concern is how realistic it would be for me to expect to get rides basically right to where I want to be staying for the night. Or am I going to have to plan on camping/roughing it when the last driver of the night isn't going my way.

I definitely need to get the fuck out of here ASAP lol. I just want to put in a little pre-planning so I don't end up stranded.

 

[CosmicBrothaCam]

Plus your a lady! Most people will go out of there way for you trust me.
Also females tend to always get offed a place to sleep from drivers.

 

[Badly Drawn Girl]

Plus your a lady! Most people will go out of there way for you trust me.

Ha! I am definitely banking on that, LOL.

I am also expecting to be offered lodging for the night from some drivers. This may be okay, in a pinch - generally I prefer to vet my hosts ahead of time whenever possible, because when you're tired and frustrated and night is falling you don't necessarily want to have to flex your good judgment muscles...you know? So I try to do as much of my planning beforehand. I understand though that some level of flexibility is necessary when hitchhiking. I guess I need to avoid overthinking things too much and just jump and trust the parachute will open.

I have moments where I start feeling paralyzed by this whole undertaking which defeats the purpose of spontaneous travel. I am used to traveling on my own, but New Zealand where I did most of my bumming around is hugely backpacker-friendly, almost every Kiwi citizen has done an enormous amount of bumming around themselves and everyone is VERY friendly (sometimes disturbingly so) so you can virtually guarantee you will get picked up by a cheerful driver. (Also the entire country is about the size of New Jersey.) I just see so much wildly conflicting opinion concerning solo female hitchhiking that it's hard to know what's real and what's bullshit and prejudice - and part of my reasons for wanting to do this in the first place is to set the record straight and prove everyone wrong.

Anyway, I'm going to keep trawling social media and lining up as many couches as possible...I guess if I don't make it there, I don't make it.

 

[CosmicBrothaCam]

I need to avoid overthinking things too much and just jump and trust the parachute will open.

You really hit the nail on the head with that one.
It can be overwhelming that's understandable but just remember that things on the road tend to work things out just right for you.
Plan ahead but not too far ahead cause if you do you ruin the best part of traveling. If you have any other question feel free to message me.
As far as traveling as a woman I don't have much to add but there are a lot of lovely ladies here on STP and Im sure they wouldn't mind giving you some pointers.

Check out this post this awesome road chick posted, About the common mental fear of traveling for women.

https://squattheplanet.com/threads/burned-out-with-this-shit.23551/#post-170598

 

[Badly Drawn Girl]

Thanks man, that thread was great - and I'll hit up that chick cause she sounds awesome. I was just telling myself...(my dad was basically a rocket scientist out of MIT so I have a tendency to be pathologically logical)...seriously, what is the worst that could happen? I mean within reason. I have to camp out a night?...sucks but it won't kill me if I do it in some sort of safe way.

 

[Wawa]

Getting dropped in a city isn't too bad. In-city public transit tends to be decent and cheap. I'm in NZ now and actually finding it a bit harder to get around then in the US. You'll probably get a lot of rides from people who don't normally pick up hitch hikers... doesnt always happen, but fairly often I get driven to a specific address or up a forest road to camp.

 

[CosmicBrothaCam]

I get the feeling your most worried about being without a place to sleep at night.
Im not sure this true for EVERYONE but sleeping to me went from the scariest factor to the funnest part of traveling.
Its like a mini game while traveling. like playing hide and seek with everyone.

BE safe not afraid.

 

[Durp]

Take a tarp and a good sleeping bag and you will be fine. Its easy in the states long as you don't look lile an ax murderer. Have fun riding your thumb!

 

[WanderLost Radical]

I have to camp out a night?...sucks but it won't kill me if I do it in some sort of safe way.

Exactly. Common sense is your best friend out there.

 

[Durp]

Camping out is the best part, otherwise you should just take greyhound if you want an a to b.

 

[Badly Drawn Girl]

Getting dropped in a city isn't too bad. In-city public transit tends to be decent and cheap. I'm in NZ now and actually finding it a bit harder to get around then in the US.

Really?? Wow, that would never have occurred to me. Well (not to go off-topic but), if you want any specific advice concerning New Zealand, feel free to message me...I spent a LOT of time there and have been to pretty much every corner of the country from Cape Reinga to Stewart Island.

And thanks to the other replyers too...some of you may relate to the ever so fun second-guessing marathon before a trip begins, so...it's good to have those votes of confidence in your pack. (Speaking of packs, I think I need to search for a sleeping bag lol. Tally-ho!)

 

[Odin]

I get the feeling your most worried about being without a place to sleep at night.
Im not sure this true for EVERYONE but sleeping to me went from the scariest factor to the funnest part of traveling.
Its like a mini game while traveling. like playing hide and seek with everyone.

BE safe not afraid.

Dude you said it. That is the best most positive way to describe it. I love playing hide and seek. Haha.

Use your imagination. Give it a good exercise finding places to crash for the night.

 

[WanderLost Radical]

Dude you said it. That is the best most positive way to describe it. I love playing hide and seek. Haha.

Use your imagination. Give it a good exercise finding places to crash for the night.

You can also practice this before leaving. When I walk/skate around my city, I keep an eye open for places that would be a good squat for the night. Makes you practice Also, when you leave, don't wait until dusk to find a good spot, Look around all day. When dusk hits, go back to the previous spot you found. With time it'll become a no-brainer.

 

[etpyh]

I imagine that most hitchhikers need to just go where their drivers are going, and you can't really ask someone to drop you off somewhere if they are ultimately heading to a town 30-60 minutes away

If a ride is bringing you closer to your destination take it, if not don´t, simple as that. If they are ultimately going to a town 30-60 minutes away just catch another ride from there. Or let them drop you off somewhere in between if it fits.

I don't want to be in a situation where I literally just can't get to my destination by nightfall.

This will definitely happen sooner or later, there are just days when you are out of luck. But as said before, just bring some gear to sleep outside and you will be fine.

 

[Sip]

There have been times when I have gotten a ride, literally, to my own front door. Other times, I can't seem to go in a specific DIRECTION, let alone to a specific town. You will end up sleeping on the roadside or camping out eventually. The first time I had to do it I was terrified, but in truth, the road side makes a decent place to sleep if you sleep far enough from it, because there is usually woods on the roadside, if you aren't in a city, and you can literally roll out of your sleeping bag and stick out your thumb. You do get trafic noise on the roadside, but you get that anywhere, and honestly, it puts me to sleep.