Why did I fail?

[Bathtub666]

About a week ago, i decided that I wanted to leave to go south to FL. I live in Danbury CT, and I have never tried to hitch out of here before. Actually, I have never tried to hitch out of anywhere before. I read the posts here for tips, aswell as the hitchhiking section of "Recipies for Disaster" by CrimethInc., and figured it dosen't sound too hard. I took a commuter train to Stamford, which is a pretty big city, because I though I would have better luck, as well as access to I-95, which is a straight shot to FL. I stood by the onramp to I-95 south for about 3 hours. I held up a sign that said, "In the direction of Baltimore", thinking that it is a pretty reconizeable name, and that if I actually get there, I knew I could hop the rest of the way. Stamford is a big city but it's like one big buisness district. About 80% of the people that passed me were obviously rich folks that had no interest in picking up a dirty hitchhiker who might piss all over their $50000 dollar car. I got alot of confused looks, and laughs, and eventually decided to admit defeat. I don't really have access to a trainyard, and I really don't like paying for things, and was hoping on honeing my hitchhiking skills. Can anyone tell me where I went wrong? Was my sign too generic? Did I just not have the right look? Was I just not out there long enough? Are there some cities that are just un-hitchable? Let me know, I'd love to give it another shot. Thanks.

BT

 

[Bendixontherails]

you just never know with hitching. you can stand in one spot for a long ass time, or get gone quick. I have waited two days at a ramp before, and I have been picked up before my last ride was back on the road, too. so you just never know.

you have to just smile at the assholes and put off your, " not a serial killer " vibe.

try to be simple, yet noticeable with the sign. I made it up to Indianapolis from SW kentucky in under 24 hours for mothers day this past weekend. the sign is what did it.
"HOME 4 MOTHER'S DAY?!?"
the other side said,
"SHE HOPES SO!"

 

[Clean]

If you sit on an onramp for a day start walking down the interstate, if you get kicked off go to the gas stations. When I make signs I usualy keep it simple (south,north,west,east) hitchhiking is hell sometimes. its all about bein at the right place at the right time, just remember to keep your head-up because all you got is time, and every inch forward brings you closer to your destination. Also florida is hell to hitch through, but once you get to West Palm beach they have public transit that will take you all the way to key west for 12$.

 

[Lint]

Since the average american equates hitchhikers with horror stories, it's pretty important to look as non threatening as possible. I hitch in Oregon wearing filthy studded and patched clothing, but when I hitch in other states I try to tone it down a bit. Cover up my tattoos, remove my sunglasses, and most importantly SMILE! Not a deranged lunatic smile, but a "hey, I'm not going to harm you" smile. And make a big fucking sign so they can read it as they approach.

It's also important to be aware of the road conditions. Make sure a driver would have plenty of space to safely pull over for you along the road. Try to hitch where the road gets straight so drivers have time to see you, mull it over, and hopefully pull over.

When you do get a ride, be sure to thank the driver as well. A friendly encounter with a hitchhiker will have that person telling their friends about the experience, hopefully spreading the word that hitchhikers are no more dangerous than anyone else. Then, they might stop for me someday!

 

[Bathtub666]

Clean wrote:

If you sit on an onramp for a day start walking down the interstate, if you get kicked off go to the gas stations.

I know standing by the on-ramp is semi-legal, and I saw cops see me and not do anything, but isnt walking down the interstate pretty illegal and kind of hazardous? I mean, sometimes the shoulder is like a foot wide. Is it a better bet to just stay put on the on-ramp or to walk down the highway?

 

[rocksy]

i know that in florida, if someone stops to pick you up, and a cop sees it, its a 40 dollar ticket for the driver. the cops don't make the hitchhiker get out of the car, though. so if you care about not making the person nice enough to give you a ride get a ticket, watch for cops. oh, and i don't know if its like this everywhere, or just in florida, but if you get arrested, and you don't have ID on you, and can't find any info on you in their computer, they have to take to jail that night, until they find info on you. so carry ID or don't get caught. unless you're just looking for a place to stay that night, of course.

rocksy

 

[Matt Derrick]

keep in mind that a business district is a bad place to hitch. you always want to hitch on the outskirts of town instead if in town, cause you're more likely to get a ride going to another city that way.

instead of 'going towards baltimore' or whatever, just put 'baltimore' in big letters, or a direction, like 'north'.

 

[Clean]

hitchhikings all common sense if it aint workin you aint tryin

 

[Clean]

hitchhikings all common sense if it aint workin you aint tryin

 

[Mouse]

the ONLY state I've had trouble hitching in is CT.

it sucks.

hard.

it took me and my friend 4 days to get from boston to NYC because we got stuck in CT for 3 days. we got a lil lucky and had a cool group of people hook us up w/ a floor to sleep on in New Haven... but just getting to new haven took like 2 days.

Seeing a million NY plates pass you by is kinda sucky. But you gotta realize... CT is the vactation spot or official residents of people who have a lot of money to own a summer house in CT or live in CT and commute to NYC for a high paying job. They don't pick you up cuz they are assholes.

having hitched through CT I ended up making the says "If you make plans, Conneticut happens."

 

[Mouse]

the ONLY state I've had trouble hitching in is CT.

it sucks.

hard.

it took me and my friend 4 days to get from boston to NYC because we got stuck in CT for 3 days. we got a lil lucky and had a cool group of people hook us up w/ a floor to sleep on in New Haven... but just getting to new haven took like 2 days.

Seeing a million NY plates pass you by is kinda sucky. But you gotta realize... CT is the vactation spot or official residents of people who have a lot of money to own a summer house in CT or live in CT and commute to NYC for a high paying job. They don't pick you up cuz they are assholes.

having hitched through CT I ended up making the says "If you make plans, Conneticut happens."

 

[FrumpyWatkins]

CT for some reason is a travel nightmare, every time I pass through I spend more time than I should be in CT. Fuck Danbury and Hartford, fucking business districts with some highways, I guess they call those cities in CT.

 

[FrumpyWatkins]

CT for some reason is a travel nightmare, every time I pass through I spend more time than I should be in CT. Fuck Danbury and Hartford, fucking business districts with some highways, I guess they call those cities in CT.

 

[blackmatter]

try detroit haha

 

[Bendixontherails]

amen. I spent six days tryin to leave detroit. would get just a little out of town and have to go back to get a decent ride. over and over. I hate detroit.

 

[Mouse]

baltimore is the same.

 

[crustychris]

Okay I'm from CT and I know that Danbury is probably not a good place to be since I'm pretty sure it goes right to NYC and the majority of peoplare businessmen. You really have to present yourself nicely. I've been picked up by old(ish) people for the most part around here because all the middle aged people are business assholes.

Luckily I live in the New London county and it's probably the easiest place to get a ride. It seems like everyone is trying to get the hell out of CT. I'm bouncing as soon as this school year ends. FUCT

 

[Punkristo]

Most of the times I just write the direction Im going. (South, north, east, west) and I just walk on the freeway cause there is more chances of getting a ride, but if you walk on the freeway the police will mess with you. I just got to California from Seattle WA in 5 days and I look all crusty punk so the look doesnt matter that much.

Anyway, try just writing "South" on the sign and walk on the freeway or sit on the side with the sign, if the cops tell you to get of just wait on the onramp for a couple of hours and then try it again. Try to get away from the city cause is harder in the cities. You'll probably wont get a ride all the way so just try to go little by little.

 

[Mouse]

writing "SOUTH" if you're on say.. 95 SOUTH is pretty redundant. There's no other direction you could be going than SOUTH on the SOUTH BOUND HIGHWAY... unless you're dumb and got on the wrong side. then you'd just make a fool of yourself.


I usually write the name of the next big town on my sign. Or, like if I was trying to go from here all the way to florida I'd write "AS FAR AS YOU ARE GOING!" or some shit like that.


Most people that pick you up will say "I couldnt' even read your sign but I figured why the hell not..." I've had peopel say to me so many times. They're going too fast to read black on brown signs.

 

[jack ransom]

I think you failed for a few reasons:

1. Your highway. taking 95 to FL from CT is possible but probably really challenging. cities are difficult to hitch out of and about as bad to hitch through -- on your planned route you were going to work through 4 really big cities, including NY and DC -- thats some rough hitchin'. You need to get rides around cities or through them completely, not halfway through or something like that. and getting rides through or around cities often takes longer than straight shots through rural country.

2. Your sign. it was too long. A city, a direction or something like NYC FOR THANKSGIVING (if that applies, and then under it) EVERY MILE HELPS. make it big, make it simple. make it relateable. your average driver doesn't know much about hitching so you really gotta make a sign that will make sense to them and not necessarily the seasoned tramp you will soon be.

3. you gave up. the best hitchhiking advice I've ever received has been: "You will get picked up. always. no matter how long you've been waiting or how shitty the onramp is you will get a ride eventually. just keep telling yourself that". 3 hours is rough but not horrible, my personal record is 8 hours waiting, and I've waited at least 2 hours probably a dozen times, sometimes shit is just sticky and if you really want to thumb you're going to have to accept that.

4. your tactics. Long distance hitching is physically and emotionally exhausting and you should instead take a practice hitch (Vermont looks good from my atlas) of a few hundred miles to get a feel for the road. Also, the chances of someone from CT heading south on 95 and going *past* NYC are slim to none at absolute best. I think hitching through NYC would be next to impossible. all of the people you were trying to hitch were probably headed straight into Manhattan and no further south than that, which would leave you pretty fucked. Remember, you have to get AWAY from cities to hitchhike quickly. can you hitch from downtowns? sure, but it can take you a good minute. go to the outskirts of town.

Hitching is awesome, but for a trip down the Northeastern seaboard I'd recommend a Chinabus ticket to DC, commuter rail to the outskirts of DC, and a thumb from there. shouldn't cost all that much. If you really wanna tramp it hitch west enough where you can pick up 81 and then shoot south from there.

good luck, tell us how it goes when you finally conquer the road!

Post edited by: jack ransom, at: 2007/09/17 14:59