Worst State to Hitch Through?

[40 Hands]

Iowa ain't too bad as long as you stick to the highways. the interstates in iowa suck but if hitch from a good Exit you can get a ride the whole way across.

My friend always hits the truck stops and asks semi truckers for rides. Note he usually travels alone with about zero gear (clothes on his back, a hobo tool, sharpie, and bic lighter). But he says he always flys through Iowa like lightning.

florida's the worst ive had, but ive only done the east coast yet

He also recommends flying a sign with a basic drawing of a truck and an arrow pointed at the bed of it. Got him up and down the FL coast, and me across MO after rockin a sign for under 10 min twice.

 

[Nikki]

texas-without a cowboy hat
new mexico-highway 64 only had about one car drive by every hour

pretty much the whole east coast-unless you liike super christians that trip when they hear that your not carrying around a bible. (fuck that, shits too heavy!)

 

[Nikki]

Nebraska and Ohio.

ohio wasn't bad for me and my old man. going through amish country sucked though. the bastards wouldn't pick us up in their buggies!
still a good time though

 

[baconrind]

Illinois is full of grumpy assholes, Ohio is full of idiots, and Tennessee is just long and contains the city of Lebanon.

 

[RockerBilly]

England for sure. Don't ever hitch in England

Scotland's cool for hitching though.

 

[Pheonix]

Illinois is full of grumpy assholes, Ohio is full of idiots, and Tennessee is just long and contains the city of Lebanon.

I've watched tons of people get rides in Lebanon flying a sign at the truck stop across the street from the outlet mall while I was bank rolling a panhandling sign at the ramp, even got offered a job working in the tobacco fields. OH is full of idiots but I always got rides pretty easy for those idiots. I've noticed the assholes in IL are concentrated in Chicago and East Saint Louis. But hell maybe I do good in states like these cause I look more like a redneck hobo then a punk rock hobo.

 

[daveycrockett]

Illinois is full of grumpy assholes, Ohio is full of idiots, and Tennessee is just long and contains the city of Lebanon.

lebanon?

 

[Avog0dro]

Florida, and West Texas by far, I don't care how cool you are Texas hates you, and FL everyone thinks their shit doesn't stink and the whole state is owned by Yuppie Snow birds from MI, that hate street-cats because they have to put up with Detroit, Save yourself time and heartache and stay out of these spots unless you have a hotshot through. Bama and midwest get a bad-rap, just don't where skinny jeans through those spots and you won't get harassed. Long as you don't get off the main roads in the south east and mid-west. You shouldn't have to many problems

 

[lilith]

nebraska's p rough. then again, i'm in omaha. i just need to 'look normal' before i try again.

 

[meathook]

i can't decide whether georgia or indiana is the worst... i was in indiana for 5 days total, but at least i was moving a little bit every day. i was just stuck in a shitty suburb of atlanta for 3 days until i was picked up and housed up today by a retired traveler... probably georgia. at least indiana folk will kick it down if they're not willing to give you a ride.

so actually, georgia. fuck georgia.

 

[Johnny P]

I don't hitch much but when I've had to I do pretty well, except in Florida and California The only place in Cali I get picked up is on the 101 and the 299. Everywhere else is tough. Fuck hitchhiking!

 

[Doobie_D]

He also recommends flying a sign with a basic drawing of a truck and an arrow pointed at the bed of it. Got him up and down the FL coast, and me across MO after rockin a sign for under 10 min twice.

Thats an awesome idea. I got cut out at the new FEC Titusville IM facility on my way to Miami and decided to just hitch the 1 down. I got a total of 12 rides to get there and 9 of them were back of the truck rides. The first guy that pulled over refused to roll his window down or talk to me he just pointed at the back of his truck (which was a flat bed that had no railings of any kind) and then pointed south on the highway. Against my better judgment i took the ride. It turned out aight. Got down the road.

 

[GuerrillaLorax]

NY and Florida.

 

[nameless]

this highway north outta tallahassee, florida into southern georgia where all you see is cowfields for daaaaays...took 2 days of walking along that highway to get picked up, me and my buddy just started laying down on the side of the road til someone stopped, seems like nothing but religious freaks and people who think they've seen bigfoot lol..after that i met some train kids in nashville and never looked back to hitching

 

[wokofshame]

Interesting to see folk's choices...I would completely agree with West Texas and Missouri...espec the non-interstate 4-lanes.
Never had a problem in FL but have only been down 3 times really plus another to jax. Places like ATL and Chicagoland suck b/c people are rightly scared of wackos ready to pull a hannibal lecter on them...they really are out there.
California seems to be every hitcher's destination but I fucking despise the place. The 99 and 101 blow a dick, there are more cops than at the donut shop in Hell, completely no one will pick you up on I-10/anywhere near the border, good luck getting thru STOCKTON lol.
Also, South Texas aka Brownsville. Just don't go. There is no reason and never will be

 

[Pheonix]

good luck getting thru STOCKTON lol.

I found the best way to go north is to take the bus to Lodi Walmart and walk a mile to the truck stop on I-5, according to the graffiti on back of the sign at the ramp many people had a hard time here too. But I got a ride in an hour to Red Bluff around 150 - 200 miles north. Also Amtrak to Oakland and SF is only $10 thou panhandling in Stockton sucks, I'd try the new Walmart in the rich northwest corner of the city.

 

[wokofshame]

Huh wow good info. Hopping north can be pretty darn tricky.
I've never taken the ACE train to Fremont/San Jose but it's probably in my future sometime, I believe you mean ACE b/c amtrak is significantly more.
I just generally hate the insular attitudes of people in California, I find it the least "down-home" or friendly state anywhere. Also, all the fucking laws are ridiculous. Three strikes and your out, age of consent 18, all the gun laws, fireworks laws, registering a car, etc. Plus don't really like sunshine

 

[billyriot]

I've been seeing a lot of Nebraska here, I didn't really have that much trouble getting through. I mean, I got ticketed in North Platte coming off a train, but by the same time the next day I was into Iowa and already on my way to Chicago. But then again, hitchhiking is all hit or miss.

Texas though, was my hardest hitch by far; probably had to do with my being a non-White citizen, but it took me nearly a week to make the relatively short trip from Ft. Worth to Austin. I guess they really, really don't like hitchers in that area.

 

[nameless]

im white and the 35 still sucked for hitching, from austin to waco, hopped a train to ft. worth then started hitching north on the 35 again, another shitty trip all the way to OKC...nothing but redneck assholes in texas, fuck that state

 

[iHaveRabiez]

I've heard a lot of bad shit about hitching in Indiana, although never have myself. Nothin' but rednecks and thugs here as well. I actually just saw a traveler about 2 weeks ago getting harassed by the pigs, I think he was by himself too, and that asshole still called for back-up. It was definitely a bad spot though.. right by a state police post and shit. I didn't stick around to see what happened, but I wish I could have got there before the cops did, I would've at least taken him to a better exit.