Last Updated: 8/18/18 | August 18th, 2018
My very first experience with hitchhiking was in Belize. Back in 2005, I hitchhiked the entire country, as it was the most typical method locals got around. If they were doing it, why not me? It was a great deal of fun as well as much much easier as well as safer than I believed it would be. considering that then, I’ve hitchhiked around a handful of countries as well as satisfied some fascinating (and not so interesting) people. Hitchhiking is still a prominent as well as typical method lots of people around the world get around, however it evokes a great deal of fears as well as concerns, particularly among Westerners. Today, Matt Karsten from expertvagabond.com shares his experience hitchhiking around the united states as well as recommendations about exactly how you can safely do it too. go into Matt.
It was a freezing as well as overcast day on the Oregon coastline when I nervously stuck my thumb out on the side of path 101. For the next 20 minutes, motorists passed me over as well as over once again — a lot of with looks of disgust on their faces. however I kept on smiling. would any individual stop for me? Was I wasting my time? I wasn’t totally sure.
Eventually my persistence paid off, as well as a large orange pickup truck screeched to a stop in a cloud of dust. A wave of enjoyment rushed over me as I jogged as much as satisfy CJ as well as her dog, Trigger. My very first ride!
Yet this was just the very first of lots of such pleasurable surprises on my journey.
CJ wasn’t going far, only to the next town. When I asked why she stopped, she explained that I looked fairly typical as well as that she’d likewise done some solo hitchhiking in Montana when she was younger. This would ended up being a typical style over the next five weeks. motorists will commonly stop for you to pay back kindness they got in the past.
Before I left on my objective to hitchhike across the united states from coastline to coast, I was told that nobody picks hitchhikers up anymore. They stated that it was hazardous these days, as well as that the golden age of hitchhiking was, sadly, over.
But after five weeks, 3,500 miles, 36 rides (from both guy as well as women), a motorcycle, a boat, an airplane, a freight train, as well as a tractor trailer, I can state that those people were wrong. If you’ve always dreamed of hitchhiking however are not sure of exactly how to do it, where to begin, as well as exactly how to stay safe, right here are 14 ideas to hitchhike smart:
Var självsäker
Always look motorists in the eye as well as smile as they pass. Not in a crazy axe-murderer way, however in a friendly as well as personable way. Smiling is extremely important. Pretend the next cars and truck is a good friend who is planning to pick you up. try waving hey there or holding your look expectantly as they drive past. You truly only have a second or two to make a positive impression. believe of it as a drive-by task interview, with only your eyes, appearance, as well as body language to guide the other person’s decision. Smiling for three hours directly in the sun or rain in spite of a constant stream of rejection is not easy, however you’ll get much better at it. If you look anxious or scared, you will draw in the wrong type of people, so be confident.
Look Presentable
No one wishes to pick up a lazy, stinky-looking hobo. gown in light or bright clothes. prevent using black if you can. Don’t wear sun glasses (people requirement to see your eyes), as well as keep your hands out of your pockets. Don’t smoke, drink, or sit down on the side of the road.
Additionally, lots of motorists pick up people who look similar to themselves. I was having a tough time getting a trip on the border of Colorado as well as Kansas up until I gotten myself a affordable cowboy hat! soon after that calculated purchase, a trucker couple from rural Tennessee pulled over as well as proceeded to drive me 1,200 miles over the program of two days, country music playing all the while.
Choose a Good Spot
Cars will not stop for you if they can’t do it safely. Interstate on-ramps are excellent since cars and trucks aren’t moving extremely quick as well as there’s normally space to pull over. other great places include intersections with stoplights or a stop indication as well as gas stations. The longer a motorist can get a great look at you, the better. keep an eye out for shady areas with security from the sun, too. If you have Web gain access to on your phone, Google Maps in satellite view will show you where the very best on-ramps are.
Hitchhiking out of huge cities can be extremely difficult, as well as often utilizing public transportation to get to the outskirts is your finest option. There are some locations where it is nearly impossible to get a ride, such as areas near sensitive government facilities (employees are prohibited to pick people up),Fängelser eller samhällen med höga brott.
Konversation
Det finns många orsaker till att människor plockar upp hitchhikers. Kanske är de trötta och vill lyssna på roliga resor. Kanske var de när hitchhikers och vill dela sin erfarenhet (och karma) med dig. Kanske kommer de att försöka konvertera dig till kristendomen/islam/scientologi. Kanske de kräver hjälp att hålla sig vaken på en lång bilresa.
Att tillhandahålla bra samtal är exakt hur du betalar dessa människor tillbaka för deras generositet. Det kan också orsaka en gratis lunch, drycker eller kanske till och med ett erbjudande att hålla dig för natten. Ed Yacht Builder var den sista resan på min längdåkning, liksom han tillbringade hela eftermiddagen och gav mig en personlig utflykt av Maryland Coastline innan jag tog mig ut på middag och dryck på hans föredragna skaldjursrestaurang.
Var redo
Packa alltid tillräckligt med mat såväl som vatten för att hålla en dag, i situationen fastnar du mitt i ingenstans. Jag gillar att ta med några bananer, äpplen, tortillor, tonfisk, refried bönor, samt kanske en bunt kakor att dela. En filtrerad vattenflaska låter dig säkert dricka från såväl floder som dammar. Ta ett par mörkfärgade långsiktiga markörer för att producera skyltar, lite solskyddsmedel, ett mycket första hjälpen, varma kläder och en regnjacka.
En USB -bilar och lastbilsladdare samt utanför batteriet för din smarta telefon är också ett bra koncept. De är bäst för att lyssna på musik, inspektera Google Maps eller kräva hjälp i en nödsituation. En lätt camping -hängmatta eller Bivy Sack hjälper dig att spara pengar på boende. Jag läger ofta i skogen på sidan av vägen eller bakom kyrkor på min resa.
Använd en kartongskylt
En grundläggande kartongindikering som indikerar en stad i närheten av hjälper mycket. Håll det kort och komponera med stora finansieringsbrev med en Sharpie -markör. Det måste vara läsbart på avstånd från ett snabbt fordon. Använd destinationer som är ganska nära (inom 20–50 miles), liksom du kommer att vara mycket mer benägna att få turer. Du kan sedan diskutera längre inuti bilen om bilisten går längre i din meningsfull riktning.
Roliga indikationer fungerar också bra. Några framgångsrika som jag använde var: “Gratis kakor”, “kommer inte att döda dig”, liksom “rabiesfri med tanke på den juni.” Den sista indikationen var rolig tillräckligt att Dan, en pensionerad biografskådespelare såväl som farmaceutisk verkställande direktör, redan hade kört till nästa utgång när han ändrade sitt sinne och vände sig för att hitta mig!
Du kan upptäcka kartong för indikationer på alla typer av bensinstation eller snabbmatrestaurang, antingen genom att fråga inuti eller genom att öppna upp dumpster i ryggen.
Välj din resa noggrant
Du har inget ansvar att komma in i alla bilar och lastbilar som stannar för dig. Är bilisten i stort humör? Ser de dig i ögonen? Är de nykter? Exakt hur många människor är i bilen? Om du inte känner dig bekväm att acceptera en åktur, säg tack till bilisten såväl som tillstånd nr. består av en anledning om du måste. Låtsas vara sjuk, eller beskriva att du hellre vill vänta på en längre åktur. beror på dina tarminstinkter. På min egen resa avslog jag bara en åktur. Jag var i ett skissartat samhälle (prostituerade gick runt mitt på dagen), liksom bilen som stoppade var en lastbil packad med fyra unga killar, med lukten av ogräs som hälldes från fönstren. De var också bara på väg till nästa utgång. Chansen är bra, jag skulle ha haft det bra, men omständigheten kändes inte perfekt som jag fattade ett beslut att vänta på en mycket bättre möjlighet.
Använd typisk mening
Bär alltid din säkerhetsbälte, såväl som om personen börjar köra oberoende, håll dig lugn och artig men be om att släppas ut på nästa riskfria pullover-plats. Förhindra hitchhiking (eller välja upp hitchhikers) på natten. Det är inte bara extremt svårt att stanna på sidan av vägen säkert efter mörker, men det är också mycket svårare att se fotgängare på natten. För att inte nämna, är det mycket mer troligt att människor ägnar brott under täckningen av mörkret.
Fortsätt vara positiv
Hitchhiking är absolut en mental utmaning. Du lägger dig tillgänglig offentligt medan du deltar i en aktivitet som inte är tänkt på mainstream. Du kommer att bedömas av alla som passerar dig, vanligtvis på ett ogynnsamt sätt. Människor kommer att skratta, vända dig, skrika, honk, rev sina motorer eller kanske till och med kasta saker.
Hålla kontrollen
Rovdjur byter såväl svaghet som osäkerhet. Gör dig inte till ett enkelt mål. klänning konservativt såväl som att styra sexuella ämnen till något osexy. Gör det Crystal Ta bort. Du funderar bara på att komma till din destination, liksom ingenting annat. bevara en aura av förtroende.
Håll dina värdesaker på eller i närheten av kroppen så om du behöver tillflyktsort snabbt förlorar du dem inte. Förhindra att du lägger din väska i bagageutrymmet om möjligt, så att bilisten inte kan take off before you can get hold of it. snap a quick picture of the back of the cars and truck with your phone before you get in, then send it to a good friend or your Twitter account. when inside the car, discover a moment to phone call a good friend as well as tell them where you are as well as where you’re headed so the motorist can hear you doing it.
Avoid Arguments
Try to prevent speaking to your motorist (or hitchhiker) about politics, religion, race, or other questionable subjects, at least up until you get to understand each other a bit as well as can gauge exactly how they may react. You don’t want to provoke them into ending up being upset or emotional while behind the wheel. If they attempt to begin a conversation on these topics, try to modification the subject or provide boring/vague solution to their concerns up until they lose rate of interest or you feel comfortable speaking about them. This is exactly how I responded to Captain Kitty Litter’s excessively racist comments as well as questions. even though I disagreed with his views, I just type of nodded along as well as let him talk.
Hitchhike with a Friend
If it’s your very first time hitchhiking as well as you’re especially anxious about it, try hitching with somebody else who’s done it before. This is a amazing method to discover the ropes as well as get a lot more comfortable. While it may be a lot more tough to get somebody to stop for two hitchhikers, it will always be a bit safer. I’m not stating not to go alone, however if you’re anxious about safety, hitchhiking with a good friend may be a great method to begin out.
Expect to Wait
My typical wait time while hitchhiking across the united states was about an hour. however there were some days when it took 2–3 hours or more. You need to be prepared to wait in one area for at least a few hours. However, there were likewise lots of times when I was chosen up after only 15 minutes. You just never understand exactly how long it will take.
If you’re in a especially poor spot, it may take days to get chosen up, which occurred to me when outside Denver. I spent two nights in a motel waiting to get out of there. Are you getting ill of waiting? perhaps take a break as well as go do something else to break up the time. having camping gear with you can assist in these circumstances too. walking a few miles to the next exit or catching a taxi to a much better place are likewise options.
Skydda dig
You will nearly definitely never requirement to utilize it, however packing a weapon of some kind to assist with self-defense is always a great idea. I like to bring pepper spray together with me. When Captain Kitty Litter started telling me about the time he threw one more hitchhiker out of his moving car, I subtly put one hand in my pocket where pepper spray was hidden (just in case). thankfully I never needed to utilize it!
My experienced hitchhiker good friend Shannon brings a stun gun freely on her belt (this can be unlawful in some states). However, a basic pen shoved into the ear or eyes of an assailant must work in a pinch too. In my opinion, a knife must not be your very first option for self-defense unless you’ve been trained to utilize it, as it can quickly be turned against you if the circumstance takes a turn for the worse. Please note that utilizing a weapon is an absolute last resort — only utilize it when communication doesn’t work as well as you honestly concern for your life.
Is Hitchhiking Safe?
Hitchhiking has ended up being progressively a lot more unusual over the years. Irrational fears about hitchhiking are brought on by paranoid horror stories promoted aggressively by the news as well as then turned into motion pictures by Hollywood. poor news is what sells, so that’s what we’re subjected to. I’m still waiting on CNN to do a story about my successful hitchhiking adventure, however I’m not holding my breath. I had a terrific time, satisfied excellent people, as well as nothing poor happened. It’s not sensational sufficient to be thought about news.
Based on my own experience as well as after listening to other people’s hitchhiking stories, it’s likely that some weirdos will pick you up. however seldom will it result in a hazardous situation. Out of 36 different rides during my own adventure, I had perhaps two or three “odd” (socially awkward) drivers.
I was told many times that hitchhiking would be dangerous. While it’s wise to be gotten ready for worst-case scenarios, in truth you don’t have to concern about these horror stories as well much. a lot of of the people I satisfied while hitchhiking were friendly, fascinating, as well as full of entertaining tales. however that doesn’t indicate you must let your guard down.
While hitchhiking is not almost as hazardous as some people make it out to be, there is danger involved. If you select to engage in this activity, you are accepting those risks. Crimes are dedicated against hitchhikers from time to time, in additipå mot bilister (även om mycket mindre ofta).
Om du någonsin känner dig hotad eller orolig när du redan är i fordonet, ber mig först bilisten att stanna och släppa ut dig vid nästa utgång eller bensinstation. Ma