I didn’t even know people still did this in the States…
…especially in Arkansas. On I-30 south of Little Rock.
I have hitchhiked overseas before. Its not uncommon to see. I was coming home with some friends from Athens one night while I was living in Greece, and, when I got to the end of the metro rail near the airport I found the buses to all be shut down for the night.
There were still cars all around the metro station so we just waited. It did not take long before the next train came with a load of commuters. We asked around and finally piled into the car with two women in their late 20’s. They drove us the 10 more minutes home.
Now, the lessons here: I really hate to start this way, but its just probably not a good idea if you are female. Not trying to be sexist, I’m just telling you, there are some baddies out there. Its a MAJOR case of reading people in a few seconds. In the case in Athens, a guy with a mixed-gender group, there’s just about nothing threatening about that. Plus, safety in numbers. Still, I doubt I would take my sister or girlfriend doing such a thing.
So… a few tips:
**Be real. You don’t have to be cheesy or over-the-top friendly, but just be genuine. Don’t ham it up, pretending to be in so much trouble. What are you? You’re a traveller trying to get somewhere overseas and need some help. The truth shall set you free.
**Know the right gestures. Thumbs up in some cultures can actually be a bad thing to do some places.
**Know the area. If you’re trying to get a ride in a really bad part of town, you might get yourself into trouble. Get somewhere better before doing such a thing. Remember, the amount of graffiti on the walls or bars on the windows are not necessarily a sign of that. Believe it or not, a LonelyPlanet guide or other such guidebooks will help you know good and bad parts of certain towns.
**Don’t start too late. If you don’t know the place you are going – as in, you haven’t been there before or have no reservations, etc – you might be better off staying where you are until the morning. You don’t want to get stuck somewhere bad with nowhere to go; if you’re in a decent place and can stay there, you might just be better off.
**Start off in the direction you’re going. It might not be a good idea at night – people are more wary about picking up people in dark places – but during the day, at least you’re making progress as you go.
**If you’re destination is down some long deserted road, it still might be a better idea to be dropped off on the main road and walk the rest of the way.
**A big deal for my fellow photo people: Put. Your. Cameras. Away. You have $4000 in camera equipment and you can’t go get a bus ticket to the next town? You’re less likely to get help. Oh, and… you have $4000 in camera equipment in a stranger’s car!! The less they know about it, the better. Let me restate: Put. Your. Freaking. Cameras. Away.
**Sit in the front if you can. A few cars have child locks on the rear doors and windows.
**Stay alert. Don’t fall asleep in the car. I could give you about a hundred reasons for this, but my big two are: Pay attention to where you are going. And… if you’re awake, its definitely much easier to tell if someone is stealing your stuff.
**Never EVER EVER! try to buy the ride like a taxi service (you’ll probably offend people) or flash money around (baddies might think: there’s more where that came from!!) … or even have a wallet in your pocket! Put your wallet away in your pack. And, in fact, take all the money and credit cards out (leave a few small bills) and hide it somewhere out of your wallet. Just in case you get mugged, you’re giving them an empty (or convincingly empty) wallet. If you feel generous, offer a couple bucks at the end of the ride – they may or may not take it – pre-placed and folded by itself in an easily-accessed pocket.
But, finally, its all about the human connection. My personal experiences with LITERAL hitchhiking are limited, but I have gotten rides with random people I’ve never met before – literally – all over the world. Most of them I met and had a conversation with them with no actual intention of getting a ride… but they end up offering me, I didn’t even have to ask.
In the end, the best plan is to have a plan. And a Plan B. If you get in a car with a stranger, be aware of the situation and always have an escape route. What would Jason Bourne do?
Still, I’ll always prefer the train or the bus… but hitchhiking gets you one more human interaction that you may end up having a great story to tell. The journey is the destination.
Stay tuned,
-Noah D.
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PS: If you’d like to read more about this, there is a great resource at: http://wikitravel.org/en/Tips_for_hitchhiking