*I would not call myself an experienced hitch-hiker, as I have only hitched three days, but I have already travelled many KM, had many adventures, and gained much knowledge because of those three days.
–Try it. I'm aware that from the time we were young everyone and their aunt told you not to hitch-hike because if you did you would end up dead. While this is a possibility, as it is a possibility anytime you put your trust in people you've only just met (WWOOF, couch-surfing, hanging out with new people in a park...), I believe it is not as inevitable as we've been led to believe. Just, be aware of your gut and make smart decisions. You don't have to get in a car just because it stops, you still get to assess the situation. Hitch-hike during the day. And if you can, hitch with a friend. Even if you just have a short distance to go, hitch for the experience... just once to feel the exhilaration from human kindness and to meet some cool folks.
––Don't hitch-hike if you really need to get the morning after pill and you're in Italy where you need a prescription for it, and so you need to head to France or Switzerland for at least a couple hours. Hitch-hiking can take time, so if anything is time-sensitive, best not to rely on it. But, right outside the train station in Chiasso, Switzerland there are many pharmacies, but you'll have to take it in front of the pharmacist and attempt to answer questions about your sex life through a language barrier. Just go ahead and write that one down in "stories you'll tell about the stupid shit you did when you were younger."
––Hitch during the day. It is safer and much more pleasant to wait for rides in the sunlight.
––Don't be shy, especially if you're at a gas station. Ask people where they're going, as you never know... they could be going nearly the full 400 KM to Bordeaux that you need to traverse. Give yourself the chance to be lucky.
––Don't be passive. Apparently if you simply stand on the side with your thumb out and a sign, it takes much longer to be picked up than if you seem excited about the prospect of getting a ride. You may also want to invest in a duck hat and/or Mandolin.
––Give up at least 1.5 hours before the sun goes down, if it is winter and it is cold. You probably need that sunlight to find your way to a plan B (train station, hostel, cafe, airport).
––Have a plan B, and figure out how much time you need to enact that plan B. For example, if you're trying to go to Nice, France from Milan, Italy, remember that trains stopping running at night.
––If you are walking to your plan B and you're cold and you don't really know where (in Genova) you are, get on a city bus! They're going somewhere, eh? If you're feeling particularly desperate because the sun is gone and you don't know much of anything about where you are, ask some passengers where the bus goes and if they know how to get to the train station. They may just offer to lead you to the station.
––Have a sleeping bag handy if you're not willing to spend extra money for lodging or taxis or other extra safeties in case hitching doesn't work. Sleeping in a train station on the border of Italy and France is much nicer if you have a sleeping bag.
––Figure out the best spot to begin hitching from. If you aren't in a good spot, you will not likely get picked up. Sometimes, though, if you're in a bad spot, some nice person may offer you a ride to a better hitching spot and may even help you ask for rides at a gas station and give you cookies.
––The closer you get to your final destination, the easier it is to get rides. It may do you well to learn the names of the cities between your departure and your destination city, maybe even put name of a city that is closer by on your sign. The less excuses you give people to not pick you up, the more likely they will be to stop. Also, if someone offers to drive you 60 or so KM but aren't going the full way, certainly consider accepting. The closer you get the better!
––Try to trust humanity a bit, even when things seem not to be working out. Often it isn't until you lose all hope that you'll watch that car slow down and ask where you're headed. They may only be able to take you 20 KM, but they'll tell you all about the landscape as you go (Pyranees to the west, Alps to the East, and vineyards vineyards vineyards ?!).
––Yes, you can almost definitely fit into that car. Yes, even with a giant backpack and a suitcase and a Mandolin and a shoulder bag.
––When train-hopping, make friends with crazy Italian ladies who help sneak you off the train after you've been caught without a ticket. She may even be able to tell you which bus to take to get to the Autoroute (highway) and give you delicious Italian almond dessert.
––If a car stops for you as you are walking down the side of the road and you don't have your thumb out, it is not, then, your fault if a biker runs into said stopped car and breaks the back windshield with his head. It's okay to scream if that happens, it is, indeed, very alarming. Offering water to the biker is a positive thing to do in such a situation, even though you don't speak Italian nor they English. Luckily, (hopefully) the owner of the car will get out and make sure the biker is alright (which he is, sans the few cuts on his face... thank god for helmets) and then still give you a ride to the autoroute. If all turns out okay in the end, allow yourself to laugh about it; that was a really crazy thing that just happened.
P.S. These tips may not be the best ones to follow, they're actually just my experiences traveling Europe (juuuuust in case you couldn't tell). It is probably best to do some of your own research about hitching before doing so, certainly do more than I did, which was none.
Enjoy the road!
–Try it. I'm aware that from the time we were young everyone and their aunt told you not to hitch-hike because if you did you would end up dead. While this is a possibility, as it is a possibility anytime you put your trust in people you've only just met (WWOOF, couch-surfing, hanging out with new people in a park...), I believe it is not as inevitable as we've been led to believe. Just, be aware of your gut and make smart decisions. You don't have to get in a car just because it stops, you still get to assess the situation. Hitch-hike during the day. And if you can, hitch with a friend. Even if you just have a short distance to go, hitch for the experience... just once to feel the exhilaration from human kindness and to meet some cool folks.
––Don't hitch-hike if you really need to get the morning after pill and you're in Italy where you need a prescription for it, and so you need to head to France or Switzerland for at least a couple hours. Hitch-hiking can take time, so if anything is time-sensitive, best not to rely on it. But, right outside the train station in Chiasso, Switzerland there are many pharmacies, but you'll have to take it in front of the pharmacist and attempt to answer questions about your sex life through a language barrier. Just go ahead and write that one down in "stories you'll tell about the stupid shit you did when you were younger."
––Hitch during the day. It is safer and much more pleasant to wait for rides in the sunlight.
––Don't be shy, especially if you're at a gas station. Ask people where they're going, as you never know... they could be going nearly the full 400 KM to Bordeaux that you need to traverse. Give yourself the chance to be lucky.
––Don't be passive. Apparently if you simply stand on the side with your thumb out and a sign, it takes much longer to be picked up than if you seem excited about the prospect of getting a ride. You may also want to invest in a duck hat and/or Mandolin.
––Give up at least 1.5 hours before the sun goes down, if it is winter and it is cold. You probably need that sunlight to find your way to a plan B (train station, hostel, cafe, airport).
––Have a plan B, and figure out how much time you need to enact that plan B. For example, if you're trying to go to Nice, France from Milan, Italy, remember that trains stopping running at night.
––If you are walking to your plan B and you're cold and you don't really know where (in Genova) you are, get on a city bus! They're going somewhere, eh? If you're feeling particularly desperate because the sun is gone and you don't know much of anything about where you are, ask some passengers where the bus goes and if they know how to get to the train station. They may just offer to lead you to the station.
––Have a sleeping bag handy if you're not willing to spend extra money for lodging or taxis or other extra safeties in case hitching doesn't work. Sleeping in a train station on the border of Italy and France is much nicer if you have a sleeping bag.
––Figure out the best spot to begin hitching from. If you aren't in a good spot, you will not likely get picked up. Sometimes, though, if you're in a bad spot, some nice person may offer you a ride to a better hitching spot and may even help you ask for rides at a gas station and give you cookies.
––The closer you get to your final destination, the easier it is to get rides. It may do you well to learn the names of the cities between your departure and your destination city, maybe even put name of a city that is closer by on your sign. The less excuses you give people to not pick you up, the more likely they will be to stop. Also, if someone offers to drive you 60 or so KM but aren't going the full way, certainly consider accepting. The closer you get the better!
––Try to trust humanity a bit, even when things seem not to be working out. Often it isn't until you lose all hope that you'll watch that car slow down and ask where you're headed. They may only be able to take you 20 KM, but they'll tell you all about the landscape as you go (Pyranees to the west, Alps to the East, and vineyards vineyards vineyards ?!).
––Yes, you can almost definitely fit into that car. Yes, even with a giant backpack and a suitcase and a Mandolin and a shoulder bag.
––When train-hopping, make friends with crazy Italian ladies who help sneak you off the train after you've been caught without a ticket. She may even be able to tell you which bus to take to get to the Autoroute (highway) and give you delicious Italian almond dessert.
––If a car stops for you as you are walking down the side of the road and you don't have your thumb out, it is not, then, your fault if a biker runs into said stopped car and breaks the back windshield with his head. It's okay to scream if that happens, it is, indeed, very alarming. Offering water to the biker is a positive thing to do in such a situation, even though you don't speak Italian nor they English. Luckily, (hopefully) the owner of the car will get out and make sure the biker is alright (which he is, sans the few cuts on his face... thank god for helmets) and then still give you a ride to the autoroute. If all turns out okay in the end, allow yourself to laugh about it; that was a really crazy thing that just happened.
P.S. These tips may not be the best ones to follow, they're actually just my experiences traveling Europe (juuuuust in case you couldn't tell). It is probably best to do some of your own research about hitching before doing so, certainly do more than I did, which was none.
Enjoy the road!
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| (Autostop means hitch-hike. Good spot, eh?) |
