Comments on: Travel Like Your Grandfather: How to Hitchhike Around the USA

By: jerry

jerry — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 19:38:23 +0000

I hitched a lot while a teenager and in the “Corps”. The only trouble I ever had was with homosexuals. I just asked them to allow me out and went on to the next ride. Now , I wouldn’t hitch alone or with out a weapon.

By: Chris

Chris — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 16:17:56 +0000

I’ve hitchhiked locally and there are two important things I’d tell anyone: Have a friendly, partial smile on your face and carry a sign with your destination on it. Even if you want to go further, know what city is in that direction and negotiate a longer trip once you’re in the car if the situation feels right. People are much more likely to pick up a person they feel has a purpose and that they can trust.

By: Jeremy

Jeremy — Sat, 11 May 2013 14:58:58 +0000

I have a question before I keep thinking of where I should start. I have been thing about this a very long time and would like to know where and a good time to start my adventure. I am looking to just drop myself at a random place and start. I have no place planned to go and would like to keep it like that. Travel the back roads, not the usual spots people travel. Hey, maybe there would be a place out there in the middle of nowhere I would like to stop and settle down for a while. Not looking to just travel to a spot I plan to get to before I start the trip. Oh, and what is a good amount of money to start with? And what are the most important things to bring with me that will not weigh me down so much? Looking to be out and about for 6-8 months, maybe more. Hope to hear about this from some of you.

By: Mounira

Mounira — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 12:58:17 +0000

I’m a hitchhiker girl, I live in Rabat, it’s not easy, nor safe, but sometimes I’m obliged to, when I don’t have enough money or no money at all, I always hitch for little distance rides in the city. I do them cuz I know the city very well. I never do it in an other city, I hope I will never be, kidnapped, kiled or raped !!!

By: bryanpaul

bryanpaul — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 15:27:35 +0000

nice lil article

“Definitely don’t smoke, drink, or do any illegal activities.”
hahahaha sorry but i used to love standin on the exit ramp sippin a cold one and maybe burnin a doob(in CA anyway)

By: jp

jp — Sun, 17 Jun 2012 07:24:18 +0000

I hitched for my first time 7 days after I graduated highschool. Went 130 miles with a great guy though the eastern Oregon high desert. Would definitely so it again.

By: pushbuttonkitty

pushbuttonkitty — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 16:22:55 +0000

i hitched across the US in the 90s at age 19, spending close to a year on the road. being female i obviously had different obstacles, and frankly i’d be horrified if my daughter tried it, but i am certainly glad i did it because i learned a lot about myself and other people.

one thing you have to be prepared for is the dirtiness. it seemed like after only a day on the road i felt like i hadn’t showered in a year. i could have kicked myself for not bringing anything to clean under my nails with because they got grungy fast. i learned how to bathe in gas station bathrooms. i learned that people who pick you up want to talk. if they wanted to be alone, they wouldn’t be offering a ride. be prepared to be congenial. i also learned that you have to be aware of where you’re going. falling asleep in a stranger’s car is a very bad idea. and it also seemed that the nicer the car, and the better dressed the driver, the more likely they were to be a grabby sleaze. i actually quit taking rides from guys in nice cars and started holding out for the wreckers. they actually tended to be the nicest and have the most interesting stories. you hold your pack on your lap and don’t be afraid to just get out at a red light or a stop sign if things feel weird. and don’t think safety rules apply just to girlies, a man can be overcome by a perv just as easily as a female can, if said perv is determined enough. a personal note- i wish, more than anything, that i’d carried a notebook and pencil with me on my travels so i could take notes in the moment instead of trying to go back and scrape the memories together into something coherent.

By: kk

kk — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 14:39:47 +0000

Hitchhiking is a great way to celebrate holiday: only nice people stop for you!

In yaers of hitchhiking in Europe and Asia, and in picking up hitchhikers, I did have some encounters with very friendly and very drunk people, the occasional touchy feely type, but I have never met aggression or vilolence. In that respect, public transport and self-drive is much more dangerous.
Top tip: let your host arrange the next ride, or accommodation to stay the night. You’ll have some great encounters.
Oh, and please leave the hidden weapons at home: nobody can kill you with your own good wits, but theu can kill you with your own weapon!

By: Dopple

Dopple — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 20:46:02 +0000

I have hitch hiked in:
Canada
USA
New Zealand
Belize
Mexico
Guatemala

Never had a problem. Always nice to have your own camping gear with you as well. Been left in the middle of no where before and needed to sleep in a field. Jar of peanut butter doesnt hurt ether

By: Scott

Scott — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 14:48:35 +0000

Then again…

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/9325298/Hitchhiker-writing-Kindness-of-America-book-shot-in-drive-by.html