Hitchhiking how to from a man with 2,000 miles under his belt.

Step 4: Scoping your ride

Now, a car has stopped, walk up to the passenger window, and scope out the ride. Is it a man or woman? How many other people are in the car? Are they drinking? Does it smell like weed in the car? Do you get a gut feeling that this person or persons may be dangerous? If so, don't take a ride.

90% or the time, you are going to get a smoker as a ride. If there is an open container in the car, or these people have been smoking weed, just say "Sorry, I was using this as a sign so my Sister/brother/Girlfriend/boyfriend could see me". Its as easy as that.

The best sign in my experiences to getting a safe ride is if they are a little suspicious of you. This signifies that they will watch you and you can watch them.

Make sure before you get in the car that you ask them where they're going, if it isn't in the direction you want to go, just say "Oh sorry, I'm not heading that way. Peace"

Comments

[DIWhacked]

I've picked up a few hitchers, and my advice would be to watch for the "no hitchhiking inside city limits signs. Sorry but even if I want to, I won't stop, because cops tend to watch those areas on the edge of the city on main roads. In Canada, if you have anything illegal on you, the driver becomes an accessory to your crime, so most people won't stop. And if you smell like weed or look strung out (more than just tired) I'll tell you "sorry, not today", However if you are sitting on the side of the road with a book, I'll be more sympathetic. call it a stereotype, but it works Also, stay visible, I've passed a few people that I just didn't have time to react to. Stay light, I drive a small car and carry a lot of extra crap, if you can't keep it on your lap, I might not stop And ask me where the best places to look for rides are, I've picked people up, only to drop them at the next town 20 minutes later because of either the reputation of the town they were near, or the type of people that live there. ie, I'll drive someone from a commuter community to a small town that all truck drivers, and people on long trips stop in. Don't turn down a short ride from a local who can get you to a better spot. As for truckers, be polite, offer to buy lunch, and you might have a ride. they are at work, and owe you nothing. Oh and make sure you are on the right road, if your sign says you are heading east, and I'm in the west bound lane.... stay safe, trust your gut, and fair winds to you all

[reangerer]

As an addition, when I was a little we'd only pick up walking hitchhikers, the theory being if you're willing to make an effort, so am I.

[Golddogs]

yep, dangerous hobby. I was hitching in the 80's, a black van pulled over, I ran up to it, the back door slid open and 4 or 5 biker types tried to grab me. I jumped backwards then ran rearward past the back, a car pulled over and the guy was like- get in, get in, get in!!! In a split second I judged him to be safe and hopped in. He told me they had been harassing cars for the last 10 miles. Who knows what they would have done. Vans are a red flag, you can't tell if anyone is hiding in back. I put my thumb down as a van comes by and flag them on if they pull over. The less people in the car the better, women are better. Best thing to when approaching a car from behind is do a wide loop and kinda come at them from a bit forward of the side mirror so you can see their face and how many are in the car. Don't get close at first. Don't be afraid to bail if you get a bad feeling. Anyone that is a safe person will not give you crap for bailing. if they want you to sit in the front then sit side ways for a while till you get to know who is behind you. Don't put your backpack/bag in the car first, they could take off with it. Sit in the seat then pull it onto or over you. ...If they insist you put it in the trunk or back seat tell them you keep it with you at all times. They don't like that then don't take the ride.

[gnargnar]

what about truck stops? it seems like truckers would be pretty down. also, what about hopping freights? i'm trying to do all of these things to get from cali to florida, new york, and washington later this year so this was very helpful.

[Mr Mild Mannered]

I never had any luck with truck stops myself, but I've been told that its actually one of the best places to get a ride (they go a long ways). I'm actually planning to do some freight hopping within the next 6 years, but then you have to mess with the station bulls, and a group of freight hoppers who are very territorial, and I have heard that you'll get the tar beaten out of you by them if they don't like you.

[gnargnar]

everything i've read says that people on the rails are super nice, because they're doing the same thing as you. and dealing with the bull can't be much worse than dealing with cops it seems. www.thespoon.com/trainhop is really helpful

[Mosh]

Depending on the country you're in, it can be difficult getting truck rides. In the UK, it's a sackable offence for them to take hitchers (or any other passenger) on board. Something to do with insurance I think. This doesn't mean they *won't* pick you up (I've had two rides from truckers) but that it's quite unlikely.

Another issue is distance. If you're trying to hitch from, say, Adelaide to Perth in Australia you'll be hard pushed. The trucks drive non-stop (it's over 24 hours) so the spare seat is usually taken up by a second driver.