How long to hitchhike

He drove us out of the ferry and through Calais, which is a pretty dangerous city with a lot of immigrants trying to make their way to England through the port. Unfortunately, a miscommunication after a stop at a service station caused our truck driver to accidentally or so we thought leave without us.

We almost got stuck in Calais for the night. By some miracle, a French university student was passing through the service station on his way to Paris, and he agreed to take us along. He ended up being one of the best drivers of our trip.

Not only did he give us a midnight tour of Paris upon our arrival, but he also let us stay the night in his apartment. It was incredibly hospitable, especially given the fact that the Charlie Hebdo shootings had rocked the city just a week earlier. Our third day on the road took us to some obscure corners of France.

One amazingly kind lady drove us six hours from Paris down to Royan, a gorgeous city on France's West coast. She then paid for us to join her on the ferry from Royan to Soulac-Sur-Mer, where she lived. The detour cost us a bit of time, but the beauty of the setting and the incredible generosity of our driver were too good to pass up. She's over 3, miles away from the real thing, but she's a perfectly accurate replica.

This little Lady Liberty was a reminder of the relationship between France and the United States, and an example of the awesome and random things you come across when you take the time to explore smaller corners of the globe. Our hostel in Bordeaux on our third night cost us about 11 Euros each, and we got exactly what we didn't pay for. The room was clean enough, but the bathroom was somehow lacking a door, and the toilet was a little But we felt safe, and appreciated a good night's sleep.

Having spent so little money on our journey so far, Jakob and I decided to treat ourselves to a nice dinner in Bordeaux. Wandering into a cozy neighborhood restaurant, we were immediately greeted by an enthusiastic waiter, who informed us in broken English that "truffle season was upon us," and the restaurant was offering a three-course truffle dinner for about 30 Euros.

Paired with some amazing red wine, it was one of the best meals of my life. Around noon on day 4, we finally entered Spain near San Sebastian. A van driver from Latvia brought us through the breathtaking green mountains of Basque Country as he transported rubber for tire making. At one point, he asked me to take some pictures of the rolling scenery with his phone so that he could show his young daughter some of the highlights of his route.

As Jakob and I neared Madrid in the evening, temperatures dropped significantly and snow began to fall along the roadside. We thought we were going to be greeted by warm Spanish sun, but it was actually colder in the Madrid area than it had been in France! Hitchhiking in Iran. Discover Broke Backpacker Travel Secrets! I consent to my personal information being processed in accordance with The Broke Backpackers Privacy Policy Required.

Sign Me Up! Table of Contents Show. Top Tips for Happy Hitching. Hitchhiking amigos in Pakistan. Hitching a ride in a pickup in Guatemala. View on World Nomads. Support the Site. Will Hatton. Blogger and entrepreneur. Adventurer and vagabond. Master of the handstand pushup. Conqueror of mountains, survivor of deserts, and crusader for cheap escapades. Will has been on the road for more than a decade, travelling to far-flung lands on a shoestring budget.

He is passionate about self-development and finding meaning and strength through personal challenges. Currently, Will is based in Bali where he has opened his first hostel - Tribal Hostel! And his mantra? Growth begins at the edges of your comfort zone. Hitchhiking is a mental sport, and planning in enough time will allow you to enjoy the road and keep your head in the right place. Hitchhiking means making a connection with a person driving by, convincing him or her to stop.

To best do this, make sure drivers can see the 'whites of your eyes'. Remove sunglasses and keep your hat higher on your head. Smile while you look at the oncoming cars. If you are looking a different direction or your head is down it is easy for drivers to pass by without relating to you. If you cannot see the person in the car, just look at the windshield where a face should be. Focus on each car until it passes. If traffic is light, let your gaze follow each car expectantly.

If there is too much traffic, pay attention to each nearby car for a moment. If you are walking in between cars, be sure to turn and face cars when you hear them approach. The more you do this, the less time you will wait for rides. A personal approach, as my panhandler knew, makes one feel less anonymous, more responsible. On the chance that they want to interact with you, it is great if you can meet them there in a friendly engaged place. Some hints on how to start conversations are listed under hitching etiquette.

Also talking with drivers is the one of the best ways to get longer rides or better drop off places. Have a list of open questions ready: 'Where have you come from today? How long have you been driving trucks? What made you decide to buy this car? Don't be afraid to say a simple 'Thanks for picking me up, it's kind of you.

Some drivers are just shy humanists. Don't underestimate the energy this requires if you do long distances, " for one of the biggest troubles hitchhiking is having to talk to innumerable people, make them feel that they didn't make a mistake picking you up, even entertain them almost, all of which is a great strain when you're going all the way and don't plan to sleep in hotels " Jack Kerouac, On The Road.

If it's hot, choose a hitchhiking spot where you can get some shade, in case you have to wait for some hours. If it's wet, drivers may feel sorry for you, and choose to help you out.

No-one likes a soggy hitchhiker in their car, so keep an umbrella handy. Better: stay dry at a petrol station. Thunderstorms are a blessing. If, during a dry day, you notice that a thunderstorm is coming, don't worry. When the storm hits you, keep you and your possessions under an umbrella and keep signalling.

Drivers will feel very sorry for you, and many will stop for you. While waiting on the roadside, Tom was hit by three thunderstorms in , all of which got him a ride in less than ten minutes.

The best example was in Cologne - after waiting for two hours without a ride offer, a storm came and there were three offers in five minutes took the third one, it was a short ride and at the next petrol station another ride came within two minutes.

Although this may seem to be a small matter, types and colour of clothing are very important. Try to wear light, even bright and colourful clothes, and have your non-thumbing hand visible since light coloured clothes inspire more trust than darker clothes.

Also, if the weather permits it, try to keep your forearms visible. If people can see your hands and arms, they'll be less likely to see you as a threat, or as someone trying to conceal something.

If you have the option, wear clothes that area clean and decent, even if you've been traveling for days. It's worth keeping a clean 'travel tee' handy just for sitting in the car with your driver. Conservative people only take well shaved guys with proper clothes. Liberal-minded people always take you, but even conservative or old people can be very helpful on your trip.

I don't think this is of overwhelming importance. Avoid wearing black. Not really, it had positive impact in comparison with a similar trip some time before on one of my over-Europe hikes where I got on road wearing completely black clothes.

Even women were picking me up regularly on that trip. Even having a smart black shirt could keep you stuck in one place for a long time. Some have found that caps might have a negative impact. Though Simon from Sweden , with shaved head and beard found it much easier wearing a cap always, because people seem to be afraid of people with shaved heads.

Black or blue woolly hats are awful too. If the weather permits, wear light coloured shorts and a bright colourful t-shirt or a smart short sleeved shirt. Although you may have no choice on whether you have luggage, some hold that hitching without luggage is quicker as the driver knows you're not concealing anything. But some drivers think that carrying a backpack makes you more of a traveler and will only pick up people with backpacks e. Guaka and amylin experienced this in New Zealand. Making your traveling backpack visible could prove to be an advantage as you will have more chances of not being perceived as a threat, as it is harder to run away with so much weight in case you steal or damage something.

It's bright, colourful and is a universal symbol of hope and peace. The amount of times drivers have said that is the reason they picked him up is astounding!

Just using your thumb or a hand gesture will work fine for hitchhiking, but in most cases, the use of a sign will increase your odds.

Especially when you're hitchhiking on a road that goes to plenty of destinations. The driver will be more likely to stop if he knows that you're going the same way he does, and it makes you look like a "proper" hitchhiker.

You can write your destination on the sign, but if you're going from Barcelona to Amsterdam, consider writing Paris, or just Perpignan. Few people will be going to Amsterdam or even Paris, directly.

There's a dilemma, though, because if the destination you write is too close, you won't make good time, and if it's too far, nobody will be heading all the way there and so won't feel confident in stopping for you. A good solution to this is to simply use your direction of travel, e. You can also add the road name. It often helps if you write the sign in the same language as the drivers you're trying to attract.

If you can show some affinity to the drivers' country, it usually increases your chances of a lift. If you want to make a sign in a language that you don't know, try asking drivers or petrol station staff for help. At the same time, avoid the middle of a highway. An optimistic soldier in Iraq. Photo by James A. Hitchhikers debate the usefulness of a sign. The benefit is obvious: you're communicating where you want to go. This is especially useful if, a few kilometers down the road, the road forks into two equally popular directions.

The downside of signs is that someone in California may say, "But I'm not going to Florida. I'm only going to Texas, so I won't pick him up. A smile takes you a long way. Photo credit: Shutterstock.

Dressing in camo gear is going to add a couple of hours to your wait time. Photo credit The more beard you have, the longer you're going to have to wait. So if you want a quick pick up, shave.

Similarly, wear the best, cleanest clothes you have. And shower. I've picked up a few smelly hitchhikers. It's no fun.