Evening all. So I'm off hitchhiking on Monday morning, and am thoroughly looking forward to it. I'm travelling across Europe, from my home in London all the way to Rijeka in Croatia. I'll be passing through 6 different countries, France, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Slovenia and eventually reaching Croatia, 5 of which I've never been to before. I'll be travelling with my best mate, and a friend of his that I've never met for charity, so wish me luck.

I was just wondering what sort of experience these boards had with what I'd call a dying art. Whether anyone here has hitchhiked themselves, and what kind of experience they had with it. Whether anyone here has ever picked up a hitchhiker. And whether anyone has any tips for me and my friends who are about to try something that none of us have ever done before.

Also, happy Easter.

Try not to get murdered <3

I have never picked up a hitchhiker,

I have hitchhiked myself a few times, but just short distances across town. When I was younger and going to bars I used to just decide I was done and leave and start walking home without telling anyone I was with that I was leaving. On a few of those occasions I hitchhiked and got a ride.

Never got murdered.

Sup baby, I'll take you for a ride if you ride me.

Wait, you're a man? Well.....just don't make noise.

Serious response: I'd never consider hitchhiking unarmed, knife or gun. Seriously, world is full of terrible people.

ohh that sounds fun
i only hitchhiked once with a friend, would probably do it more if i was a guy haha

I imagine being a tiger makes it hard for people to be willing to pick you up.

Don't think I ever would go hitchhiking longer distances like that, I wish you luck though, I'm sure it'll be an interesting journey!

Is this some kind of challenge or something, seeing as you're going for charity aswell?

3 people is a bit of a crowd. You're probably less likely to get rides with that many people.

I've never hitch-hiked. I quite like my liberty, so being locked in a Texan's basemant with a gag in my mouth is not how I dreamed of my life turning out.

But srlsy, good luck, it sounds like and awesome trip if all goes well.

Probably a bad idea.

Yeah, this might be a problem. When I hitchhiked with my friends we always split into pairs and only met at certain points (and obviously at our destination).

Last summer I hitchiked all the way across my country. It was fun, I met some nice people and we didn't really have any major trouble finidng people willing to pick us up. It's still very luck-dependant, though - my friend spent several hours waiting for someone to stop, when I was picked up almost immediately on the same road a while earlier. I noticed it actually helps if you're a girl. People are more willing to trust you, I guess they don't expect you to put a knife to their throats or something It was fine as long as I was travelling with a male friend - I'm not sure if I'd risk going completely alone.

I never tried hitchiking abroad. One of my friends did, he went to Spain - passed through Germany and France on his way, but I don't know how it went so I can't give you any advice. He didn't get murdered though

Yup, two's about all that's feasible. Get ready for long waits.

I've picked up a few hitchhikers. None of which will ever do it again.

You'll be fine as long as you don't panic and remember to carry a towel.

http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-robert-rhoades-trucker,0,4130372.story

Remember, if you want get anywhere, you gotta' follow the unwritten Book of the Road. And the first page of it is this: you have to give the driver a little...incentive.

Hitchhiking is a great way to end up dead or a hostage. You should use public or private transportation instead.

I hitched a ride once...

It seemed harmless enough as the driver was an elderly man driving a Mercedes. But about five minutes in he begins to question me about [ ... ] (can't mention on this forum). I pulled my knife and politely asked for him to drop me off asap. I exited at a gas station in Kearny Mesa 10 miles from home. It was a long hike back to the house.

Pretty sure we both left that motorized interlude thankful for a "no harm no foul" conclusion.




Or have to suffer through really bad poetry.

I think the OP should postpone the trip until May 25th for better luck.

There was a time when hitchhiking was seen as a bit less dangerous. Not that I ever did it. Never picked a hitcher up either, especially after I saw that 80's movie The Hitcher.

I read this great blog article recently about hitching from a guy who used to do it all the time (probably in the 60's) and now never does. I wish I could remember where I saw it, it was a fun read.

Anyway, the risks probably vary a little from country to country/region to region. But yeah, 3 is a bit of crowd for someone to want to stop for. Could make the journey kinda slow. But I will wish you good luck, safety, and fun.

ehh be careful O_o

An American Werewolf in London ..

that is all .. good luck

I have never hitchhiked, nor would I ever stop and pick up a hitchhiker. I'm pretty sure most Americans are pretty well turned off that entire idea from horror movies, and/or just flat our true horror stories of either the hitchhiker or the person picking them up being a psycho and murdering them or [censored] them. Not my idea of a good time, so I'll never do it, no matter how innocuous seeming a person appears to be.

Hitchhiking, the number one way to lose your virginity.

I've always wanted to. Odds are if someone picks you up, they must have a remotely interesting life. I've travelled in buses before and have had good talks. However I'm fine talking or not talking.

Hitchhikers and hitchhikees can be dangerous because they are strangers. Most hitchhikers just need a ride to a specific place because they have no means of transportation. When I was younger my step-father gave this man a ride, me and my older brother were in the backseat. He was a nice person and he was really down on his luck.

He tagged along with us for about 40 miles, then he was where he needed to be.

My uncle came across a hitchhiker in the early 80s and he told me this story. He sees the guy holding out his thumb on the side of a busy highway and my uncle decided to pick him up. Once the dude is in the passenger seat he seemed like an okay person.

They were talking for a few minutes when all of the sudden the guy pulls out a handgun and aims it toward my uncle, the car was stopped at that moment and the thief had it open. My uncle slams on the gas and kicks the guy out of the passenger seat onto the side of the road. He kept on going for quite some time, never saw the guy again.