Hitchhiking is a very interesting and unusual type of travel around the world. There are people who even hitchhike around the world! Moving around the countries in this way, you can immerse yourself in local life, get to know the inhabitants and learn a lot about the places of travel. But don't forget that hitchhikers also need visas to other countries.
Instructions
Step 1
The first step is to carefully prepare for your trip. Plan your route roughly. The longer your trip, the more likely you will change your plans a little on the road. But you must have an initial route, it is very useful to have it. Also buy road maps for your area. Sometimes it is easier to purchase them while driving at gas stations or roadside stores (for example, in America or Europe). It can be convenient to use the navigator on your phone, but it can be discharged. Hitchhikers also plan the route in terms of stops along the way - after all, you need to spend the night somewhere.
Step 2
Try not to take too many things with you. It happens that hitchhikers have to cover considerable distances on foot, for example, to reach a position convenient for hitchhiking or to bypass a junction where cars cannot stop. A heavy backpack will tire you a lot. Still, do not forget about the presence of a minimum supply of food, and water with you should be at the rate of about one day.
Step 3
To stop the ride, extend your hand and lift your index finger up. This is an international gesture of hitchhikers accepted all over the world. Do not try to vote like in the city, waving your hand up and down. In the language of hitchhikers, such "travelers" are called seals because of the similarity in gestures. Savvy drivers will never believe that you are traveling long distances if they see a seal gesture.
Step 4
Vote where it will be convenient for cars to stop. To understand what these places are, it will not be superfluous to remember the rules of the road and the meaning of the signs. Do not create emergencies by your presence on the sidelines.
Step 5
Try to look clean and tidy. If a traveler creates the impression of a homeless and unwashed person, then the number of drivers willing to let him into the cabin of their car will greatly decrease.
Step 6
As soon as the car has stopped, ask if the driver will give you a lift if he is on the way. Explain right away that you are hitchhiking, not for money, because this point is not always obvious to drivers. In no case should you promise money and not pay it later.
Step 7
Talk to the driver on the road. Many of them take fellow travelers on a long journey so as not to get bored. Some even pick up hitchhikers because they are afraid to fall asleep, because they have to drive for a very long time. If you are traveling in another country and do not know the language, then try to communicate with the driver with gestures. But it's not worth imposing either. If you understand that the driver is not interested in the conversation (he could have decided to give you a lift not for the sake of communication, but simply to do a good deed), then you do not need to rattle about incessantly.
Step 8
Remember that the car is not yours, so you should behave in accordance with someone else's rules. Don't smoke without permission. Do not insist if the driver does not want to open the window or turn on the music. If you really do not like something, then it is better to go out and catch another car.
Step 9
You can spend the night while hitchhiking either right on the road in the places you like in a tent, stopping into cities and staying with friends and acquaintances or in hotels and hostels. Usually, hitchhikers plan settlements or approximate places for the night in advance, but it happens that they are picked up by local drivers who invite travelers to visit and leave them to spend the night.
