Budget transportation – hitchhiking

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Hitch-hiking

There are more benefits of hitch-hiking than just the fact that you can travel thousands of kilometres for free. Many a time a free ride was just the beginning of a wonderful day spent in the company of hospitable locals who invited us to their houses to feed and accommodate us for free. Many a time hitch-hiking let us discover places none of the guidebooks mentioned and let us meet people we would never have met in other circumstances. And what we most appreciate about hitch-hiking is the freedom it gives you. You don’t have to queue up to buy any tickets, you can get up at any time you want and do it for as long as you want. No commitment, you are the captain of your ship. And finally, hitch-hiking lets you see and discover things from a completely different, much closer perspective.

Useful links:

Why hitch-hike – get to know other reasons why we think hitch-hiking superior to all the other ways of travelling.
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Basic rules of the thumb – some handy advice to help you get started
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Crossing borders while hitch-hiking – crossing borders need not be a stressful experience. Here are some handy instructions to help you on your way
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When things go wrong – prevention is key and spotting trouble before it starts is the best way to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience
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Country guides – find the country in which you want to hitch-hike
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hitchwiki.org – find a perfect spot for hitch-hiking anywhere in the world; you can also add your own locations

As hitch-hiking is an unofficial means of transport, it is important to get the first-hand perspectives, tips and accounts of people who’ve been doing it for years. Therefore if you want to start hitch-hiking, we recommend reading about it on blogs, run by people who know the business well.

Below we present a list of interesting hitch-hiking blogs worth reading:

harebeat.com (in English) – run by Armenian Wanderer, the blog is an account of his travels (Armenia, Siberia, China, Kazakhstan, Southeast Asia, Russia, Ukraine and Moldova) and his life on the road. Very intriguing character with a witty style and riveting stories.
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ewelinalucy.blogspot.com.es (in English) – run by a brave independent female hitch-hiker, who’s travelled across Europe and Northern Africa. What she cherishes the most “is the opportunity to get to know people she might have otherwise never met; to talk with locals that live along the roads she hitchhikes; to discover places that have not yet became attractions spoiled by hordes of tourists, to practise all four foreign languages she speaks”.
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agirlandherthumb.wordpress.com (in English) – run by Jo Magpie who has been vagabonding about in the world for the past three years. She has always wanted to go to Iran, but somehow the winds have blown her in circles and loop-the-loops around Europe and Turkey. Jo travels mostly by thumb, often alone and without a destination. She is allergic to aeroplanes and meat, but not other people who use them.
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talesofthehitch.blogspot.com.es (in English) – Milton Schorr is a writer based in Cape Town, South Africa, with a passion for hitchhiking that started as a teenager. Nowadays he likes to go on a hitching trip roughly once a year.
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hitchhikeamerica.wordpress.com (in English) – run by Tim Shey who has been hitchhiking the United States for 16 years. He’s got BA in English Literature, and has had two books published: “High Plains Drifter: A Hitchhiking Journey Across America” (2008) and “The First Time I Rode a Freight Train & other hitchhiking stories” (2012), which you can find on Amazon.
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hitchhikingguru.com (in English) – blog run by Kurt Provost, a hitch-hiker with 5 years experience.
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autostopem-przez-zycie.pl (in Polish) – An interesting hitch-hiking blog run by Przemek Skokowski, who’s hitch-hiked across Europe, Caucasus and the Middle East. Very gripping posts from the road.
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autexousious.wordpress.com (in English) – run by Tasha, an open-minded and curious, female hitch-hiker and couchsurfer.
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worldway.pl (in Polish) – run by an optimistic Polish student Paula Fijało.

If you also run a hitch-hiking blog, let us know. We’d love to get in touch with other hitch-hiking fellows. If we like your work, you will get a link on our list!

written by: Ania

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