2. Don't BE smelly (or thieving and murderous). You'll give us a bad name and people will make excuses to get you out of their car early.
3. Keep on smiling however fed up you're feeling- nobody is going to pick up a grumpy hitchhiker. If you have time, make a humorous sign to hold up to attract their attention.
4. Make sure you actually are good company once you get a lift. Ask lots of questions (in a non-interigatory fashion) to avoid awkward silences.
- 'Do you live around here?
- 'Do you like the area?'
- 'Do you see many hitchhikers around here?'
- 'Ever done any hitchhiking yourself?' -most people who pick you up will have done- hopefully it will spark them off on a story.
- 'What made you decide to stop?'
5. Stand at the beginning of a space long enough for cars to pull in off the road without being in danger of the car behind smashing into them. This is obviously particularly important on fast highways and don't even try to hitch from the massive freeways around city centers unless you want to die.
6. Don't stand in the road. I'm pretty sure it's illegal and even if not, just pretty damn stupid.
7. If you're having trouble getting a lift, be flexible. Is there a nearby town in another direction that it might be easier to get a lift from?
8. Be patient. You're getting a free ride- it's not supposed to be that easy.
9. Be safe! Mixed gender couples work best for maximum safety/amount of lifts, but two people is always better than one.
10. If you feel unsafe, ask them to stop... if they won't and you're really scared, one man suggested to us that we should slam the handbrake on and run in different directions. I'm not sure how cool I am condoning that- make sure there are no cars behind! Probably a better suggestion would be to either make, or pretend to make, a phonecall to somebody saying where you are. The emergency number is 000 here, but don't worry, you really wont need it!
For some detailed information have a look on- http://hitchwiki.org/en/Australia
10. If you feel unsafe, ask them to stop... if they won't and you're really scared, one man suggested to us that we should slam the handbrake on and run in different directions. I'm not sure how cool I am condoning that- make sure there are no cars behind! Probably a better suggestion would be to either make, or pretend to make, a phonecall to somebody saying where you are. The emergency number is 000 here, but don't worry, you really wont need it!
For some detailed information have a look on- http://hitchwiki.org/en/Australia
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| Phantom Falls, Lorne, Australia |
Great tips, thank you. In my opinion being a tramp on the road is good, but I agree that looking like one won't get you far. When I hitchhiked, I always ha something to give to people who gave me a lift. From food, to a postcard, and being a blogger I always asked if they were ok for me to share their name on the blog. It's very important to leave a good impression behind, so that people stop for others afterwards.
ReplyDeleteAlso, indeed, most people who stopped for me ha a few great hitchhiking stories to tell too.
All the best in 2014!
Yeah, I couldn't agree more, little gifts are a great idea. We usually tried to bye them a drink or something too. Hitchhiking isn't as popular as it used to be in many places and people don't trust us, so it's great to give off a good impression! Happy New Year!
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