Many of us have spent a lot of time thinking about how we would get home if things hit the fan while we are away from home, and hitchhiking hasn’t been on top of the list. The majority of us would have our vehicle there to hopefully drive ourselves back. What many people have not spent much time thinking about is how they would get home if the car wouldn’t start, if the car broke down on the way home, or if you had flown to a location and can’t get a flight back. I want to share my experiences that could be useful to some of the readers.
Dangerous
Disclaimer: I do not suggest using these methods unless necessary. They could be extremely dangerous. The risks should be weighed, and the decision should be made after much thought and prayer.
Who I Am
Let me tell you who I am. I’m a college student attending a school for gunsmithing. I attend a college that is three hours away from my parents’ home. Previous to starting college here, I bought and sold cars. After starting college, I still had one back home that needed to be sold. I decided to bring it back to sell here and decided to hitchhike back, to avoid anyone having to make the six hour round trip. It was not the safest or best idea to make, but I took precautions and tried to be careful.
My Hitchhiking Adventure
In my hitchhiking adventure, I started my trip back after getting out of class at the end of the week. Having never done this before, I soon learned that it is much harder than in the movies. I had a small sign that I tried a few different things on. At first I didn’t have much luck. A classmate brought me the first 30 minutes of the trip and dropped me off. I walked about a mile to the interstate where I waited for around two hours before I got the first ride.
People Scared to Pick Up Hitchhikers
I learned quickly that people are understandably scared to pick up hitchhikers. I originally wore a hat and sunglasses but soon learned that I needed to take these off. People want to see who they are picking up before they pull over.
My sign said things like going home from school or the name of my hometown. I soon learned that I had better luck without it. I just needed to stand by the road with a smile on my face. The best way to do this is in an area that has a view of you before and then a spot to pull over after, preferably in an area like a turn or a stop sign where they have to slow down and have the opportunity the think about it and get a good look at you.
Big Smile
The big thing that I learned was to keep a smile on your face. This made people much more likely to pick you up. Also, it is important to look clean, happy, and not have much baggage. People are more likely to pick you up if you do not look homeless.
Plan To Make Camp
It is important to remember that if you choose to do this to have a plan to make camp somewhere. I soon learned that after dark most people to not want to pick up a hitchhiker. If you are trying to do this nonstop until you get to your destination, then you will become tired and willing to get in the car with anyone that offers. When a person pulls over, approach slowly where they can see your hands. Do not get right in but approach the passenger window. I would speak to them a moment first, so that I could get a feel of who I was getting in the car with.
Don’t Be Afraid of Turning Down Rides
Do not be afraid of turning down rides. It is better to do this than to get in the car with someone you feel uncomfortable about. Regardless, this still can be dangerous. Many of the people who pick of hitchhikers have been in the situation themselves. This means they at least previously were homeless or had a drug or alcohol problem.
Not Look Like Most Hitchhikers
What I found was that a few of the people that picked me up had never picked up a hitchhiker before. I believe this was because I did not look like most hitchhikers. I looked like a college student with my backpack. Everyone that picked me up was very friendly and often offered food or water. I had my own food and water, so I did not except anything.
After Dark
After it got dark, I noticed that a lot less people were willing to pick me up. I think a lot of this had to do with them not being able to see what I looked like as well. After dark I tried to be much more careful. At one point I had a man and his girlfriend pick me up. They were very friendly and offered the ride, so I accepted. After riding for a little bit, I learned that they had been drinking. Rather than get out, I stayed in the car. I probably should have gotten out but chose to ride to the exit they were getting off at rather than get out on the side of the interstate. Then, from there I found that there was not much traffic. I ended up walking to the next exit and was able to get a ride.
The next ride was similar to the first; he was very friendly, but I realized soon on that he had also been drinking. He dropped me off at a well-lit gas station and told me to be careful.
Decision To Carry
On my trip, I made the decision to carry. This is a decision you will have to make on your own. If it is legal in your state, there are still other risks you are taking. One person asked if I had a knife in my bag. I admitted I did. I was also carrying my concealed weapon as well that was not asked about.
Later in the Night
Later in the night I had a man ask me to lift my shirt up and spin around before I got into the car. At this point I had been walking for 12 or 13 miles. I explained that I was carrying and that everything was legal. He looked at me clearly thinking, then said if I wanted a ride he would give me one, but I had to unload the gun. I thought about it and decided that he wasn’t a threat, and I unloaded. Although I kept possession of my weapon, he wanted to hold the magazine. (A backup mag and weapon are both a good idea, preferably in pocket carry, which is what I chose.) This ride ended up being the sketchiest.
After speaking and driving no more than a mile, the man handed me the magazine back and apologized. He said he was just being paranoid. (Now he did pick me up at 3 am on a dark entrance ramp, so I can’t really blame him.)
When he handed the magazine back, he started telling me how he was robbed only a week before. As he rambled on about the things that they stole out of his car, I became suspicious. He listed a large amount of electronics, a gun, and a few other valuables. Then he said they stole his drugs. At this point, I knew it was time to get out of the car. After he finished explaining what was stolen, he turned to look at me as he drove down the road. He asked, “Would you like to buy some crystal meth?” For the life of me, I couldn’t keep a straight face and started laughing, but he was serious. After I explained to him I don’t do that type of thing, he went on about how I should never try it. He dropped me off at the gas station and then asked me to please not call the police on him. After assuring him I wouldn’t, I thanked him and got out.
Lessons Learned
- Make sure that you have the gear to spend the night somewhere.
- Try to make yourself look clean and well taken care of.
- Do not wear sunglasses or a hat. People need to see who they are offering a ride to.
- Try to make sure you are waiting in an area where the cars pass slowly and have somewhere to pull over at just past you.
- Make sure that you have a good pair of walking shoes; you are probably going to need them.
- Carry plenty of water and some food. You do not know when you will have to opportunity to get more.
- Refill your water bottle every time you get the chance. Although they are heavy, you do not know when the next chance to refill will be.
- Plan for blisters. A little moleskin could have been helpful.
- A rain jacket is a good idea, as well as cold weather gear, if it will get cold at night. Again, you should plan on spending the night somewhere.
- Extra socks would not be a bad idea. If you do much walking, you are going to probably sweat. It could help prevent blisters.
- Make sure that you know the route to go, as well as have a map and not just a phone.
- Don’t carry any unnecessary weight. I was used to walking a lot more miles than I did, but walking on asphalt is much harder on your feet than dirt.
Moral of the Story
The moral of the story is, do not hitchhike unless you must. It can be dangerous, and you do not know who you are getting into the car with. As previously stated, you do not have to get in the car with anyone you feel uncomfortable with. You were walking before, and you can keep walking after.
This article is written to lay out my experiences and pass it on to the readers so they do not need to do this to learn. This shouldn’t be done unless there isn’t much choice. The risks must be evaluated. If something has happened, there could be a calm before the storm, in which case everyone needs to get home before things get worse. If you are on vacation or at a business conference on the other side of the country, this could be your only option of getting home other than walking, after things hit the fan. This is not the safest way to get home and will only be more dangerous after SHTF.
I cannot suggest that anyone hitchhike now, and it will only get worse then. Sometimes hard choices have to be made, and it is good to be as knowledgeable as possible about any that you may have to make.
SurvivalBlog Writing Contest
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Round 76 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.
I live in a rural area with no public transportation except for taxis-that charge $40 for a one way trip to the town that has the government offices and a few big box stores. I noticed that it is usually the same people hitchiking (obviously locals). I sometimes pick them up on my way to town. I roll down the passenger window and ask them where they are going-sometimes they are not going where I am going (maybe those are the ones that don’t live in the area?) so I will tell them I can take them a few miles down the road. Most of the time they will take the ride-sometimes they say they will wait for someone that’s going further than I can take them. Some of them are kinda sketchy (maybe on government assistance?). They are usually very appreciative of the ride. Occasionally they will ask to be let off at a certain place that is off my route. If it is only a block or so away, I will usually help them out. If not, I just let them out at the nearest convenient place to stop.
I might add to the guidelines that I am nervous about picking up a group, I don’t pick up if it has been raining for a while and they are soaked (I like to keep a clean car). I think of it as a pay it forward thing too (what if I was really desperate for a ride?)
I usually try to chat a bit to them about general things like the weather.
As someone who has hitched a lot I suspect you (the author) has not. I don’t disagree with much you said except telling a potential ride that you have a knife or a gun. If your belief system won’t let you keep critical information to yourself (i.e. lying if necessary) then you shouldn’t put yourself in these situations. The right answer is no I don’t have a knife/gun/whatever. And if asked to show, as in lifting your shirt say thank you, no and move on. And never let someone cause you to unload or have them hold your magazine, etc. Also if you hitchhike you can expect to have regular contact with police so don’t carry anything with you that can cause the police to take that next step.
As one of the last of the draftees in the US Army, I routinely hitched from Ft Knox to my grandparents house in Detroit or my brothers place in Ann Arbor, through Ohio on I 75 during the winter of 72-73. One bad cold snap found me wearing my field jacket with down lining, double socks, long underwire and the last gift I had received from my mother. – a waist length puffy type jacket. It was cold.
Got picked up. Kid was driving, old man in shotgun, younger kid next to me in the back. After a few miles, got out at an intersection. To my surprise, the kid in back got out too. Dress shoes, light jacket, dress slacks, no hat. Walked to a restaurant and bought us a meal. He was a run a way from a home for boys in either Alabama or Mississippi. He was headed to his brothers place in Philadelphia. Could he come with me to my grandparents?
Well, no.
Philly was at least 500 miles away. I did the only thing the son of a dead cop could think of – I called the police and had him picked up. Cops are the good guys. I gave him my mothers jacket.
Betrayed as he must have felt, I believe I taught him some valuable lessons, to wit:
Dress for the weather
Know how to get where you’re going
Don’t trust strangers
Have some cash on hand.
Always wondered how life turned out for him.
I hitched in the Washington DC area routinely as an adolescent and as a teen. I hitched up and down the east coast for a couple years. Never an incident, felt uneasy only once. I could count on a ride almost immediately if I was in uniform. If I had cash I could spare and was going far, I generally chipped in for gas. Obviously you maintain situational awareness, but heck yeah, go for it.
I hitchhiked twice when my old cars died alongside the hwy, both times in daylight. I was young, didn’t think much about consequences. My wife & I were dressed clean & casual. It was the 1980s, long before cellphones. Both times, a couple picked us up & took to a retail place w/ a payphone. The 2nd time, after we got into the backseat of the car, we smelled marijuana strongly, but it was just a mile to the next exit w/ a convenience store w/ a payphone & made it safely, but glad it wasn’t any longer. B/c of those experiences, there have been a number of times when I’ve picked up hitchhikers. My big rule: If anyone of my family is w/ me, I do not pick anyone up, esp when we had our children w/ us. I’ve never felt threatened. One time, I let a rider use my cellphone to call his girlfriend & tell her how far I was taking him & what time he’d get to her place. I learned that a woman will not accept a ride from me- a man; they probably don’t want to risk it & can’t say I blame them. Thus, I no longer stop to offer a ride to a woman, just guys, or should I say, just when I see a guy by himself.
Wanted to make a correction
Many of the people who pick of hitchhikers have been in the situation themselves. This means they at least previously were homeless or had a drug or alcohol problem.
-This means they are more likely to have been homeless or had a drug problem.
Anon- as stated I did carry a backup weapon and magazine in my pocket. So obviously I kept that to myself. As far as turning down the ride, I could have but once again I kept possession of the weapon and could tell he was nervous about picking up a hitchhiker. I can’t say I blame him for that and may actually use that technique next time I pick up a hitchhiker if I have any doubts.
It’s a different world now, but I used to hitchhike an awful lot (probably thousands of times) in the late 70’s and 80’s. With a back pack and surfboard most of the time, my destination was either to or from the beach, to or from my after school/weekend job or to my girlfriends house. I noticed that being with a surfboard meant they knew my purpose and were more willing to oblige than when I just had a backpack. Most of the time I also carried a skateboard which also informed people of what I was about. But I was almost always picked up quickly with only sometimes sitting for more than an hour.
I could write a book on some of the characters that picked me up. There were plenty of offers of sex, drugs, booze and even a few straight up whacko’s. A few people picked me up regularly and we shared certain things in common like good music, surfing, etc.
Back then, the mindset and attitude of the general populace was much, much different than today. I miss it as it seemed much more innocent and open back then. People today seem to be their own little beaurocrat and seem entitled to what’s none of their business. I can’t say I like today’s world nor would I relish hitchhiking in it.
Joe, In the early 60’s and living about 5 miles from the nearest town, it was a regular occurrence for teens to hitch in for Saturday tomfoolery. Is wasn’t unusual to see 6 or 8 hitchhikers strung out along a short stretch of road. Rides were mostly from locals, and we soon became aware whom to refuse rides from. One was a man who had a tendency to take his hands from the wheel while exhorting the Lord to save our souls! He meant well, but if you’ve never transversed a winding WV 2 lane road with dropoffs, down into a river valley, you have no idea of the terror this caused! (in his behalf, I will say that to my knowledge, he never wrecked… his vehicle seemed to know the road) The others were various drunks, that we would run into the woods to avoid, as they always stopped, and could become nasty if you refused a ride. They sometimes would have a different vehicle and fool us. The chickenhawks were only dangerous on the return trip in the dark. Just telling them “thanks, but I’m waiting on a ride” worked. Once someone got an old car fixed up to where it was street legal, the hitching for the most part stopped for those older than 16.
(yes, we ran those back roads in anything that would halfway move)
afaik, it became illegal somewhere in the mid 70’s, and signs became common on the interstate ramps. Haven’t saw a hitchhiker in years now.
I could write a book on hitchhiking, but I’ll just pass along something interesting. I went West with a friend when I was just a teenager, and when we got a ride in a window van, there were 8 men in the van, after we got in we found out that 6 of the 8 were also hitchhiking, this was a long,eventful and interesting ride, but to make this story short I’ll cut to the chase. One of the men was an old time drifter and for a suitcase he had one of those round metal gas cans that he had cut the top off of and put a hinge and latch on, and that’s where he carried his clothes, said he would just start walking and he never had a problem catching a ride because people thought he needed gas. Trekker Out
I remember a common extortion ploy I read about used by female hitch hikers. Tell the driver if he doesn’t cough up cash, they’ll call the cops and cry rape. That is one good reason NOT to pick up females. After two close calls with people I’ve given rides too, I will never pick up another hitch hiker period. Not worth the risk sorry…
Greg, I totally agree with you. However once in Alaska on a rainy night I picked up two young teen girls because I was afraid for them. I dropped them off at their destination with no problems but I did worry about it. When I was 11 back in the early 50’s I used to hitchhike to the golf course and caddy for a few bucks. One time a woman, no older than 25 or so, picked me up. She was driving a Lincoln, dressed very well and had her toddler with her. I know that the reason she picked me up was exactly the same reason I picked up those young teens; fear for their well being. So it’s a dilemma.
Hitched from Burley Idaho to Coeur D’ Alene back in 1983..I was 20…. 14 rides and 3 days later I made it to my destination. My first and last time implementing my thumb for transportation.
I was the picker-upper of people on my drives from home to college. I’ve given rides to many people over long distances on I-30. I’ve never met an uninteresting person. None of them ever put on a seat belt so I figured I could hit something if things went terribly wrong for some reason—but it never did. I’d usually dropped them off at the truck stop because they were going on West to Texas. I would purchase some of them a meal—mini version of Good Samaritan. After hearing some my stories, my eventual wife thought I was crazy to pick people up, but it just wasn’t a big deal to me. Someone in need, just trying to get somewhere else. It helps I’m 6’3″ so size helps to avoid conflict.
On the same road, I blew a tire going to school and didn’t have a spare. It was August and hot. I was clean cut and in shorts. No one would pick me up. I ended up walking for 6 hours before getting to a house. It was midnight and those people didn’t open the door, but they did call my swim coach who picked me up.
Did you offer gas money? Used to be common practice(gas was a lot cheaper) to offer a small amount. The general public has been exposed to so many horror stories to make it very difficult to try this. The last one I gave a ride to turned out to be a European(Czech?) Who was seeing America and I guess thumbing a ride is common over there and was interesting to talk to go 20+ miles farther to hear what he thought of US vs Europe. The vehicle makes a difference, had a jeep with top and doors off and didnt insist on seat belt(ejection factor) like anyone else,pickups where you could ride in the back seem like the ideal circumstance
I first hitchhiked in 1975, to New Orleans. I most recently used my thumb to get to Denver for my Niece’s wedding in 2012. Many people who picked me up said in 1975 and 2012, and in all the years I accepted rides in between, that “no one will pick you up”…”it’s dangerous”…”I never pick anybody up, but”…
Made it to Denver in 2012 as fast as I did in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. If you believe you will get hurt, you could make a mistake that will lead to injury. Practice situational awareness, and expect the best. Many times people went out of their way to drop me at a safe place. One man took me 100 (yes, one hundred) miles past his destination. I call hitchhiking “trusting in the kindness of strangers”. There are so many folks who practice “Whatever you do unto the least of my children, you do unto me.” Not all are Christians.
The best place I’ve found to sleep at night and solicit a ride is a rest area. If, as happened on the way home from Denver, the rides aren’t coming, one can always walk up onto the freeway. Yes, I know it is illegal. When a cop stops to talk with me, he/she is more often concerned for my safety than busting me. Sometimes, the cops has given me a ride to a safer spot.
Many stories…One ironclad rule, go armed only with Grace, lots of water, and your good sense. A weapon will lead a friendly cop to change attitude very quickly.
Carry on.
The only time I ever hitched a ride was when I was 19. I was on the interstate. I had a little voice in my head telling me, “slow down, you are going to blow a tire”. I did blow a tire. I was dressed to the nines for a wedding shower I’d attended in a town 90 miles away. It was late afternoon, the sun was going down and I was in my Mom’s car and when I checked the trunk, I found the spare, pulled it out and lo and behold, the spare was flat! So I heaved it back into the trunk. (It was a full size tire for a large 4 door 1978 Plymouth. A heavy tire!) An old truck pulled up behind me just as I was doing this and a guy with a British accent popped out of the passenger side and laughingly said “I like the way you swung that tire back up into that boot!” I will never forget that. Of course the front of my white skirt was covered in black tar and I was sweating profusely. I must’ve looked pitiful. There were no cell phones back then and I was technically a vagrant. At 19, I had NO MONEY and didn’t know any better. I did everything by the skin of my teeth back then. So they offered me a ride to the next exit and also offered to get my tire fixed and to put it on for me. I quickly evaluated my [scary] options and I took the offer. (I will say this, I had a loaded .38 in my purse. That much I did know. Weird logic.) When we got in the truck, I sat in the middle with the Henry Lee Lucas look alike in the driver’s side and the Jolly Brit in the passenger seat. The Brit was hitchhiking across the US on Holiday and I never found out much about “Henry”, except that he was “creepy” and kept saying things to try to scare me. They did take me to the exit, got my tire fixed, & put it on for me, which was a blessing since I was in a skirt and it was dark by the time we got back. They even paid for the repair. So all was well. But if the Brit had not been there, I am not certain how things would have turned out. My gut told me that “Henry” had ill-intentions. Then again, without the Brit, maybe I would not have chosen to take the ride and maybe waited for a trucker or a highway patrol car. And I often wonder if the Jolly Brit made it to where he was going. He seemed like a good guy to me. “Henry” seemed like a bad actor. In short, it would have to be a very extreme circumstance before I would do that again. Lesson learned. And I do believe that God does indeed look out for fools.
1980’s Hitchhiker on the toll road. I was in uniform and in a marked police car. He was a college student from France hitchhiking across America for the summer, seeing what he could see of out country. He stunk to high heaven. He needed to be in New York in two days to catch his flight home and he was four states away. I dropped him off at the next truck stop.
The only time I pick up a hitchhiker.