49
I did a bit of unaccompanied traveling in the EU when I was your age. (But I've never hitchhiked.)
Legal aspects
As EU/Schengen citizens both of you are entitled to travel quite freely in all these countries. Even if there would happen to be some border controls it would not be a problem. Of course, it's wise to bring your passports so that you can easily ...
47
It varies from state to state.
Some are legal for it to be done on the shoulder of the road. (green)
Others off the travelled part of the road (eg stand in grass). (yellow)
Others - completely illegal. (red)
Others - unclear. (grey)
There's a map and guide on Hitchwiki indicating the status for each one. This comes from the main USA page on Hitchwiki.
31
If you're underage, confirm in advance with the locations you'll be traveling. Couch surfing is out of the picture if you're using couchsurfing.com, since being under 18 violates the terms of service.
Some hostels will allow you to stay if you're above the age of 16, but they usually require parental authorization. Some just have a form, some require a ...
21
Delaware
Source: DEL CODE § 4147
New Jersey
Source: 39:4-59
Nevada
Source: NRS 484B.297
Idaho
Source: 49-709
Utah
Source: 41_04117
Note: federal laws supersede state laws, and the federal law states that the legality of hitchhiking within national parks is decided by the superintendent of that park (Source: CFR Title 36 section 4.31).
Credit: All ...
20
Hitchwiki has:
Hitchhiking is done in Iran by waving one's arm at an oncoming car, or by dribbling one of your hands.
I have not seen this myself (experience only of Tehran) because taxis seemed virtually free there anyway but I think I recognise the "dribbling hand" gesture as something that looks to me like an accelerated version of a 'slow down' ...
17
You need a written statement from your guardian telling that you are allowed to travel without supervision in Croatia.
I was a leader for the Swedish Explorer Belt in Croatia this year (2016). We took about 40 youth in the age of 16-19 to Croatia where they got to hike in pairs for ten days.
A source for the details regarding this has now been included in ...
16
You generally need no special paperwork. You do need to appear mature, clean, have travel means and plans (e.g., an ID, a small bit of provable money, have some rough plans around duration of stay in each country and around accommodation) and basic knowledge of, and respect for, local laws.
Actually I need to correct myself here. Croatia has local laws ...
16
It might only solve a part of your problem, but there are plenty of camping sites in Sweden and Norway, where you have at least access to usually very decent sanitary installations (toilets and showers). Many of the camping sites have recreational rooms and/or communal kitchens, where you can spend some time inside, meet people and cook some food. Most ...
13
As best as I can google, there are a few options out there.
Hitchwiki appears to be the most mentioned.
There is also RoadJunky for other resources.
13
As an Iranian I like to add that cultures never stay the same and always evolve like a living creature, these days the thumbs up gesture does not really indicate anything offensive anymore.
Being kinda westernized it is now the like-gesture (you all know the source), people now often use it to show approval of what the other one said or did. Though in some ...
12
Let's get realistic, even if you do whatever other people may say, humans need food and a place to sleep, so absolute free travel is impossible, unless you walk (using your own energy), beg (ask for a lift) or steal (travel without ticket in a train and pretend to have no money to any ticket checking staff, which is highly highly discouraged).
Having said, ...
12
Your best bet is to sign up to a crew-finding website like findacrew.net. A friend who cycled from London to New Zealand did this for the ocean parts - hung out in port and used the site.
What was observed is that there are different levels of opportunities. Some berths require that you have licenses or sailing experience, or a particular skill (eg ...
12
I've actually hitchhiked tens of thousands of miles across North America, and while I haven't done any in the past few years (so things may have changed a little) I think it's certainly possible to do this in under two weeks. I've gone from Massachusetts to California in six days, for instance.
What I don't have is any experience hitchhiking as a woman, so ...
12
Is it possible? Yes.
I usually budget $1,000 per month wherever I travel. But...
But I use most of the tricks in the book, depending on the country, to keep prices down. Many people won't be comfortable with some or all of the tricks.
Hitchhiking. No trains, no buses. When hitching fails, use ride sharing.
Camping. Wild if possible. Finding cheap ...
11
I've hitchhiked a few quite different parts of the globe (Australia, Caucasus, East Asia, Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia, Turkey, Western Europe) so I think I've learned some tips and tricks.
Many more people will stop if there's at least one female in your group.
More people will stop for young people.
The smaller your group is the more vehicles have space ...
11
Is it safe? Safe is a broad word, and nobody can be absolutely certain about safety. You'd consider driving or taking a plane 'safe', presumably, but crashes happen sometimes too. It's relative.
So now that we establish that, we can look at hitchhiking. Is it safe? Depends on who sees you, who picks you up, and how you react.
We actually have a post on ...
10
I checked the website Tor-Einar linked frequently throughout summer and autumn, and (from memory) found:
July-mid August: 100–150 per day
Late August, early September: 60–120 per day
mid-late September: 30–60 per day
October: 10–40 per day
Early November: 1–10 per day (either the road is still open, or those are all superjeeps who travel whether the road is ...
9
The area next to Hong Kong-China Boundary in Hong Kong is Frontier Closed Area. Only permitted people can access it. If you want to cross the boundary, the cheapest way is Huangbus (皇巴士) from Huanggang Port to San Tin Public Transport Interchange. It costs $9 HKD, paid by cash or Octopus card.
Dont expect to hitchhike in GuangDong. Each year many drivers ...
8
As Germany has a very high density of cars, the time is completely irrelevant (As long as you do not stay on a forest road at 02:00 night), someone is always on the road. I suppose you know the standard rules for tramping, but I will repeat them for the sake of completeness:
Be good looking, sympathetic, neat and clean. German car drivers have a strong ...
8
I have hitchhiked all over Europe, including boats and empty leg flights, on multiple trips. My own experience is generally positive and I see staying in cheap hotels as a far greater danger than hitchhiking.
It can be dangerous sleeping in an unlit or unattended rest area. And depending upon your definition of 'danger', standing upon the Autobahn or any ...
8
The Icelandic Road And Coastal Administration operates several weather and traffic counting stations and publish the data on their web site. The nearest station is in Kolka, close to Blöndulón a bit further north from where you are going. As you can see from the published data, there is not exactly heavy traffic on the road, only some 120-140 vehicles/day ...
7
I had this problem constantly while I was hitchhiking in Thailand. What I did was save several phrases in Google Translate for offline use.
First, I would approach someone (or someone would pull over) and show them the "I am trying to travel {north|south|east|west}. Can you help me?" message.
If they agreed, I'd show them the "I don't want to go to the ...
7
From which point near the NSW/QLD border does it become legal for pedestrians to walk along the M1 (Pacific Highway)?
From which point do I change my clock?
Really you'd have to guess a bit, but I'd say you'd be okay once you've passed the 'Welcome to NSW' sign... Which coincidentally is not accessible by pedestrians from the QLD side on the physical ...
7
Another possibility for accommodation is youth hostelling. Youth hostels are per-country networks of (typically) non-profit hostels (eg Scotland's and Norway's), federated into an international network, and are intended to support precisely this mode of adventure on the part of young people. They're very much distinct from the occasionally rather seedy ‘...
6
The Faroe Islands are officially part of Denmark (albeit self-governing).
According to Wikivoyage, it's legal to hitch in Denmark, apart from on motorways:
Destination boards are recommended. For safety reasons, it is illegal
to hitchhike on the expressways, so it is better to use the on ramps
and service areas. When crossing by ferry, try to get ...
6
Will Ferguson's The Hitchhiker's Guide to Japan (increasingly outdated, being from 1998, but still the Bible for this topic), this random Japanese forum and the Japan Times all agree:
Hitchhiking is actually so uncommon in Japan that there are no laws
specifically governing it. According to the Road Traffic Law, it is
illegal to interfere with traffic,...
6
I carry around a DIY portable whiteboard and dry erase marker. It's just a grid of flashcards taped together with cellotape, which folds down to pocket-sized and can be wiped clean with a tissue. I stick to simple messages like "EAST", "WEST", "NORTH", "SOUTH", "I-5 NORTH" in large, bold, easy-to-read letters. If you've ever driven past someone with a long ...
6
I'm usually not a fan of anecdotal evidence, but as most posts here don't really post anything else, here are my thoughts. I've hitchhiked a lot in Europe (Germany, France, Netherlands, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Serbia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Austria, Turkey, Georgia, and I'm probably missing something):
German police doesn't care if you're ...
6
It appears you are somewhat confused. Summer in Peru is December to March, so those months are the warmest throughout the country, that being the southern hemisphere. Peru is not very much south of the Equator though so summer and winter temperatures are not that different.
In terms of wetness, there summer is wetter indeed but that depends completely on ...
5
These are some of the techniques. Some of them look obvious when you read them but it cost me a few hours waiting to learn. These only reflects my experience as an ocasional hitchhiker and may not perform well in every situation.
Avoid curves (drivers don't like to stop near curves - it's dangerous to stop due to low visibility). The curve can also hide the ...
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