Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index Hitchhiking (also called lifting) is a form of transport, in which the traveller tries to get a lift (ride) from another traveller, usually a car or truck driver. The distance covered may vary from a short distance that could also be walked, to a long journey involving many rides. Hitchhiking is forbidden in some areas, such as near prisons. In some cases, a local government may ban it altogether. Certain American states such as Utah and Nevada ban it entirely; it is frequently illegal on Interstate highways. Table of contents 1 Method 2 Reasons 3 Reputation 4 Safety 5 Tips & Tricks 6 Hitchhiking in literature 7 Miscellaneous 8 External links and references Method To obtain a lift in many parts of the world, including North America, hitchhikers traditionally stretch out one arm and stick out their thumb. Car drivers understand this to be a sign that the person requests a lift. A hitchhiker may hold a sign with the name of their destination. In some areas, other signals may be used. (This may be because the traditional gesture with the thumb has an offensive meaning in that region.) For example, in South Africa, a hitchhiker may show an oncoming car the back of his hand with the index finger raised, rather than the thumb. In Poland, the hand is held flat, and waved.''(Please add signals from other regions.) Often nothing is given or performed in exchange for the lift, but some hitchhikers will contribute money for fuel. (This would not normally be the case when getting a ride in a commercial vehicle, such as a cargo truck.) Reasons A hitchhiker may have several reasons to travel in this way, amongst them: not being able to afford alternative means of transportation; where no public transport is available and one has no own vehicle available; one can distinguish: there is no public transport at all; there is no public transport at the time one wants or needs to travel: public transport is very infrequent; the last bus or train of the day goes very early; one misses the last bus or train; because of social equality reasons (semi-force vehicle owners who would not normally use public transport to share the ride with the public by "bringing the bus to muhammad); because of ecological and political reasons (reducing dependency on fossil fuels); for the challenge of using limited resources to reach a destination; or for the sense of adventure that not knowing where you will be at the end of the day presents. A mixture of the first two reasons is when the only alternative is an expensive taxi. Car drivers may also have several reasons to give lifts, for instance because: they want companionship; they have hitchhiked themselves and know how hard it can be; simple good will Requests for drugs and/or sex. Hitchhiking is often resorted to by stranded motorists or people without money or transportation such as the homeless. Reputation Although most hitchhiking occurs without incident, it has a bad reputation with some people. Some criminals who prey on the good will of others to rob or molest have masqueraded as hitchhikers to procure victims, or picked up unsuspecting hitchhikers themselves. There is some dispute as to whether it is actually less safe to hitchhike now than in the past, or if simply more reporting increases the visibility of negative examples. Any number of urban legends are told about hitchhiking, in which either the hitchhiker or the car driver may take on the role of a bogeyman. For example, some stories have the driver as a ghost, or the hitchhiker as an escaped convict. The folklorist Jan Harold Brunvand wrote an entire book titled The Vanishing Hitchhiker, using the Vanishing Hitchhiker legend (references) as his prototype. Safety It is best to avoid hitchhiking in dark. Also, it's more safe to travel with a colleague. The safety of hitchhiking varies from country to country. It's rumoured that the most dangerous country for hitchhiking in Europe is Poland. In the United States, hitchhiking has greatly declined in the past several decades. Tips & Tricks Stay close to places where cars are going slow and have a wide pulloff. Drivers won't have to brake much and are more willing to stop. Busy onramps are good places. Avoid roads with little traffic. A male and female are usually taken by drivers more willingly than male alone. Face the traffic. Smile. Look like a trustworthy person. If you find a good place, whatever you do, don't leave it, as further down the road is likely worse. Don't break local laws if possible. For example, in Leadville, Colorado, when hitchhiking north, one must be north of the train tracks. Be patient. The writer of this sentence was once stuck in Mojave, California for over six hours before getting out. Avoid political arguments with your drivers. Some hitchhikers visibly write down license plate numbers before getting in. Remember, before you get in, you have all the power. If anything doesn't feel right, that's the time to say, Umm, sorry. Thanks anyway. Once you are in, you're on your own. It is often wise to skip offers for short rides, if you are in a good spot. You may land in a far worse one. Hitchhiking in literature The writer Jack Kerouac immortalized hitchhiking in his book On The Road. The road has a fascination to Americans; countless writers have written of the road and/or hitchhiking such as John Steinbeck, whose book The Grapes of Wrath opens with a hitched ride. Miscellaneous Hitchhiking is often combined with other often cheap forms of transportation, such as walking or travelling by bus or train. In Poland, during the communist regime period, hitchhiking was institutionized. Many people would have a formal document for recording travels and they would give the driver confirmation that the travel occurred. It was probably similar in other communist countries. Hitchhiking was likely considered much safer in Poland at that time. External links and references The Vanishing Hitchhiker urban legend This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.