What you need to know before you travel hitchhiking

Have you ever wondered how to go on a journey hitchhiking? Personally, I - yes, but every time I stopped some "compelling" reason due to which the undertaking had to postpone indefinitely. A few days ago, I once again came up with this idea, and I decided to bring its implementation into reality, questioning everything seasoned hitchhiker.

Katya hitchhiked more than 5 thousand. km all over the Balkans, Romania, the Mediterranean coast of Turkey, Georgia. She kindly agreed to share their experiences and give some advice from the most important things to rules of behavior in the car.

What is the advantage hitchhiking

Hitchhiking - it's an adventure, not a free form of transport. Its main advantage as disadvantage - it is full of unpredictability. Can be free to travel halfway around the world to go away dozens of amazing people, to see the country for real, without embellishment tourist. Or simply stand for several hours in the rain, so do not get caught, go look for the bus.

What you need to be sure to take along

The main tool hitchhiker - cardboard and a marker. It is convenient to attach it to the sheets of paper with the name of the city.

A lot of things to take not recommend, because they constantly need to move on themselves. And the drivers are not very willing to take to the salon with huge suitcases.

Specific requirements for drawing up the route

Moving hitchhiking, do not expect that you reach from Rome to Berlin on a single machine. I advise you to plan your route so that between the cities you want to visit, there were no more than 200-300 km.

How to calculate your time and plan the night

I need to sleep at night, not to hitchhike. It is therefore necessary to calculate your route so that in the evening you will in any case have appeared in the city. To do this, you must first find alternative means of transport (buses, trains) and rewrite their schedule. Or bring your tent and sleeping bag.

Where better to catch the car

Hackneyed advice: choose a location from the point of view of the driver. Think about where he will be able to see you well and convenient to stay. In the city you will be voting for, so you need to go beyond it and hitchhike on the highway that leads to the next destination. By the way, in many European countries it is forbidden to catch the car on the autobahn, so you can choose the road less.

How to behave in cars

Do not forget that the driver pick you up rather than out of compassion, but because of a desire to communicate. You will probably have something to tell, so be nice to have at the ready a couple of stories.

What should be avoided

I would not recommend to hitchhike at night, lonely girl hitchhike to conditionally Asian countries such as the same in Turkey, take the girl to the cabin to the truckers.

The most vivid impressions of hitchhiking

No trip is complete without a hitch-soul Me. In Georgia, we have reached the harvest of wine in Kakheti one family, even though we were not on the road. There we learned to make wine and churchkhela. And in other Kakhetian family we have taken as a family, and was not allowed 3 days, until we looked at all the sights and not tried all the local dishes. In addition, the load we were given a couple of bottles of Saperavi 13 years of aging and never allowed himself to pay for a dime.

Turkey was remembered hitchhiking in the back of a tractor, on the folded fire extinguishers ...

... on the couch, tied to the trunk, and police that have helped us to catch the car.

Tips for beginners

If you, like me, a lifetime dream to travel by hitchhiking - Do not be afraid, do it. Choose a user-friendly and understandable country and not wait for the company, go yourself. Keep your heart open, and you will not hurt on the way.

Katerina Petenko, traveler, photographer and Travel Consultant