How to hitchhike

1. Do not fill his backpack to the limit

With a heavy and big luggage drivers you are unlikely to take, and you own it will be uncomfortable to wear. Choose a backpack in volume no more than 35 liters, and preferably with a waist strap - it will ease the burden on the back.

With a need to take a minimum set of things that will save in any situation:

• the passport;
• two sets of clothes;
• tent or a sleeping bag;
• soap;
• toothpaste and a brush;
• gadget to access the Internet;
• small medical kit (cotton, plaster, a wound healing agent enterosorbent, analgesic).

In addition to the main luggage take a small bag or backpack. In them you can put all the documents, camera and other valuables. These things do not let go, and at night and during sleep put under his head.

A small bag will come in handy when you go for a walk around the city. You can leave large backpacks at someone's home or in a store. For the storage of money, if you have them, you can use different hidden wallets (belt, for example), which are better to wear on me.

Bogdan Misyurenko, author of the blog "Two hitchhikers!"

2. Make sure not to be left without a smartphone

Smartphone - your faithful companion: it has a map, mobile phone and even a flashlight. If he fails, the difficulties immediately increase. To avoid this, get out of the house several pauerbankov or, if possible, a spare phone.

Remember that on the road you can bring in such places where there is no connection at all. Therefore, do not rely on the mobile Internet and pre-load the gadget maps of the areas in which you go. A better take a paper map.

3. Wear bright clothing with reflective details

The trip out to the comfortable and clean clothes. It is desirable that it was brightly colored with reflective elements: so you will be more visible on the road.

Shoes also choose comfort: sneakers, Crocs, sneakers. For hitchhiking effectively not sit still and follow the direction of travel. And you still a backpack on your back, remember?

Hitchhiking - is not the same, that a trip to his car. Yes, part of the way you will overcome with comfort, but do not spend less time on the sidelines. Sometimes you have 2-3 hours to wander along the road under the scorching sun, or hide under a tree by the heavy rain. So take clothes that are at the right time does not give you a warm, wet or fried.

Tanya Nikitina, went hitchhiking in Russia and France

4. Do not take a lot of cash

Money on the trip needed but bellied purse, tightly packed in cash, can play with you a malicious joke. Light cure your savings - you can rob.

Take some notes and coins for incidental expenses, and the principal amount stored on a plastic card.

5. Travel in tandem

Best Mode for autostop - travel mixed pair. Girl ride in unsafe alone, and Man, two boys or a company of three or four people, drivers often refuse to pick up, because they themselves fear for their lives.

If we talk about hitchhiking, it is best to travel with a couple - the guy and the girl. Why? People perceive a couple of very well: most stop, feed and even offer help. Two guys harder on this issue.

If three or more travelers, will not be very easy, because the hitchhiking to them becoming slow. We need to wait for a very good driver who goes empty and dare to take the whole company.

There are many girls who safely travel alone and can always stand up for themselves. Here the main thing - the right behavior: to be able in time to transfer delicate topics in a safe direction, not choose a very open or causes clothingNot to flirt or respond to flirtation, out of the car, if so intuitively.

Bogdan Misyurenko, author of the blog "Two hitchhikers!"

6. Warn that you are not willing to pay

Perhaps the driver had not had anything to do with Hitch. He may think that you are asking for a ride you for money or are willing to pay for at least part of the gasoline. Better just to say that you are a budget traveler and want to get to your destination free of charge.

7. Choose the right place and time for hitchhiking

Search for the driver in the city is not: may think that you catch a taxi. Do not stand at the traffic police checkpoint, traffic lights, railway tracks and places with serious defects in the road surface - there is rarely stop.

It is better to hitchhike on the outskirts of the city and near large highways. Get up on the direction you want. Then the chance to find a driver who travels where you need more.

Try to catch the car in the morning - from 7 to 9 hours, or at night - from 18 to 20. At this time, the flow of cars more and likely to go higher. Conversely, at night, from 1 to 5 hours, cars on the road much less - respectively, and the chance to catch a ride below. It is better to find accommodation and relax.

8. Do not sleep in the car and drink strange waters

Safety first, therefore:

• always tacked and do not forget the seat belt, even when riding in the back seat;
• do not sleep and do not let the driver fall asleep, your sleep can be fatal if your companion will be a dishonest man;
• if you feel that the driver smelled stale - Odakyu in another car;
• do not settle for someone else's drinking water from an open bottle - suddenly she was poisoned;
• warn family and friends about your trip and tell us about the planned route.

9. Not crispy chips and chatted with the driver

Remember: the driver helps you, so be polite and respect their space. Do not smoke or eat or loud crumbling crunchy foods, such as crackers or flaky bun. Chatted with the driver: funny and interesting conversation - a kind of compensation for the free ride. Do not criticize the manner of driving - if you think it is dangerous, better to ask to stop and catch another car.

Talk with the drivers not only the payment for the trip, but also a good training for the development of communication skills. I ride hitchhiking six months, during this time had to meet very different characters - from the typical to the area to patsanchika very intelligent and educated people. It was interesting to chat with everyone.

Thanks to hitchhiking, I learned to find common language with any person. It helps me and on previous work in sales, and in a new place in the barber shop.

Andrey Filippov, went hitchhiking in Russia

10. Do not talk about politics and religion

Remember that there are forbidden topics, which often lead to disputes, faith, money, politics, history. Therefore, the driver is better not to discuss it. Talk about the weather, share stories of travel, ask the person to work or tell us about your.

If the driver started talking to one of the provocative, not to confront, but just listen to him.