Hitchhiking is a great way to travel for an average backpacker if you have the time on your hands to roam in some general direction. It's a cheap, fun and unpredictable, so its hard to say exactly what to expect. The people in Europe that you meet on your travels are usually quite generous and will make an effort to help you on your way. By talking to the drivers, you can find out some inside information of where to go and things to do. This is opposed to scratching the surface of the culture with a normal packaged holiday affair. However, its not suited for everyone, say if you’re the type of person that likes your creature comforts or your privacy.

If you hitchhike in France and Spain, the time it takes to travel from place to place will vary. So try and be flexible in your travel routes and just go where the lifts take you. Most of the people that pick you up will mostly be friendly and eager to talk, therefore its wise to revise those youthful language classes so that you can communicate more fluently. Alternatively, here are a couple of links to improve you spanish and french.

Handy French Phrases

Spanish Pronunciation

Think it suits you? If so, here are some FAQ's that should remove any doubt.

Is it safe?

There may be some talk around that hitchhiking is dangerous, but within Europe the risks are miniscule if you act sensibly. If you feel unsure about anyone that stops for you, you can always turn down the lift by pretending that he isn't going in your desired direction.

Is it hard?

It’s not physically hard, as most of the time is spent waiting. The most important thing to bear in mind while hitchhiking is to have a positive frame of mind. Even though your fate is out of your control, have faith that you will get somewhere even if things are looking bleak. After all, sometimes you get a lift straight away and sometimes after hours of waiting it seems as though God is inflicting his wrath on you for some unknown misdeed. It therefore helps if you are the type of person that likes unpredictability. Whatever you do, don’t despair if things arn't going your way.

How many people should I travel with?

You can travel with as many as you want, but generally the smaller the group the quicker it will take. One person or two is standard. It works better if you have a girl in the company to attact the looks. Having at least a guy present is recommended for safety reasons. With more than three the problem will be fitting in the vehicle. So you may have to wait a bit longer for a willing van/lorry/pickup truck driver.

What should I bring?

Here are a few necessary items:

• Whiteboard to write down where you are going or wish to go
• Phase book or small dictionary if you don’t know the local language terribly well
• Water
• Preserved food including (nuts and raisins, tinned food, crackers, salami etc)
• Pocket knife
• Duct tape (always useful for odd jobs)
• Something to do while waiting (Walkman, book)
• Triangia or gas stove (not necessary unless you want British tea at any time and any place)
• Towel¹

Where do I get the lifts?

You can get the lifts from anyplace within a stones throw from a transport route. Usual places to get lifts are on roads with single lane traffic. In France these are the "route nationale" that follow the "autoroutes", so its hard to get lost if you take these. These types of roads work well because the traffic is travelling at a moderate speed and there is usually some room to be found where cars can pull up on.

On an actual motorway hitchhiking is illegal in most European countries, but you can hitchhike from motorway entrances which sometimes take some work to find.

You can also get lifts in service stations, petrol stations and tollbooths on motorways.
If you are travelling by boat to a country, its a good idea to chat to passengers so that you can persuade them to give you a lift. You can usually spot the lorry drivers a mile away.

How do I start?

Erm, just stick your thumb out in an upwards direction and your sign board, smile and be prepared to wait around. The further south you go, the more the accepted signal changes. You can hold your arm out horizontally and wave your hand. Normally try to flag down every vehicle apart from the obvious (taxis, motorbikes, buses and coaches) unless you want to pay. Be aware of the fact that some lorry drivers can’t take lifts due to insurance reasons, although there is no harm in trying as a lorry ride is great fun.

How to interpret the reactions

Driver’s reactions vary from place to place, but your most likely response is to be ignored. In France its common to get various kinds of hand signalling which is usually done to get across some kind of excuse for not picking you up. Most of the time they are either trying to convey to you that they that they are only popping down the road to the local tabac, or that they have a picnic in the car so there’s no room for you.² All of which you should be able to understand by a few swift hand movements combined with some sympathetic shrugging.

In Spain, they will be generally indifferent, so don't expect to get much reaction out of them.³

How long do I wait for?

The waiting time is unpredictable as you could wait for as long as two hours or it could take no time at all. There are obviously certain factors that help to reduce waiting times. These include travelling by day, travelling in small groups and finding busy roads. So if you are in group of ten, waiting for a lift on a rutted country lane in the dead of night, your chances of success will be small. To give you and idea, in Spain the average waiting time should be around half an hour as most people are accommodating and seem genuinely concered.

Where should I go?

Aim for anywhere suitable where you can catch another lift. Just use your common sense. Try to keep clear of big cities and capital cities such as Paris and Madrid. Apart from the fact that they are expensive places to stay, once you get in, its hard to get your way out to find a reasonable place for your next lift. However it is managable if you can navigate the public transport system well.

Europe being a civilised place, the people giving you a lift will drop you in a convenient place for you to get another lift or somewhere for you to stay the night in a hotel. So don't feel the need to arm yourself with camping equipement in case you find yourself in a predicament. However sometimes the place they think is a convenient dropping off place may not actually be a convenient place for you. You can always suggest an appropriate dropping off place. If you’re lucky you may be invited to stay to be a guest at your driver's house, so feel privileged if this occurs to you.

When do I start?

What are you waiting for? Go forth! The possibilities are endless!

For more information check out these:

Hitchhiking

'The Hitchhiker's Guide To Europe' by Ken Welsh and Katie Wood - the Book