h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hello. I was curious: are the majority of researchers here travelers and hitchhikers or homebodies, simply fans of the Douglas Adams trilogy -and what an odd thing to call it! I am looking for any and all help that I can get. I have many plans and little order, little organization. I thought it best to get some help. Not professional, but seasoned maybe. Thanks.

Well... personally I've never hitchiked in my life . I DNA (that's Douglas Adams to most non-h2g2ers)'s books, so do most of us.

I've never hitchhiked in my life either! Although I'm also a very big fan of DNA's books.

You'll find a lot of people here are fans of DNA, and there are quite a number of people who aren't. The main idea of the site is to create a sort of encyclopedic guide of the galaxy - just like "The Book" in DNA's book.

I read DNA's books and loved them - and then saw a small notice in a newspaper that the guide was now available on the net!

I've hitchhiked (only on so far) - the longest trip was during Easter several years ago.

I and a friend of mine were getting 'itchy feet' but had no money, so we decided to hitchhike as far south as we could get!

Starting from Eskilstuna (a city not far from Stockholm, Sweden) we managed to get rides all the way down to Copenhagen - 620 km (around 285 miles)

Only nice people stopped to pick us up - people who had hitchhiked themselves in their youth, or who had children who had done that, knowing how disheartening it is to stand by the side of the road watching every car drive by

Sorry, that should have been 'around 385 miles'

I hitchhiked when I was a student, 'bout 40 years ago. Until we got a bloke who rolled a cigarette at 120, whilst turning around to chat to us

I hitchhiked once, when my car broke down, a nice man stopped and gave me a lift to the hospital in Hull where I'd been going to visit my Mum who'd had an operation.
I was going through a divorce as well....

The poor bloke got the story of my life.



My soon-to-be-ex-husband had to break a date with his girlfriend to come and collect me, as I had no way of getting home, or to collect our children.

Well, it's nice to see a good mix of both hitchhiker's and book lovers. That is about I figured it would turn out. Thanks for answering me. I would love to hear more stories about traveling on the road by foot and kindness. It's not so much inspiring but informative. Thank you much. As for the book series, I just reread them. It's been four or so years since the first time I finished Mostly Harmless. Now that I looked through them it occurs to me, Zaphod disappears and so does Fenchurch. And after five books every single of the characters seems to die at the end anyhow. Sort of depressing really.

Mind you, he did say when he wrote Mostly Harmless he was having a bad year...

Any God fearing individual might stop and think for a moment: Douglas Adams is the creator, the God of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. He decides who lives and dies. A bad year has him killing off all the characters. A God fearing individual might stop and think, “Hey…so if God goes all depressed, he’ll smash us with a meteor for kicks?”

Good point and yes the end is always depressing, whatever it is. I only hitched a couple times when I was much younger and stupider. But if you want more wonderful stories of the trials and tribulations of hitchhiking read On The Road. No disrespect to DNA but On The Road is the best book ever written on the subject.

I'm almost finished reading On the Road.

When reading this rather fine book, don't you just feel like bunging some clothes and a into a rucksack and getting out there?

Yea, Jump on a train to nowhere and just ride, baby, ride.
Shoal

Have to watch out for those R&R gangs though. I read this article in Stuff...anyway, just watch out for them.

I'll have to remeber that. Another great road book, but hith no hicthhiking, Fear and Loathing in Las Vagas. No not the movie, but I love the movie too.
Shoal

Just by the way, (Major) Shoal Prexy, I've added you to my Keepers page, so your title is official now.
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