I’ve hitched through almost every state many times. All but Alaska. I wanted to leave one untouched.
Admittedly, this was mostly back when you could: before The Media implanted fear in our brains. Sure, there was SOME risk. On both sides. I think that is why we did it. I know that is why I did.
Me with my thumb out, and them with their doors open. Carefully, we tested for altruism, searching for the kindness of strangers. And it worked. Whenever I became particularly jaded I would grab my pack and head cross country. It was always the same; the people with the least giving the most. Driving me a few miles, putting me up on threadbare couches, sharing paltry food, laughing and crying, and getting me back on the road in the morning with a parting hug.
This is America after all.
So, here goes, what I learned and the rules I followed:
- You need a sign. A box top flap and a thick permanent marker work – but colorful creativity works better. Consider what will catch the eye at 70 mph and convert a distracted, angry, tired, never-picked-up-a-hitchhiker-before empty-nester mom.
- It’s a numbers game. 1 in 50. Fewer cars means you will likely wait a bit. If you dress of a certain persona then figure out who will want you sharing their ride for a while. Gangbanger? Well, then rule out rides with Midwestern Grandmas. You want a ride and an experience, or to make a statement on the side of the road? Do what you want, I’m just sayin’… Then again, Gangbanger might work in Albuquerque or LA…
- It’s not ONLY about proving that people are inherently good. Sometimes a trucker will want a BJ, a driver asks for some gas money or to be spelled for a few miles, a revealing guilty story is confessed. You choose what your own code is and you give back what you feel good about. It isn’t quid pro quo, it is sharing what you have. For me I never gave money, and I didn’t do sex. Everyone was gracious with that. I never named names; I was in it with them.
- I have a few guiding principles: one is ‘pragmatism leads to idealism’. If you take precautions then a bad situation can usually be avoided, or fixed. Like I said, I always started off pretty cynical. I always opened the front door to greet and confirm the ride, then left it open while I put my pack in back. I always mentally noted the car description and plate. “Doveryai, no proveryai”.
- You can say no. Sometimes it is because the offer is too short to warrant the poor drop off location (in a city), rarely, because you just get a bad vibe from the situation. Be polite. Make up a plausible excuse. After all, they did stop for you.
- The cops are NOT your friends. They are a tight brotherhood. Avoid being seen and if you do get hassled (you will – I have had a cop actually shoot at me, I have been beaten, I have mostly just been told to get off the road – even when it was completely legal and they knew it). Remember, while there are certainly a high percentage of racist cops, the reason cops pick on people is mostly because they can. They have the power and they abuse it. Young cops are the worst. They are scared, reveling in new power for the first time, getting divorced, and have not yet been shaken in their lives. They have no empathy yet. Be careful. Be polite. Remember, they are not listening; they have made up their minds about you as soon as they saw you and you are not going to change that. Your only gambit to better the situation is to a) let them know (politely!) you are not a powerless nobody (a college student perhaps, whose rich connected parents know where you are right now?) b) apologetically suggest you were stupidly unaware of the illegality (true or not) c) if you are female, or gay, there may be other options. Then, as soon as they go, you go full out to get out of their turf. If you can’t get a ride in the time it takes for them to come back and check on you (they will) you better start walking, off the road, to another spot where they (or their radio connected compatriots) won’t be. Let me also say this: I HAVE experienced GOOD ‘Officers of the Law’. They DO exist. They are like diamonds, rare and immeasurably valuable. Still, best to avoid them too.
- Be flexible. If a ride says, “Hey, I know this great taco place in Juarez I gotta go to. Wanna go?” and you are on your way someplace else. Don’t just consider it. This is what it’s all about. Sharing. Learning. This is life. Go for it.
- Mostly, you will do distance on interstates….
- Safety. It’s not just for you. You gotta pick a spot where you are not only visible to someone at 70mph, but also has time to see you, make a decision, cross over through traffic, and feel they can SAFELY pullover a bit ahead of you. You likely won’t get a ride, and might end up causing an accident, if you don’t consider this.
- I have never understood street lamps on highways. Out in the middle of Nowhere, Wyoming – miles from ANYWHERE – there are lights on the exit ramps of the interstates. Conveniently, they are often perfectly situated at the nexus of legal hitching territory and the highway. If you are hitching at night this is your spot.
- Good luck!