4 ms·

I hitchhiked up and down the west coast and Mexico in the 1990s, after hitch-hiking had already been vilified in the media. For a large, white male like myself,

by vonnik 11y ago

I hitchhiked up and down the west coast and Mexico in the 1990s, after hitch-hiking had already been vilified in the media. For a large, white male like myself, it was relatively safe, because most of the danger in hitch-hiking encounters actually flows from the hiker to the driver. So if you are the hiker, and you know you're safe, then a lot of the risk has been removed. (For female hitch-hikers, it's another story.) There were several periods when hitchhiking was widely accepted, and they usually coincided with large groups of otherwise respectable people having to hit the road. The Depression was one of those times. Post-war periods, when soldiers are returning home, have been others. These days car ownership is so common that you have to be young and crazy, desperately poor, or criminal to hitch hike, and drivers know that. It's still surprising how many drivers will pick you up. There's a lot of lonely people looking for conversation on the road.

grecy 11y ago
> These days ...you have to be young and crazy, desperately poor, or criminal to hitch hike, and drivers know that. That depends entirely where you live. Move to a ski or rock climbing town and you'll find hundreds of people hitching every day. I did it for years, and now I have a car, I pickup everyone I see.
- dnr 11y ago
  I think the original article is talking about more long-distance hitchhiking. The sort of localized things like getting a ride from an Appalachian Trail trailhead into town, or a lift back up Teton Pass, or into LCC (all of which I've received and given), are a slightly different phenomena. It's pretty easy to recognize a thru-hiker or skier just from their equipment and clothing, and of course destination, and that removes a lot of the risk.
  - grecy 11y ago
    True, though as anecdotal counter-evidence I will say I picked up quite a few hitchhikers while driving Alaska->Argentina, some of which stuck with me across multiple states and countries! One almost swapped continents with me :)
wildlogic 11y ago
I've hitched a good bit around the US and Mexico as recently as 5 years ago. In some parts of the US, it can take hours (or even days) to get a ride. Most truck drivers are no longer allowed to pick up hitchhikers. Mexico was a different story. It wasn't a problem getting rides all the way from Mexico City to Guatemala, even through Chiapas.
- tajen 11y ago
  France->Australia, anyone? My male, 27yo friend hitchhiked to come and see me in Sydney from France. 5 months, one flight, a few boats, and hitchhiking for the rest: France, Turkey, Tajikistan, Vietnam, Singapore, even Perth->Sydney. I guess he's a bit positively biased because he had only one bad story to tell, a trucker who thought he had a crush with him, and my friend just walked away at the next stop.
seiji 11y ago
> These days car ownership is so common Yup, that's why Uber can't find investors anymore. > that you have to be young and crazy, desperately poor, or criminal to hitch hike, and drivers know that. Obviously it just needs an app with driver/hitcher ratings. "Out of my last 10 passengers, 9 have reported in as Not Murdered! You can feel safe riding with me and my 90% survival rate." I'd gladly pick up pre-verified people for free. Plus, en masse, it would knock a few tens of billions off other transportation startup valuations just for the fun of it.
- vonnik 11y ago
  That's a strange point to pick on. Many people who take Uber just can't stand to drive in the city, and find it more convenient to hail as needed. Not correlated with car ownership much.
cafard 11y ago
Back about 1980, I overslept, missed a train, and hitchhiked from the Washington Beltway to a town in western Pennsylvania, all in two rides. Again, I am large white and male. The following year, I was riding to the same destination with an uncle and cousin, when my uncle pulled over for a hitchhiker. My uncle had served in the Navy in WW II, and had certainly hitchhiked in those days.

by vonnik 11y ago

grecy 11y ago

> These days ...you have to be young and crazy, desperately poor, or criminal to hitch hike, and drivers know that. That depends entirely where you live. Move to a ski or rock climbing town and you'll find hundreds of people hitching every day. I did it for years, and now I have a car, I pickup everyone I see.

dnr 11y ago
I think the original article is talking about more long-distance hitchhiking. The sort of localized things like getting a ride from an Appalachian Trail trailhead into town, or a lift back up Teton Pass, or into LCC (all of which I've received and given), are a slightly different phenomena. It's pretty easy to recognize a thru-hiker or skier just from their equipment and clothing, and of course destination, and that removes a lot of the risk.
- grecy 11y ago
  True, though as anecdotal counter-evidence I will say I picked up quite a few hitchhikers while driving Alaska->Argentina, some of which stuck with me across multiple states and countries! One almost swapped continents with me :)

wildlogic 11y ago

I've hitched a good bit around the US and Mexico as recently as 5 years ago. In some parts of the US, it can take hours (or even days) to get a ride. Most truck drivers are no longer allowed to pick up hitchhikers. Mexico was a different story. It wasn't a problem getting rides all the way from Mexico City to Guatemala, even through Chiapas.

tajen 11y ago
France->Australia, anyone? My male, 27yo friend hitchhiked to come and see me in Sydney from France. 5 months, one flight, a few boats, and hitchhiking for the rest: France, Turkey, Tajikistan, Vietnam, Singapore, even Perth->Sydney. I guess he's a bit positively biased because he had only one bad story to tell, a trucker who thought he had a crush with him, and my friend just walked away at the next stop.

seiji 11y ago

> These days car ownership is so common Yup, that's why Uber can't find investors anymore. > that you have to be young and crazy, desperately poor, or criminal to hitch hike, and drivers know that. Obviously it just needs an app with driver/hitcher ratings. "Out of my last 10 passengers, 9 have reported in as Not Murdered! You can feel safe riding with me and my 90% survival rate." I'd gladly pick up pre-verified people for free. Plus, en masse, it would knock a few tens of billions off other transportation startup valuations just for the fun of it.

vonnik 11y ago
That's a strange point to pick on. Many people who take Uber just can't stand to drive in the city, and find it more convenient to hail as needed. Not correlated with car ownership much.

cafard 11y ago

Back about 1980, I overslept, missed a train, and hitchhiked from the Washington Beltway to a town in western Pennsylvania, all in two rides. Again, I am large white and male. The following year, I was riding to the same destination with an uncle and cousin, when my uncle pulled over for a hitchhiker. My uncle had served in the Navy in WW II, and had certainly hitchhiked in those days.