Changes

*'''(1) Border crossing [[Bad Bentheim]]''' {{average}}

**At the border you'll find a big parking area for trucks, a police station and toilets. There's a bridge to walk over the highway to a restaurant on the other side of the road and another parking area (for people going into the [[Netherlands]]). Hitchhiking there is quite easy if you prefer trucks. Many trucks stops there and will give you a ride when they start their journey through [[Germany]]. Don't expect too much cars on the parking area, there is no petrol station and many people just don't want to stop because the police is hanging around there. Sometimes they close the border and check every car that is coming into [[Germany]]. If so, ''don't panic'' but be happy, because all cars have to pass the parking area, ideal for hitchhiking. Unfortunately, the police is not announcing the border controls.

**This is the first [[Germany|German]] ramp behind the border. Next to the ramp you'll find a small industrial park, but not many cars. Try to avoid this ramp if you want to go eastwards. If you only get a lift until here, try to ask the driver to let you out at the border or the next parking area just 3 kilometer further.

*'''(2a) Parking area: Bentheimer Wald''' {{average}}

**Just 3 km behind the 1st ramp drivers will recognize a small parking area with a toilet building. Hitchhiking from here is okay, some trucks stopping here and maybe some travellers from the [[Netherlands]] want to make a first stop in [[Germany]]. Just prepare yourself for waiting some 40-50 minutes, the A30 is sometimes very empty and then cars on this parking area are rare. Maybe you can ask one of the many passing border police cars to give you a ride. Questions about you and your stay in the [[Netherlands]] to find out if you have Marihuana with you are normal, especially when you are a hitchhiker somewhere on the road from Amsterdam to [[Germany]] :-) Just relax and stay cool, the guys from the border police also do. Mostly. :-)

**Small traffic-island to stand on, some space for cars to stop behind. [[User:platschi|platschi]] was standing here several times and got lifts within only some minutes.

**This ramp is quite small, there is not much space to stop cars when they go onto the highway. No hard shoulder to stand on, just a tiny traffic island. But if there is not much traffic (and that seems to be quite often), people can and will stop for you. It is directly at the highway junction, so take care where people are going to!

**You can't get out here, and if you do so: it's illegal! Take care, often border police driving around this junction. Here the '''A30''' crosses the [[A31 (Germany)|A31]].

*'''(6a) Parking area: Emstal''' {{average}}

**The 2nd parking area along the '''A30'''. It is smaller than the first one, but it seems that more cars stop here. It has no petrol station, only a small toilet building and some space for parking. Nevertheless a god spot to get lifts. If people are only going towards [[Rheine]], try to get out here!

**This ramp is on a nice spot with traffic lights and much cars passing, but there is no place to stand if going towards Hannover. No hard shoulder or anything to let the cars stop for you. You only can ask drivers when they are standing at the traffic lights, but stopping for them mostly is too dangerous. For the other direction towards [[Netherlands|NL]] it's great, also with space to stop cars. If you want, you can force cars to stop by pushing the button at the traffic lights :-)

[[Image:ramp_os_nahne.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Ramp along the A30 (here: ''OS-Nahne'') with hard shoulder.]]

**Another ramp to avoid. Not much traffic going on here, and it's outside of the city towards the countryside. Also standing here seems not to be that good because of a missing hard shoulder, but maybe better to stop cars (that are facing you with more than 70 km/h per hour, so take care!) here than at the last ramp. If it's impossible here, try to go around 500m down towards [[Rheine]], there's a traffic light and a restaurant where you maybe can ask people that are stopping.

**Small ramp next to a tiny industrial park. Some traffic going on towards [[Osnabrück]], but again not much space to stop cars. Best option is to stand on the traffic island and smile to every passing car saying you want to go out of here. Might help, waiting time depends. Never try on a Sunday, but on normal working days some trucks maybe stop for you.

**This ramp is located behind a bridge where mostly some cars are parked, so it is sometimes difficult for you to see coming cars (also for them!) just before they head in the ramp. Best would also be here to stand on the traffic island, make yourself ''visible'' and try to catch some people going to [[Osnabrück]] or further. Seems to be not that difficult.

**This is a new ramp. Not much traffic, mostly from an (not yet existing) industrial park.

**2 well-known fastfood restaurants next to the ramp, much traffic in both directions. Stand before the ramp, but expect not that much space to stop cars. Maybe stay before or behind the roundabout with a sign '''OS''' (for [[Osnabrück]]). For direction [[Netherlands|NL]], just stand at the 3rd exit of the roundabout! Good spot though.

*'''(12a) Parking Area: Brockbachtal''' {{good}}

**Parking area with ''no'' gas station or restaurant. Some maps will tell you that, but that's a lie. A gas station is planned for the next decade, but no constructions yet. In ''2005'' it was reconstructed into a bigger parking area. Nevertheless enough traffic eastwards, sometimes people get lost there thinking there's a gas station. Luck for you!

**Well, enough space for you to stand on, but nearly no traffic.

**Here the [[A1 (Germany)|A1]] crosses the '''A30'''. It's of course not allowed to stand here, so if you want to go north towards [[Hamburg]] or south direction [[Münster]] or [[Ruhr Area]], be sure to get off the A30 here!

**There's a big traffic light, but it's hard to stop traffic there, even the ramp is very small and no hard shoulder to stand on. Only possibility is the small way for cars coming from the left side.

**Perfect ramp, take a look at the [[Osnabrück]] page for closer information. Nice hard shoulder to stand on! But take care, there are 2 ramps for going eastwards.

**Here the [[A33 (Germany)|A33]] crosses the '''A30'''. It's not allowed to stand here, so if you want to go south towards [[Bielefeld]], try to get out at the ramp in ''Nahne''!