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=== Useful tips ===
* Download and print [http://www.franknature.nl/hitchhike/hitchhike_cardboards_NL.pdf 42 ready made hitchhiking signs] for easy hitchhiking all accross across the Netherlands!* Use of Internet PCs in every city library, for a small price, . Also you can find lots of public wi-fi networks that you can connect your laptop with for using the internet.
* When hitching in the Netherlands for a longer period (or when you're living there), it's advisable to get a ''chipkaart'' This is a lot cheaper than buying a one way-ticket or day-ticket on the bus or tram. See for all info http://www.ov-chipkaart.nl/?taal=en
** '''The old ''Strippenkaart'' isn't be available anymore any more as of November 2011. The two options now are the new ''chipkaart'' or the new tickets called ''Gemakskaart'', which is are way more expensive than the old ''Strippenkaart''.'''
* Banks and supermarkets often have free coffee and sometimes even cookies.
* 'Lefier' (or local job-centres) have free coffee and sometimes jars of free chocolates and mints.
* Some employees of petrol stations may tell you not to hitch in front of the station, where the pumps are. Finding a ride at the parking lot, or thumbing where the back of the station starts is not a problem. Keep petrol station employees for friends and avoid starting unnecessary discussions.
* Shell has internal guidelines to only allow customers on their property. A hitchhiker may therefore be asked not to talk with drivers in the forecourt of the station, but this rarely happens. If this happens, buy a coffee or inexpensive whatever-bar, and ask for the receipt. This will formally make you a customer!
:
: <b>Dutch Hall of Shame</b> of petrol stations where hitch-hikers have been asked not to talk with costumers on the forecourt
: Service station Kloosters (Shell), A59, Tilburg --> Eindhoven ([[User:Fverhart|Fverhart]] was asked once out of 4 times), other hitch-hikers have also been asked not to talk with costumers <<winner '''Winner of Most Unfriendly Petrol Station Award in the Netherlands>>'''
: Service station Swentibold (Shell), A2, Maastricht --> Eindhoven ([[User:Fverhart|Fverhart]] was asked once out of 6 times)
: Service station Haarrijn (Shell), A2, Amsterdam --> Utrecht ([[User:Fverhart|Fverhart]] was asked once out of 7 times)
* When using trains in [[Netherlands|The Netherlands]], you may be able to travel at a discount rate (-40%). Travelling with a printed ticket is no longer possible. Every traveller needs to have an OV-chipcard to use public transportation. You need to active "Samenreiskorting" (travel together reduction) on your OV-chipcard. The procedure is described [http://www.ns.nl/en/travellers/ov-chipkaart/menu-ov-chipkaart/travelling-with-the-ov-chipkaart#travelling-with-an-ns-season-ticket-holder on the website of NS (Dutch railways)]. If you have activated this and checked in with 40% reduction you can travel together with another traveller with an "NS abonnement" (NS season ticket holder), so you need to find somebody who has one, ideally before departure of the train. This is valid on weekdays after 9 AM 09:00 and during the weekend without limitation (however, there are several types of season tickets nowadays, and some of them do not qualify for discount during the afternoon rush hours).
==== Personal Experiences ====
