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Picking up hitchhikers

2,027 bytes added, 01:17, 26 October 2015
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[[File:IMG 5212.JPG|thumb|right|250px|Yaniv with luggage and sign for [[Verona]]]]
A good starting point for your judgment is often their luggage. You should take a good look at the person's belongings as you slow down and pull over. Do they have a well worn rucksack and are their hands full with a map and a book while they frantically try to grab everything and rush toward your car? An honest traveler will probably have similar paraphernalia. Still, many hitchhikers hitchhike for short day trips on well-known territory and sometimes don't carry any luggage at all.
 
Other ways to know are
1. If the hitchhiker/s is/are walking on the highway with a sign or had their thumbs up as it tell that the person is trying to get some place. Keep that in mind if the person is not walking that does not mean he/she is not good enough to be picked up it could also be because tiredness.
2. Keeping a proper eye contact?
3. Smiling in a friendly way?
== Communicate ==
If, before you let them in, you ask them where they are going and they say a place that is very very far away, but you are only going to a place that really is just 20km down the road, don't just drive off as it is quite likely that they would very much appreciate the extra 20km that you can take them. Even one km can be a big help if you happen to know that it is a better spot (e.g. a big petrol station along the motorway) than the one they are in.
A better spot is also more important than how far. Taking someone from a good big petrol station and putting them on the motorway (or off the high way) might make more problems than it solves. As long as you can put the person at a somewhat better or the same quality place, a little bit of a ride is better than no ride, if not much else it gives the hitchhiker a new scenario and some hope.
In any case, it's good to show some sign of recognition, even if you don't plan to stop. A quick smile or a gesture indicating that you're only going locally can give a hitchhiker some hope. And many hitchhikers love human interaction, so it's nice to have a chat at a petrol station.
Most hitchhikers will try to converse with you to get to know you, in case they are not talking its good to try to initiate a conversation as they could be tired from all the waiting and walking..== Common hitchhiking spots ==One can find hitchhikers on almost all areas on a road or close to it, but there's several kinds of places where it's more common and likely to see them. === Traffic light lights ===
Sometimes you encounter hitchhikers at [[Traffic light hitchhiking|traffic lights]]. If the traffic light is followed by a convenient place to stop it's best to go there. Otherwise you have to [[trust]] on your instinct.
=== Motorway on-ramp, bus stops ===
Bus stops are convenient places to stop. Motorway on-ramps can be more tricky, but are similar.
=== [[Petrol station hitchhiking|Petrol stationstations]] ===Many hitchhikers prefer to ask drivers for rides at petrol stations. This gives both hitchhikers as well as drivers more time to think, chat, and develop a rapport with which they can [[trust]] in one another. Some of the people working at the stations don't like hitchhikers and consider it soliciting so can be rude and may ask them to leave so if you feel like giving them a ride ask them to wait for you out side the gas station until you pick them up.
[[File:Washing car window in the North of Finland.JPG|thumb|250px|left|It might even happen that a hitchhiker cleans your windows]]
[[File:Parnu-riga.jpg|thumb|200px|[[User:Amylin|Amylin]] hitchhiking to [[Riga]]]]
It's great when it happens, but hitchhikers don't need to go to their final destination with just one ride. Usually a hitchhike trip takes many consecutive rides. To avoid missing out on cars that go shorter distances people often put two or even more destinations on their sign.
 
==Flexibility==
Hitchhikers are flexible travelers - when it comes to rides, their main concern usually is to get to the destination, so often they don't mind sitting in the back of a truck, if it's allowed (for example in [[Missouri]] its allowed to sit in the back of a truck), sitting with their backpacks in their lap, or any other way that might be considered uncomfortable. It's best to ask them if they would be willing to ride that way, as often a hitchhiker will prefer an uncomfortable ride to no ride at all. If you feel uncomfortable or don't have room to sit in the cabin, offering a ride in the back can be a good option. Many hitchhikers consider it a very fun way to ride, and some actually prefer it because of the open view, the wind, etc.
== Stuff ==
Ideally, the seat or seats for the hitchhiker(s) will be empty of stuff. Take time to organize your car. When you drop the hitchhiker quickly assure that they took all their own stuff and left all your stuff. Also, if you lost something, remember it might not be malicious. Sometimes, something could have fallen out of the car, or a hitchhiker could've mistakenly took something that was not their property. In these cases, [[#Exchange contact information|exchanging contact info]] during the ride could be a useful way to ensure whatever is lost gets returned to its place.
== Exchange contact information ==
If you have a business card, it could be nice to give one to the hitchhiker. You never know what you can get out of it in the future. Also some hitchhikers have blogs and an extra link to your website can be good for your search engine rankings. And then it can also be nice to just know someone in another country. If you don't have a business card, write down your email address, phone number and/or Facebook name.
Some hitchhikers also maintain travel logs on blogs or websites and their stories are typically full of interesting, even enlightening things. If you had a particularly enjoyable conversation with the hitchhiker(s), it could be nice to ask if they write about or otherwise share their traveling experiences. Many hitchhikers who do this are eager to share their contact info with you.
== More information ==
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20111011054156/http://www.digihitch.com/article480.html 'Why do people pick up hitchhikers?'] An , an article at [http://www.digihitch.com Digihitch]
* A story written by a driver in the [[United States of America|USA]] and who see hitchhikers every day. He made some rules for himself. For an experienced hitchhiker-traveler they might sound funny, but it gives you a nice look in the mind of someone who picks up hitchhikers on a daily basis. "Every morning and evening, I see people hitchhiking on the 602 to get to Gallup and back." [http://robingallup.wordpress.com/2008/10/14/hitchhikers/ link]
* Stop & Wander, a Girl’s Guide to Picking up Hitchhikers [http://bugbear.wordpress.com/2008/04/23/girls-guide-to-picking-up-hitchhikers]. "When I see someone standing by the side of the road, trying to flag down a ride, I get curious."
* A journey of two months, two french hitchhikers traveled around eastern europe. Easy to translate with Google© [http://howtosayhello.fr/projet/].
* [http://rovingsnails.com/2013/09/11/why-did-you-pick-us-up/ Why did you pick us up?] - some of the reasons given by drivers to [[User:Rovingsnails|Roving Snails]]
[[Category:Practical info]]
[[fi:Liftarin kyytiinottaminen]]
[[fr:Prendre des auto-stoppeurs]]
[[he:הנהג]]
[[pl:Zabieranie autostopowiczów]]
[[nl:Lifters meenemen]]
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