United States of America

The United States of America as a country is divided up into 50 states; for the conveniance of the common hitchhiker these states are discussed in detail along with their capitals at the following pages.

Hitching, like everything else in America, varies greatly depending on what type of area and what part of the country you are passing through. In general you can get rides fairly easily if you hitchhike the right way; in fact oftentimes you can find more than just rides, such as offers for free meals, invitations to homes and parties, etc.

In most states you can´t hitch from the interstates (motorways) themselves, but you can always stand on the onramp (entry ramp) like in Europe. In a select few areas (such as certain towns, or the entire state of Pennsylvania) hitching is illegal everywhere, however de facto it is still allowed. The police will never stop you from hitchhiking as long as you are not on the interstate itself, where it is rightly considered a safety issue.

If you're going for speed, then the best bet is to stay on the interstates (designated by "I-##) instead of local highways, and to try to stick to onramps that have truckstops, rest stops, or any other reason for drivers to stop there (restaurants, gas stations, etc.) You can also look for rides at the truck stops themselves, but be discreet about it as some are rather unfriendly to hitchers and will rudely ask you to leave if not call the police on you. If you aren't concerned about making good time then getting off the interstates can be a very rewarding experience. Local highways and smaller roads will grant you a better picture of what local life is like in that area, and typically offer a greater variety of drivers.

Oftentimes, particularly close to major cities, the police will ask you for photo ID, but as long as you have one with you (such as a passport) there shouldn't be a problem. Most of the time they will be friendly when you come up clean, sometimes even driving you to a better spot.

Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia

Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland

Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey

New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina

South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming