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|hitch = <rating country='us' />
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:'''''For specific information on each state please check the links at the bottom of this page.'''''
[[File:Kasper-hitch-nh.jpg|thumb|250px|[[User:guaka|guaka]]<small><sup>[http://guaka.org/ site], [[User talk:guaka|wikitalk]]</sup></small> hitching in New England, taken by [[User:Amylin|amylin]], September 2007]]
'''The United States of America''', commonly called '''The U.S.A.''', or simply '''America''' is a country consisting of 50 states. For the convenience of the common hitchhiker, these states are discussed in detail along with their capitals in their individual pages (see below). The US is bordered by [[Canada]] to the north and [[Mexico]] to the south.
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, often you can find more than just rides, such as offers for free meals, invitations to homes and parties, etc.
When making '''signs''' in the states, it best to use the two-letter state abbreviations, which are universally understood, notable exceptions being OK, HI, and LA. The first two could be confused for words, the last ([[Louisiana]]) could be confused with ([[Los Angeles]]). Additionally:
*"Philly" = "[[Philadelphia]]"*"D.C." = "[[Washington, D.C.]]"*"N.Y.C." = "[[New York City]]"*"S.F" = "[[San Francisco]]"*"L.A." = "[[Los Angeles]]"*"NOLA" ="[[New Orleans]]" (not universally understood, but in the South at least)
'''Asking for rides at rest areas or gas stations''', is often one of the quickest ways to get a very long distance ride, but soliciting and loitering is might be prohibited there and sometimes you will be kicked out before finding a ride. A good way to avoid being kicked out is to greet everyone entering the building with a friendly smile and give them a friendly nod, then ask them for a ride as they leave the building. This gives them time to become comfortable with your presence and prevents them from having the opportunity to complain about your solicitation to the employees.
