User:Robino

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My experience with hitchhiking

Robino hitching.jpg

Robino has hitchhiking experience in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Wales, England, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, France, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, Italy, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Spain, Romania, Poland, Ukraine and Turkey. The first time hitching was in '98 with a girl from Nijmegen to Amsterdam. After four rides they got stuck somewhere in Utrecht. A year later he hitched around the UK twice and - apart from that day he took a wrong car out of London - he happily never got stuck again.

Since February 2009, Robino also started to hitchhike from his home to his office, once or twice a week, and writes about that in Dutch at Liften werkt. Due to his inability to work in an commercial office he had to quit this job though just 6 weeks later. Ironically, on his final hitch to work he was offered another job.

My philosophy on hitchhiking

Hitchhiking for me is above everything a sport (as in mental exercise). It is not about cheap traveling but about sharing and meeting random people of whom some never turn out to be so random at all.

I believe also in 'hitchhiking karma'. Most of the time you end up getting those rides which - in one way or another - was meant for you at that time, for your driver, or for both of you. In addition, you can make rides happen but you also should be able to listen very carefully to what the road is trying to tell you.

I strongly believe in a hitchhiker with an active attitude; walking up to drivers and talk to them to ask them for a ride. Whether you are waiting at a service station, rest-area or simply at a roundabout or traffic lights where cars stop. One of my favourite approaches is to wave and make them stop and then make the driver understand what I am actually doing: hitching. But I also believe in lying down in the grass, reading a book, writing notes, taking a nap, and just waiting for a driver to wake you up, even without putting up your thumb all the time. The right driver will recognize and stop for you.

I highly recommend to at least speak some hitchhiking sentences in the language of the country where traveling.

Missions

Personal

Currently I live in Amsterdam. I also lived in Barcelona, Istanbul, Huizen and Newcastle. If you're coming to Amsterdam, Be Welcome. My house is regularly visited by other hitchhikers. You can also have a look at my personal my website and send me an e-mail.

Me hitching from Valencia to Granada
Robino & Sitarane with their drivers while hitching from Amsterdam to Paris for the 888-event.