(Sign, love and photo by Peacehead)
Here are some tips that will improve your results while you're hitchhiking:
- Bring a girl (if you're a guy) or a guy (if you're a girl)
If you're a guy you'll get much better results with other men if you bring a girl.
If you're a girl, it will be easier to dismiss the wedding proposals if you have another guy with you.
Show the drivers that they'd have a much better time if they were with you.
Convince them by being that missing piece of their experience.
In this way they'll feel forced to give you some sort of answer.
If not, you're just part of the scenery.
We want to attract new and secure cars.
Therefore, we dress fashionable and properly.
Say you want to get to city D and you are in city A. Then it's good to know the name of city B and city C as well.
Your sign is a way of saving time. Write the closest town that you want to get to, or the furthest, depending on your situation.
If nobody has stopped, then you might want to skip the sign. If everyone stops, then you want to make it very specific.
For example if you're in an Arab country, get a friend or stranger to write it for you (unless you speak/write in Arabic)
When we're failing to get a good connection with the drivers, and we feel unmotivated we usually just pick up the "INDIA" sign.
This has a very good effect: The drivers starts to smile, laugh, and often points at the sign while their mouths falls wide open.
This makes us laugh and smile as well.
Some people just stop to figure out what's going on, and if we're really going to India.
Humans are social creatures and they are attracted to -- social happenings.
If a car stops and the driver talks to you because of your humorous sign,
then that will make it harder for the drivers that comes afterwards to not do the same thing.
Nobody wants to miss the fun, right?
It is very difficult for the drivers to stop and it's also dangerous for them to do so.
After the point where you're standing there should at least be a few meters for the car to stop at.
It doesn't matter if the source is the sun or a street light, the important thing is that the driver can see you properly.
Make yourself as visible as possible, give them time to understand what you want.
With this in mind, the best spots is where the cars drive slow.
Don't take this too seriously.
The main reason for not hitchhiking when it's dark is simply because it's harder for the drivers to see you.
Truck drivers are often really friendly and nice persons. The only problem with trucks are that they go really slow.
So if you're in a hurry or want to be somewhere at a specific time, it is best to avoid the trucks.
When you're hitchhiking, you're the boss. You choose if you want to step into that car, or if you want the driver to stop it.
In order to get a good contact (rapport) you want to be in the drivers faces. Get out on the road and make contact!
Lack of language is not a communication barrier! You can draw, make gestures and sing international songs together.
Exchange email addresses or Facebook.
Share a gum if you have one.
Show pictures from home.
Connect in some way, and you might have made a friend for life!
There you have it.
19 hacks to improve your hitchhiking experience.
Do you have any tactics or strategies that you'd like to share?
Write them in the comments!
Happy hitching :) !
