Hitchhiking in Europe | A Taste of Travel

Prior to backpacking through Europe, I had never even entertained the idea of hitchhiking. These days in southwest Ontario, you don’t see many hitchhikers. There’s often a huge stigma associated with hitchhikers too. While the trend used to be quite popular in the 1960’s, it’s mostly died off since then. A few horror stories happened along the way which led to hitchhiking having a bad reputation. It seems that hitching has started to have a bit of a come back in recent years, however. Especially with public transportation costs increasing, hitchhiking in Europe is an extremely affordable way to get around. If you’ve ever wondered about hitchhiking, this post is for you!

Hitchhiking in Europe | How To

Of course, hitchhiking can be as simple as standing on the sidewalk with your thumb out. But you’re far more likely to get picked up if you follow a few unspoken rules of hitchhiking. After having hitched over 5000km of rides with more than 100 people in the last six months, Mac and I have a few recommendations for hitchhiking in Europe.

Find A Good Hitching Spot

Having a good spot is probably the most important part of hitchhiking. You want to be visible to potential drivers and be standing near a spot that has sufficient space for them to pull over. If you’re hitching out of a city, bus stops are a good spot. We’ve also had success on/near slip roads (aka on ramps). Mac and I often stand separately. One of us will be up front with the sign, and the other about 10 metres behind at the place where there’s room for the driver to pull over. This strategy works because the driver will see the first person with the sign, have time to make a decision whether or not to pick us up, and pull off where the second person is standing.

It’s worth noting that some countries have laws about hitchhiking. It’s generally illegal to hitch on the side of a major highway/motorway (and with that, slip roads/on ramps as well). Having basic knowledge of the laws surrounding hitchhiking in the country you’re in is always a good idea.

One strategy we’ve been using in the UK (where we are fluent in the local language) is posting up at gas stations and asking folks directly. Doing this allows us to develop a rapport with drivers (and show them that we’re friendly, sensible people). Some gas stations have policies about doing this, but we tend to operate under the logic of ‘it’s easier to beg for forgiveness than ask for permission’.

Make A Sign

Having a sign isn’t 100% necessary, but it is extremely helpful. The sign should be large with the name of the place you’re going written in big, block letters. (Writing ‘please’ in the local language can help too). If you’re going to a more remote place, start by writing the name of the nearest city and go from there.

Window Chat

Once your potential driver has pulled over, have a chat through the window. Confirm where they’re going, ask their name, and perform a gut-check. If you have even an inkling of something that doesn’t sit right with you, you have the power to say no and wave them off. Mac and I once almost got a lift from a lorry (transport truck) driver in Belgium. We were ascending the stairs into the cab when Mac noticed an open tall-can of beer. We immediately told the driver ‘no thanks’, descended the stairs and waited for another ride.

If you’re trying to get a lift several hours away, it can sometimes be worth it to hold out for someone that’s actually going there. We’ve taken countless inefficient rides to go a few kilometres further, only to be dropped off in a worse spot than where we were before.

While Driving

Hitchhiking in Europe is exciting because there are SO many different cultures and languages to traverse. Hopefully while traveling you’ve picked up a few basics in the local language. Words and phrases like hello, thank you, how are you, my name is.., I come from.., are extremely helpful. If your driver doesn’t speak English, apps like Google Translate can be a lifesaver. Always be courteous and kind, and remember to say thank you!

Having a clear idea of where you’d like to be dropped off is immensely helpful while hitchhiking. Download maps of the area ahead of time so that they’ll be available offline later. If your driver isn’t going directly into the city where you’d like to be, see if you can find a gas or service station off the highway. If possible, never allow the driver to choose the drop point (similar rationale to the ‘Window Chat’).

Enjoy the Journey

Hitchhiking is essentially just one giant game of chance. Depending where you are, drivers might be more or less willing to pick you up. It can be frustrating to see so many cars pass you by, but Mac and I like to say “we only need one”.

One of our favourite pick ups happened just recently as we were hitching from York to London. We posted up between the coffee shop and gas station at the motorway service station. A lovely woman going to get a coffee said she could drive us, but she was going less than a quarter of the way to London. We thanked her for the offer but decided we would wait for someone going a bit farther. It turns out that this woman bought the coffee for the guy behind her in the drive through line. He saw us as he was leaving the coffee shop and pulled over to chat. He found out that we hadn’t taken the ride with the lovely lady, and because she had bought his coffee he decided to ‘pay it forward’ and offer us a lift. It turns out he was going all the way to London!! See what I mean about hitching just being one giant game of chance?!

Our excitement at getting a lift from France across the English Channel!

Resources

One resource we use again and again while hitchhiking in Europe is the website HitchWiki. It’s like Wikipedia for hitchhiking. There are different pages for nearly every city in Europe. The pages detail the best spots for getting a lift and helpful hints while travelling. It’s an open source website, meaning that fellow hitchers can edit and add to posts. There’s also a map function that you can see where people have actually gotten lifts before. Beware of outdated information though.

Despite hitchhiking being so varied depending on the day, we’ve found that some countries are far easier for hitching. People from Belgium and the Netherlands seem to be a bit more willing to offer lifts. Getting a ride in the UK was challenging at times. There were many days where we waited for more than an hour, and drivers that passed us seemed unfriendly and barely made eye contact. That being said, hitchhiking on Shetland and around the other islands was refreshingly easy! Islanders were so kind and quick to pull over.

Thumbs Up For Hitchhiking

I’m so glad that Mac and I have pursued this form of transportation on our travels. While hitchhiking in Europe can be tiresome, chaotic, and frustrating, it’s also provided us with some of the best experiences of our travels thus far. Despite geographic, political, and racial differences, we all have stories to share. With the world so connected on social media these days, it’s easy to lose sight of individuality. So much can get lost in the noise of endless scrolling, and it’s so nice to have conversations with people we otherwise would never have met if it weren’t for hitchhiking.

Another pro for hitchhiking is that it’s one of the most environmentally friendly modes of transportation. Obviously walking and cycling are zero-emissions, but after that, hitchhiking will result in no more carbon emissions being released than the car giving you a lift will release anyway. With the recent news surrounding our dying planet and the disastrous effects of climate change, every effort helps.

I realise that hitchhiking isn’t for everyone, and that’s okay. Maybe you won’t/can’t hitchhike yourself, but hopefully this article will make you think differently the next time you drive past someone with their thumb out. (As the driver, you also have the power to say no and drive away! Don’t feel pressured to do something that makes you legitimately uncomfortable.)

So, I’d love to hear, have you ever hitchhiked?? Would you ever pick up a hitchhiker?? (Why/why not?) I’m an open book, so please feel free to ask any questions you might have about hitchhiking in Europe!

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