Hitchhikers guide to Europe (or anywhere)

Hitchhiking is probably one of the easiest and cheapest way to travel. No expenses on plane/bus/train/boat(?) ticket. Depends on your style, you can carry a tent and don’t have to worry about accommodation costs either. Your only cost is basically food, though it often happens that people who offer you ride will buy you some food also or give fresh veggies and so on.

Scared of getting kidnapped or robbed on the road? Yeah, shit can happen, but hey, this shit can happen on your home street as well. Actually people are generally good and supportive, specially when you are hitchhiking. I’ve hitchhiked through more than 15 countries: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Serbia, Hungary, Serbia, Czechia, Macedonia, Greece, Austria, Switzerland, France, Luxembourg, Germany, Netherlands and haven’t had any problems on the road.

Aahh, the beautyful Austria...

Though once in France I was picked up by police because I was hitchhiking on the highway. But they were nice and took me to a better place for hitchhiking and wished me a good journey. Also once I was offered 50 euros to suck someones c%k when I was having a breakfast on the rest area on the roadside. Told the cunt to get the f%k out of there and he did. All the other people I’ve met on the road have been super friendly, they have offered me shelter for the night and dinner and breakfast. I have made many good friends on the road with whom I’ve caught up and had good times together.

Eastern France.. loved it!

So yeah, nothing to worry about, just lose your fear and start enjoying life to the fullest.

The best way to hitchhike is probably alone or with a partner. No more than 2 people, since many cars can pick up max 2 people. Traveling alone is good because you can do whatever you feel like and don’t have to worry about someone else, though it can get lonely sometimes, like the time I was stuck in Lithuania for 5 hours in a bus stop where nobody wanted to pick me up. At least I had harmonica with me and I could practice this. It’s good idea to bring some kind of musical instrument with you, even if you don’t know how to play it. There is a big chance that by the end of the trip you know how to play it.

Amsterdam

From the list above, the hardest countries to catch a ride for me were Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Serbia. The Baltic states people are just a bit cold maybe still have some anger from soviet times and Serbians are just not used to hitchhiking and picking up hitchhiker as far as I learned on the road. Before starting the trips many people warned me about Poland and said hitchhiking there could be hard - reality was much different. It was actually wonderful place to hitchhike. The proces for food are cheap. People are very friendly. Also the traffic culture there is something I haven’t seen anywhere else. Almost every car has a radio transmitter in it and they are all the time letting other drivers know about police or road conditions etc. I only had to stop one car to get to the other side of Poland. When the first car had to turn off somewhere then the driver just asked other drivers if someone was going my direction and is willing to pick me up.

Remi(a Polish truck driver) having breakfast before hitting the road again.

When planning a hitchhiking trip:
+Make a list of things you need might need on the road. Don’t take too much food with you - water is more important. There are plenty of shops on the road.

• Carry a battery bank if you are a tech person
• Forget the fear and be free!

Will be posting more about the topic ;) Thanks for reading.

My second hitchhiking trip in 2013. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures left from my first trip which I made to Greece.

The first trip is how it all started - my traveling life. Will make an extra post about it.