I am lucky to have some hitchhiking friends who shared their experiences with me. I heard a lot of crazy stories like: "I wanted to go to Spain, but suddenly I got into the Sahara desert!" or "We were just sleeping in this cave in Cappadocia, when a few guys with guns woke us up and gave us food and drink". Seeing their happy faces and hearing those unbelievable stories, the dream of my own hitchhiking journey began to grow inside of me. And so I started big - by flying to Japan with my friend and hitchhiking from Osaka to Tokyo.
It was by far the best thing I've done in my life - testing my own abilities to adapt to cold weather, sleeping in weird places, eating the worst things any European can imagine (and enjoying it!) and of course walking through crazy-long distances, trying to find a place where cars could stop. There is no better way to discover a foreign country and its culture, that's for sure. People are usually very open and helpful, allowing hitchhikers to sleep in their own houses and explaining various traditions. You can see, taste and feel everything like a normal, everyday inhabitant. It's impossible to do it with a travel agency!
With a little knowledge of finding cheap flights and willing to hitch-hike the whole road ahead, you can travel basically for free. However, a tent in your backpack and tent-friendly country is required - not every driver is eager to let a stranger sleep in his house. If you want to try it yourself, be prepared to spend few nights outside and have some bucks left for food, drink and in case of emergency situations. A mobile phone with GPS is also required to be 100% safe.
People should avoid this method of travelling if they want to focus on what's the best in a chosen country - like travel agencies do. Free exploring often leads you to less popular city districts, slums, even regions which are not visited by tourists at all. In Asian or African countries, this can lead to a situation when you are clearly the one and only foreigner in some area, which causes a bit of sensation amongst the locals. The good part? Discovering beautiful places unknown to a typical tourist, of course. And there are many of them!
Our country is the host of one of the biggest hitchhiking events in the world. Have you heard of Auto Stop Race? Every year a destination city is chosen and the great race begins! Groups of 2-3 people dance and jump on the side of the road to attract cars, and the one which gets to the target city first receives a reward.
Have you ever tried hitchhiking? What would be your dream hitchhiking journey? Or do you consider hitchhiking a total waste of time or a pretty risky business? Tell me! :)
