The thrill of hitchhiking
I think sometimes it is nice to deviate from a linear path and let the currents take the boat towards in an unknown direction.
For me one of those currents is hitchhiking: a straightforward way to embrace unpredictability and have fun adventures. With the caveat of taking small risks - which can be minimized - it’s a way to meet incredibly interesting people, get new perspectives and have interesting conversations.
It was way more popular in the 80s, but there are still related communities and tutorials around, such as the Hitchwiki. The drivers I found in the Netherlands could relate to my situation, as they also hitchhiked in the past.
Interestingly, there is no correlation between the likelihood of being picked up and the price of the car. I’ve seen both extremes and the common ground was kindness, backed by a curious attitude longing for deep conversation.
A short hitchhiking history
Menorca, Spain, 2019
Hitchhiking with another guy; a man from Ecuador picked us up and and explained in detail how bad things could get if we did the same in his home country.
Grosseto → Rispescia, Italy, 2019
First time hitchhiking alone, I needed to reach the enviromental festival Festambiente, happening in the village of Rispescia, ~8km far from Grosseto. A fun guy from the area gave me a ride.
Berlin → Amsterdam → Utrecht → Njimegen, Germany+Netherlands, 2022
After a long stop from this foolish activity, in summer 2022 I planned to visit the Netherlands on a low budget. Managed to reach the NL on a small truck with a dog eating my hitchhiking cardboard signs and two guys who could not really explain the purpose of their trip. Then a German pizzeria owner living in the NL openly sharing life advice based on his experiences. The last stretch with a woman telling how she left her corporate job to start her own watersports business.
It can be fun the other way around too: once accepted a random hitchhiker and it turns out he was a “top gun” in the Italian Airforce. Most likely burned out from such a stressful job, reassigned to an boring office job in a boring city in the north of Italy.
Maybe it is time to jump on a random car again and let the fate bring me to the next destination.
Probably it would also make me appreciate more the public transport services.