Hi trv, im european and I've been wanting to do a longer hitchhike through Europe, mainly to Germany. I live in portugal.
Ha anyone here done anything like this before? Any experiences or stories, tips would be helpful.
>>1067993
Hitchhiking experience depends on the country:
>Easy tier:
Germany
Poland
Czech Republic
Netherlands
Belgium
>Medium tier:
Austria
Slovenia
Hungary
France
>Pain in the arse tier:
Spain
Italy
Write a sign, try to hop from one rest area with petrol stations on motorways to another, plan your trip, carry a map and plan ahead, talk to people, check the hitchwiki for tips and stay safe.
>>1067998
>Pain in the are tier
Why? Are people just not gonna pick you up?
What do I do when I haven't reached the next city but it's getting dark? Hitchhike through the night? Sleep in the open?
>>1068185
I've hitchhiked from Poland to Italy and I can confirm that Italy is pain-in-the-ass tier. People are just less likely to give you a ride, plus hitchhiking is illegal on highways. I don't think you can get in trouble for it really, but it contributes to people not wanting to give you a ride. Italians in general were assholes during my trip and could barely speak any English, even people in their 20s.
I've had to sleep at a service station after not being able to get a ride before it got dark and slept on the grass behind some trucks. I got to Bologna the next day and couldn't get a ride out and slept under a tree in a park. I was planning on getting to Rome by hitchhiking, but it was such an awful experience in Italy that I ended up taking a bus from Bologna to Rome.
>>1068185
I usually pitch a tent somewhere out of sight from the service station.
Hitchhiking at night is not a good idea, due to less traffic and people rather give lifts during the day. In Italy, it is illegal to hitchhike on grade-separated highways, fines can be hefty. In Spain hitchhiking is not common and people don't seem to get the concept or are a little scared.