-
Notifications
You must be signed in to change notification settings - Fork 0
/
Copy pathsuccessfulhitchhiking.html
257 lines (194 loc) · 21.1 KB
/
successfulhitchhiking.html
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" />
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" />
<link rel="shortcut icon" href="sites/all/themes/custom/getout/gfx/favicon.ico" type="image/x-icon" />
<meta name="description" content="" />
<meta name="keywords" content="outdoor, adventure, ohio, kentucky, west virgnia, pennsylvania, indiana, cycling, backpacking, hiking, skiing, paddling, health, nutrition, vacation, travel, maps" />
<meta name="copyright" content="© 2012" />
<title>Successful Hitchhiking | GetOut!</title>
<script type="text/javascript" src="misc/jquery.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="misc/drupal.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="sites/all/modules/ad_flash/scripts/AC_RunActiveContent.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="sites/all/modules/jquery_update/compat-1.0.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="sites/all/modules/lightbox2/js/image_nodes.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="sites/all/modules/lightbox2/js/lightbox.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="sites/all/modules/lightbox2/js/lightningload.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="sites/all/modules/event/eventblock.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="misc/progress.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="sites/all/modules/jquery_update/collapse-fix.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript">Drupal.extend({ settings: { "lightbox2": { "disable_zoom": false, "group_images": true, "disable_for_gallery_lists": true, "node_link_text": "View Image Details", "image_count": "Image !current of !total", "lite_press_x_close": "press \x3ca href=\"#\" onclick=\"hideLightbox(); return false;\"\x3e\x3ckbd\x3ex\x3c/kbd\x3e\x3c/a\x3e to close" } } });</script>
<style type="text/css" media="all">@import "files/css/a5b55e730c36cb66cefb07616519a270.css";</style>
<link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="GetOut! RSS - All Stories" href="http://getoutzine.com/rss.xml" />
<style type="text/css">
<!--
-->
</style>
<!--[if IE 5]>
<style type="text/css">
/* place css box model fixes for IE 5* in this conditional comment */
.thrColFixHdr #sidebar1 { width: 180px; }
.thrColFixHdr #sidebar2 { width: 190px; }
</style>
<![endif]--><!--[if IE]>
<style type="text/css">
/* place css fixes for all versions of IE in this conditional comment */
.thrColFixHdr #sidebar2, .thrColFixHdr #sidebar1 { padding-top: 30px; }
.thrColFixHdr #mainContent { zoom: 1; }
/* the above proprietary zoom property gives IE the hasLayout it needs to avoid several bugs */
</style>
<![endif]--></head>
<body >
<p class="access-aid">
<a href="successfulhitchhiking.html#mainContent">Skip to page content</a>
</p>
<div id="top"></div>
<div id="container">
<div id="header">
<div id="block-ad-16" class="block block-ad">
<div class="content">
<div class="advertisement group-tids-16" id="group-id-tids-16"><script type="text/javascript" src="sites/all/modules/ad/serve.php%3Fq=1&t=16"></script></div>
</div>
</div>
<a class="logo" href="index.html">GetOut!</a>
<!-- end #header --></div>
<div id="primaryNavigation">
<ul class="links"><li class="first menu-1-1-2"><a href="index.html" title="Go to the Getout! home page" class="menu-1-1-2">Home</a></li>
<li class="menu-1-2-2"><a href="store.html" title="Buy cool GO! products" class="menu-1-2-2">GO! Store</a></li>
<li class="menu-1-3-2"><a href="user/register.html" title="Subscribe to Get Out!" class="menu-1-3-2">Subscribe</a></li>
<li class="menu-1-4-2"><a href="node/24.html" title="Advertise in Get Out!" class="menu-1-4-2">Advertise</a></li>
<li class="menu-1-5-2"><a href="node/10.html" title="About Get Out!" class="menu-1-5-2">About Us</a></li>
<li class="menu-1-6-2"><a href="node/add/general-contact.html" title="Contact us" class="menu-1-6-2">Contact Us</a></li>
<li class="last menu-1-7-2"><a href="user/login.html" title="Login to Getout! to post events or comments" class="menu-1-7-2">Login</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div id="sidebar1">
<form action="successfulhitchhiking.html" accept-charset="UTF-8" method="post" id="search-theme-form">
<div><div id="search" class="container-inline"><div class="form-item" id="edit-search-theme-form-keys-wrapper">
<input type="text" maxlength="128" name="search_theme_form_keys" id="edit-search-theme-form-keys" size="15" value="" title="Enter the terms you wish to search for." class="form-text" />
</div>
<input type="submit" name="op" id="edit-submit" value="Search" class="form-submit" />
<input type="hidden" name="form_id" id="edit-search-theme-form" value="search_theme_form" />
</div>
</div></form>
<div id="block-menu-55" class="block block-menu">
<div class="content">
<ul class="menu">
<li class="leaf">
<a href="taxonomy/term/6.html" title="Read articles in the 'Green Up Your Act' department">Green Up Your Act</a></li><li class="leaf">
<a href="taxonomy/term/7.1.html" title="Read articles in the 'Get Out of Town' department">All Destinations</a></li><li class="leaf">
<a href="taxonomy/term/1.1.html">Featured Articles</a></li><li class="leaf">
<a href="taxonomy/term/9.html" title="Read articles in the 'HEALTH and NUTrition' department">HEALTH and NUTrition</a></li><li class="leaf">
<a href="taxonomy/term/11.html" title="Read articles in the 'Skill Set' department">Skill Set</a></li><li class="leaf">
<a href="taxonomy/term/41.html">News</a></li><li class="leaf">
<a href="taxonomy/term/13.html" title="Read articles in the 'Reviews' department">Reviews (gear, books)</a></li><li class="leaf">
<a href="taxonomy/term/3.html" title="Notes from the editor">GO! Blog</a></li><li class="leaf">
<a href="taxonomy/term/48.html" title="read recipes from 'backcountry gourmet' section">Backcountry Gourmet</a></li><li class="leaf">
<a href="maps_downloads.html" title="Get free maps and other downloads">Maps & Downloads</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div id="block-event-0" class="block block-event">
<h2>Events</h2>
<div class="content"><div class="event-calendar"><div class="month-view"><table class="event-block december">
<caption><span class="prev"><a href="event/2012/11/01/month/all/all/1.html" class="updateblock">«</a></span> <a href="event/2012/12/03/month.html">December 2012</a> <span class="next"><a href="event/2013/01/01/month/all/all/1.html" class="updateblock">»</a></span></caption>
<thead><tr><th class="sun">S</th><th class="mon">M</th><th class="tue">T</th><th class="wed">W</th><th class="thu">T</th><th class="fri">F</th><th class="sat">S</th> </tr></thead>
<tbody>
<tr class="odd"><td class="pad"></td><td class="pad"></td><td class="pad"></td><td class="pad"></td><td class="pad"></td><td class="pad"></td><td class="sat day-1"><a href="event/2012/12/1/day.html">1</a></td> </tr>
<tr class="even"><td class="sun day-2"><a href="event/2012/12/2/day.html">2</a></td><td class="mon day-3 today selected"><a href="event/2012/12/3/day.html">3</a></td><td class="tue day-4"><a href="event/2012/12/4/day.html">4</a></td><td class="wed day-5"><a href="event/2012/12/5/day.html">5</a></td><td class="thu day-6"><a href="event/2012/12/6/day.html">6</a></td><td class="fri day-7"><a href="event/2012/12/7/day.html">7</a></td><td class="sat day-8"><a href="event/2012/12/8/day.html">8</a></td> </tr>
<tr class="odd"><td class="sun day-9"><a href="event/2012/12/9/day.html">9</a></td><td class="mon day-10"><a href="event/2012/12/10/day.html">10</a></td><td class="tue day-11"><a href="event/2012/12/11/day.html">11</a></td><td class="wed day-12"><a href="event/2012/12/12/day.html">12</a></td><td class="thu day-13"><a href="event/2012/12/13/day.html">13</a></td><td class="fri day-14"><a href="event/2012/12/14/day.html">14</a></td><td class="sat day-15"><a href="event/2012/12/15/day.html">15</a></td> </tr>
<tr class="even"><td class="sun day-16"><a href="event/2012/12/16/day.html">16</a></td><td class="mon day-17"><a href="event/2012/12/17/day.html">17</a></td><td class="tue day-18"><a href="event/2012/12/18/day.html">18</a></td><td class="wed day-19"><a href="event/2012/12/19/day.html">19</a></td><td class="thu day-20"><a href="event/2012/12/20/day.html">20</a></td><td class="fri day-21"><a href="event/2012/12/21/day.html">21</a></td><td class="sat day-22"><a href="event/2012/12/22/day.html">22</a></td> </tr>
<tr class="odd"><td class="sun day-23"><a href="event/2012/12/23/day.html">23</a></td><td class="mon day-24"><a href="event/2012/12/24/day.html">24</a></td><td class="tue day-25"><a href="event/2012/12/25/day.html">25</a></td><td class="wed day-26"><a href="event/2012/12/26/day.html">26</a></td><td class="thu day-27"><a href="event/2012/12/27/day.html">27</a></td><td class="fri day-28"><a href="event/2012/12/28/day.html">28</a></td><td class="sat day-29"><a href="event/2012/12/29/day.html">29</a></td> </tr>
<tr class="even"><td class="sun day-30"><a href="event/2012/12/30/day.html">30</a></td><td class="mon day-31"><a href="event/2012/12/31/day.html">31</a></td><td class="pad"></td><td class="pad"></td><td class="pad"></td><td class="pad"></td><td class="pad"></td> </tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div></div>
</div>
</div>
<div id="block-block-6" class="block block-block">
<div class="content"><p><a href="user/login.html">Login or Register</a> to post an event</p></div>
</div>
<!-- end #sidebar1 --></div>
<div id="sidebar2">
<div id="block-article_ad-0" class="block block-article_ad">
<h2>Advertisement</h2>
<div class="content">
<div class="advertisement group-tids-15" id="group-id-tids-15"><script type="text/javascript" src="sites/all/modules/ad/serve.php%3Fq=3&t=15"></script></div>
</div>
</div>
<div id="block-block-1" class="block block-block">
<div class="content"><div id="google-adsense-block">
<script type="text/javascript"><!--
google_ad_client = "pub-7697316865707279";
//160x600, created 1/4/08
google_ad_slot = "2314631645";
google_ad_width = 160;
google_ad_height = 600;
//--></script><script type="text/javascript"
src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js">
</script></div>
<p> </p>
</div>
</div>
<!-- end #sidebar2 --></div>
<div id="mainContent">
<div class="breadcrumb"><a href="index.html">Home</a> » <a href="taxonomy/term/2.html">Departments</a> » <a href="taxonomy/term/11.html">Skill Set</a></div>
<h1>Successful Hitchhiking</h1>
<div class="node-article">
<h4 class="article-author">By Mary Reed</h4><div class="article-banner-image-container"><img src="files/imagecache/article_banner/files/node_images/533e98565098f755.jpg" alt="This reviewer gives hitching one thumb up. Photo by Mary Reed." title="This reviewer gives hitching one thumb up. Photo by Mary Reed." /></div><p>You’re four miles by foot from your car and it’s getting dark. You’ve shredded your bike tube and you’re 50 miles from home. You’re just plain lost, but you’ve found a road. The one-digit solution? Your thumb. </p>
<p>The key to successful and safe hitching is, apparently, there isn’t one. “Very few specific factors affect how you get a ride – it’s mostly random,” says Duncan from Ohio, who has logged 20,000 miles hitchhiking or train jumping (Duncan declines to give his last name). However, there are methods for increasing your odds of getting picked up.</p>
<p><strong>Select a good starting point.</strong> People in cities aren’t usually going long distances, but the edge of town – city or small town – is a good place to start. Even if you’re barely in the front country, there are better places than others to pick up a ride. “If the highway’s not working, go to a busy gas station,” Duncan advises, “Your ratio of getting picked up then (is better) based on the face-to-face conversation, where they can see that you’re not a psychopath.” Ditto the parking lot of a trailhead or put in. Approaching someone for a ride works better than sticking out your thumb. Which leads us to …</p>
<p><strong>Stick out your thumb.</strong> “The thumb is the universal signal that everyone understands,” Duncan says, allowing that a big handwritten sign with your destination is a good idea, too. If your destination is hundreds or even thousands of miles away, consider writing a closer destination so you don’t scare off people who might think they have to take you the whole way. </p>
<p><strong>Dress for success.</strong> Some advise that you dress like the kind of person you want picking you up. Duncan doesn’t think there is a correlation between what you wear and getting a ride. He does point out, however, that for women it’s extremely important not to look like a sex worker.</p>
<p>Other than that, anything goes. “Ratty is sort of what people expect; that’s in the box of ‘hitchhiker,’” Duncan says, “If I’m dressed up, they’re like ‘Why is this dressed-up guy by the side of the road?’” Nonetheless, if you’re standing there with your bike, your backpack or your boat, it’s reasonable to expect a fellow cyclist, backpacker or paddler will sympathize with your plight (or adventure) and pick you up. Duncan says he never has a problem getting picked up with his bike.</p>
<p><strong>Talk to your potential ride.</strong> “Try and talk to the person before you get in the car,” Duncan says. This is easy enough, since you need to determine if they can give you a ride to where you’re going. Be sure to ask where they’ll let you off so you don’t end up stuck in the middle of nowhere. “Just try to make a quick judgment, (get) a quick feel for the person,” Duncan says. If you’re not prepared to turn down a ride because you’re uncomfortable with someone, you’re not ready to hitchhike.</p>
<p><strong>Use the buddy system.</strong> Duncan says the chances of getting picked up alone or with more people are about the same. But, he adds, “Hitching with a friend is definitely better for morale.” It beats standing by yourself on the side of the road for hours. If you’re a woman, you will be more secure if you hitch with another person. Duncan likes to play this betting game: each person thumbing it guesses how many cars will pass until one stops to pick you up. Whoever is closest to the actual number wins. </p>
<p><strong>Obey the law.</strong> Except on highways, hitchhiking generally is not against the law. That said, some people complain when they see hitchhikers and cops will respond to those complaints. Other cops just don’t want you on their beat and will give you a free ride to the edge of their jurisdiction. It’s important to obey the law, including drug laws (don’t carry any), since there is a real chance you will get stopped by law enforcement. Generally, Duncan says, they just ask for your ID (be sure to have it on you) and leave you alone.</p>
<div class="article-next-month-teaser"><p><strong>Is Hitchhiking Safe?</strong><br />
The Bureau of Criminal Statistics does not keep records on crimes associated with hitchhiking. Virtually no academic studies cover the topic either. Hard and fast numbers on the safety or danger of hitchhiking are just not available. Whatever the dangers, they are greater for women than men. Most experienced hitchhikers consider it safe and most who are too afraid to hitch think it is dangerous. This article does not advocate hitchhiking, but will hopefully help you do it safely and successfully if you find yourself in need of a ride. </p>
<p>Try this tip: Before getting into a vehicle, call or text a friend from your cell phone with the license plate number. Do it conspicuously so the driver will know.</p>
</div><div class="service-links"><div class="service-label">Bookmark/Share this post with: </div><ul class="links"><li class="first service_links_delicious"><a href="http://del.icio.us/post?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.getoutzine.com%2Fsuccessfulhitchhiking&title=Successful+Hitchhiking" title="Bookmark this post on del.icio.us." rel="nofollow" class="service_links_delicious"><img src="sites/all/modules/service_links/delicious.png" alt="Delicious" /></a></li>
<li class="service_links_digg"><a href="http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.getoutzine.com%2Fsuccessfulhitchhiking&title=Successful+Hitchhiking" title="Digg this post on digg.com." rel="nofollow" class="service_links_digg"><img src="sites/all/modules/service_links/digg.png" alt="Digg" /></a></li>
<li class="service_links_stumbleupon"><a href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.getoutzine.com%2Fsuccessfulhitchhiking&title=Successful+Hitchhiking" title="Thumb this up at StumbleUpon." rel="nofollow" class="service_links_stumbleupon"><img src="sites/all/modules/service_links/stumbleit.png" alt="StumbleUpon" /></a></li>
<li class="service_links_propeller"><a href="http://www.propeller.com/submit/?U=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.getoutzine.com%2Fsuccessfulhitchhiking&T=Successful+Hitchhiking" title="Submit to Propeller." rel="nofollow" class="service_links_propeller"><img src="sites/all/modules/service_links/propeller.png" alt="Propeller" /></a></li>
<li class="service_links_reddit"><a href="http://reddit.com/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.getoutzine.com%2Fsuccessfulhitchhiking&title=Successful+Hitchhiking" title="Submit this post on reddit.com." rel="nofollow" class="service_links_reddit"><img src="sites/all/modules/service_links/reddit.png" alt="Reddit" /></a></li>
<li class="service_links_magnoliacom"><a href="http://ma.gnolia.com/bookmarklet/add?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.getoutzine.com%2Fsuccessfulhitchhiking&title=Successful+Hitchhiking" title="Submit this post on ma.gnolia.com." rel="nofollow" class="service_links_magnoliacom"><img src="sites/all/modules/service_links/magnoliacom.png" alt="Magnoliacom" /></a></li>
<li class="service_links_newsvine"><a href="http://www.newsvine.com/_tools/seed&save?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.getoutzine.com%2Fsuccessfulhitchhiking&h=Successful+Hitchhiking" title="Submit this post on newsvine.com." rel="nofollow" class="service_links_newsvine"><img src="sites/all/modules/service_links/newsvine.png" alt="Newsvine" /></a></li>
<li class="service_links_facebook"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.getoutzine.com%2Fsuccessfulhitchhiking&t=Successful+Hitchhiking" title="Share on Facebook." rel="nofollow" class="service_links_facebook"><img src="sites/all/modules/service_links/facebook.png" alt="Facebook" /></a></li>
<li class="service_links_google"><a href="http://www.google.com/bookmarks/mark?op=add&bkmk=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.getoutzine.com%2Fsuccessfulhitchhiking&title=Successful+Hitchhiking" title="Bookmark this post on Google." rel="nofollow" class="service_links_google"><img src="sites/all/modules/service_links/google.png" alt="Google" /></a></li>
<li class="service_links_yahoo"><a href="http://myweb2.search.yahoo.com/myresults/bookmarklet?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.getoutzine.com%2Fsuccessfulhitchhiking&t=Successful+Hitchhiking" title="Bookmark this post on Yahoo." rel="nofollow" class="service_links_yahoo"><img src="sites/all/modules/service_links/yahoo.png" alt="Yahoo" /></a></li>
<li class="last service_links_technorati"><a href="http://technorati.com/cosmos/search.html?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.getoutzine.com%2Fsuccessfulhitchhiking" title="Search Technorati for links to this post." rel="nofollow" class="service_links_technorati"><img src="sites/all/modules/service_links/technorati.png" alt="Technorati" /></a></li>
</ul></div>
</div>
<!-- end #mainContent --></div>
<!-- This clearing element should immediately follow the #mainContent div in order to force the #container div to contain all child floats --><br class="clearfloat" />
<div id="footer">
<div id="block-ad-35" class="block block-ad">
<h2>Advertisement</h2>
<div class="content">
<div class="advertisement group-tids-35" id="group-id-tids-35"><script type="text/javascript" src="sites/all/modules/ad/serve.php%3Fq=5&t=35"></script></div>
</div>
</div>
<div id="footer-navigation">
<p>
<a href="index.html">Home</a> | <a href="store.html">GO! Store</a> | <a href="user/register.html">Subscribe</a> | <a href="node/24.html">Advertise</a> | <a href="node/10.html">About Us</a> | <a href="node/add/general-contact.html">Contact Us</a> | <a href="user/login.html">Login</a> </p>
<p>
<a href="node/82.html">RSS Subscribe</a> | <a href="node/18.html">Disclaimer</a> | <a href="node/27.html">Privacy Policy</a> | <a href="node/28.html">Donate</a> | <a href="node/29.html">Our Advertisers</a> </p>
<p>Copyright © 2012</p>
</div>
<!-- end #footer --></div>
<!-- end #container --></div>
<div id="bottom"></div>
<!-- Google Analyics -->
<script type="text/javascript">
var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https://ssl." : "http://www.");
document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + gaJsHost + "google-analytics.com/ga.js' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E"));
</script>
<script type="text/javascript">
var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker("UA-3361279-1");
pageTracker._initData();
pageTracker._trackPageview();
</script>
</body>
</html>