Hitchhiking
Bernd Wechner
Latest Articles
A Standard Experiment: How to determine present day efficacy
Hoping to see some present day contributions to the experiments of the 1970s, I propose the skeleton of a standard experiment which might help promote some uniformity of approach and thus more comparable results.
Experiments in Hitch-hiking: What works best?
Ever wondered what works best in fishing rides? Most people have. It's the source of much discussion among hitch-hikers and one of the motivations behind endless "Hitch-hiker's Guides" which try to help their readers fish rides faster. A small handful of people have tried to find out experimentally and reported their ...
A North American Hitch-Hiker’s Gathering
A small group of prominent thumbers comverged on Seattle this October. The gathering, catalysed by my suprise visit to Seattle, organised by Morgan Sal'man Strub himself, was a modest, laid back experience - hoping to kick off a tradition of hitch-hiker's gatherings in North America in the future. Keep you eyes ...
Casual Carpooling: Hitch-hiking to Work
Hitch-hiking in the States is clearly unfashionable. Casual carpooling though is kicking in as a growing phenomenon - fuelled mainly by people trying to get to work. I tried my thumb at it recently and have entered the ranks of the casual carpoolers - the new, respectable hitch-hikers :-).
The Tide has Turned: Reflections on American Negativity
In the lead up to my first visit to the United States in decade I share some reflections on how Americans see the changes of the last few decades. Laced with negativity, often the divisive centre of heated debates between those who would and those who wouldn't. And in between some ...
I've hard times on the road and good times, and never balked at sharing either extreme. These are some notes from a trip in 2000 that might well have captured the second worst day of my life!
Abrams on the Hippie Trail: A Wander Through the Prose (The Long of It)
I promised to share at length the many worthwhile extracts I had from Abrams' diary. Here they are, presenting a casual wander through what I felt were the highlights of this piece.
Abrams on the Hippie Trail: The Short and the Long of It
I've always wanted to find a decent written account of a thumbing trip along the Hippie Trail from Europe to South-East Asia. At last we have one, and it's on-line for all to see ...
A friend of mine thought it unsurprising that hitching is so poorly researched. It's just like riding a bike after all ... That got me thinking ...
Eradicating Boundaries: It's A Small World Among Hitch-hikers After All ...
Barbara Noske is a noted social researcher. She's also an ardent hitch-hiker and has published in both fields. She happened to pass by one day and we sat down for chat ...