Hitchhiking

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.

Feb 1, 2003 - Bernd Wechner

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 results in scientific literature ...

Jan 1, 2003 - Bernd Wechner

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 on Morgan and www.digihitch.com for events like this and more!

Dec 1, 2002 - Bernd Wechner

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 :-).

Nov 1, 2002 - Bernd Wechner

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 genuine insights into how the demography has really changed.

Oct 1, 2002 - Bernd Wechner

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!

Sep 1, 2002 - Bernd Wechner

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.

Aug 1, 2002 - Bernd Wechner

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 ...

Jul 1, 2002 - Bernd Wechner

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 ...

Jun 1, 2002 - Bernd Wechner

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 ...

May 1, 2002 - Bernd Wechner

So many people seem to think that hitching is a dying if not dead art. There are indeed many fewer hitchers than there were in many western countries, but for some reason it seems still to work very well ... Many fewer people seem to have the courage to hitch, but people just keep on stopping regardless. So just why do they stop?

Apr 1, 2002 - Bernd Wechner

In spite of all the talk about hitch-hiking, for or against, particularly on the subjects of risk and utility, there has barely ever been any research conducted into the matter! A few of the researchers who have looked into it share their surprise and dismay with us ...

Mar 1, 2002 - Bernd Wechner

Another intriguing book appears on the market relevant to hitch-hikers. It's an uncanny offering, not specifically about hitching but about how a man who chooses to hitch sees life in modern day America. This is a work that will achieve its stated aim - to provoke reflection.

Feb 1, 2002 - Bernd Wechner

It's always a bit of challenge to hitch with large articles of luggage or machinery. The new year finds me with a new home, and to get there I migrated my meagre belongings and faced that challenge. Among them my bicycle and my skates ... here's how the 1000 km trip went (better than we might have expected). It just goes to show, you can hitch with just about anything by your side.

Jan 1, 2002 - Bernd Wechner

There are times when your ride just isn't as comfortable or safe as you'd like. They call for a graceful or hasty exit. Some reflections on my experiences.

Dec 1, 2001 - Bernd Wechner

I'd heard of some really long wait times before, but Australia was my first chance to experience one or two. Some refelctions of the virtues of waiting ...

Nov 1, 2001 - Bernd Wechner

Hitch-hiking the coast of Queensland brings one intimately close to aquatic themes once more. Here's a short run down of my experiences hitching the coast in the winter of 2001.

Oct 1, 2001 - Bernd Wechner

Peter Beale, an all round British larrikin had the energy and audacity to beg his way from London to India and back in the 1950's on almost anything that moved. It's always amazing to see how times have changed and what a romantic and open period for the ardent shoestring traveller the post war period was, before the backpacker became a walking wallet to exploit at every bend ...

Sep 1, 2001 - Bernd Wechner

Three ladies hitch-hike from London to the source of the Nile in the early 50's. They told their story in this most interesting book.

Aug 1, 2001 - Bernd Wechner

Robert W. Norris shares some of his hitching adventures with the Japanese in a book written for Students of English there. Here's a piece written in plain simple English which leads to a book used in Japanese universities as an English teaching aid!

Jul 1, 2001 - Bernd Wechner

Hitch-hiking essentially means you relinquish fine control over where you find yourself come sundown. So it is that a hitch-hiker often needs to cope with the question "Where will I sleep tonight?" and on account of stringent budget or adventurous heart seeks ingenious solutions. Some musings on recent sleeps follow ...

Jun 1, 2001 - Bernd Wechner

So you thought hitch-hikers were all unemployed bums and poor students? Believe it or not, some people have worked hitch-hiking into their very profession! Britain's Trade Platers are just such a crowd. Here's what they do, a chat with an old hand and some advice for pursuing this kind of work.,So you though hitch-hikers were all unemployed bums and poor students? Believe it or not, some people have worked hitch-hiking into their very profession! Britain's Trade Platers are just such a crowd. Here's what they do, a chat with an old hand and some advice for pursuing this kind of work.

May 1, 2001 - Bernd Wechner

I came within a whisker of meeting one of the most extra-ordinary hitch-hikers on earth recently. Alas we passed as ships in the night, but let me introduce the man all the same ....

Apr 1, 2001 - Bernd Wechner

Having just brooched the topic of hitching across water I found myself face to face with a small stretch of water I needed to cross. It proved more difficult than most I've tried and uncovered an underculture worth documenting. In this mammoth article I share with you the whole tale of my most arduous hitch across a stretch of water thus far. It should prove informing and entertaining.

Mar 1, 2001 - Bernd Wechner

Everything you ever wanted to know about hitching rides on boats! Well, not really, but a few books that will fill you in presented and reviewed, and a classic journey down the Mississippi to motivate you ...

Feb 1, 2001 - Bernd Wechner

Even hitch-hiker's have teething problems. Here's a short look at what ran through the mind of one beginner ...

Jan 1, 2001 - Bernd Wechner

I was asked to contribute some thoughts for a spiritual magazine once by some lovely Ananda Marga monks. As they'd played a key role in an arguable sipitual trip, I gave them their own story ...

Dec 1, 2000 - Bernd Wechner

Not only to people still hitch-hike in America, increasingly they're writing about it. To be sure, there are agendas, these are not the carefree blowin'-in-the-wind days of yore. Here are two classics, one black, one white, one retired, one middle-aged, both thumbing across the American Continent ... today.

Nov 1, 2000 - Bernd Wechner

Stephan Schlei has held the Guinness Record "most travelled hitch-hiker" for some years now. This summer I caught up with Stephan and finally discovered just how a man can scratch up so many miles by thumb!

Oct 1, 2000 - Bernd Wechner

Hitch-hiking is cheap. We all know that. But just how cheap can it be? Here are two chaps, Mike McIntyre and Tom Thumb who go to great lengths to show us ... not a penny! Two journies of a spiritual nature, that began with a rejection of money.

Sep 1, 2000 - Bernd Wechner

It's rare to find unashamedly pro-hitching propaganda these days, but here's a gem which is distributed in Britain by a thumber who calls himself Merrick ...

Aug 1, 2000 - Bernd Wechner

Charles Elmer Fox was a hobo. Oddly enought he hitched a lot more than he hoboed though. In recalling his life, he wrote a series of wonderful anecdotes, revelling in the romance of the rails, and glossing over the thumbing as is unimportant. Take a look at this interesting character!

Jul 1, 2000 - Bernd Wechner

Back in November last year I gave it a go. This time I made a real trip of it. Yes, I think it's not a half bad idea to pack your skates when travelling. It's not irresistable, but then there's a lot to be said for it. And here's what I have to say ...

Jun 1, 2000 - Bernd Wechner

After two years working in Geneva, jet-setting business with a good income I hit the road again, and the (not so) drops from the moniker of Suite 101's roving hitch-hiking editor, as I hit the road again. Some thoughts on a society with most intriguing contrasts from a life undergoing intriguing contrasts ...

May 1, 2000 - Bernd Wechner

It was a long way to go, and only for the hardy, or the crazy, but I was spurred on by a pretty gal and off I went, yet again to Vilnius to enjoy the company of almost 100 other hitchers coming together for a good time.

Apr 1, 2000 - Bernd Wechner

I once had a dream. To travel the world photographing the drivers that picked me up. Well, recently I found someone who realised that dream. Meet Giulio Saggin! He did ...

Mar 1, 2000 - Bernd Wechner

St. Valentine's Day deserves at least one article from a roadie. Here's a short homage to love and the road, both of the road and on the road.

Feb 1, 2000 - Bernd Wechner

Have the lights gone out? Are you still on-line? One way or the other you're probably looking around you just a little wondering if all that Y2K hoo ha had any substance. Any reflection on your life. Here's a quick look at a special breed of hitch-hiker that jumps on anyones bandwagon, of which there were particularly many this past year ...

Jan 1, 2000 - Bernd Wechner

He a hitch-hikee, her a hitch-hiker, the both of them Christians, yet so very very different in the stories they have to tell. Let me present to you Edwin T. Dahlberg and Laurel Lee, in this the most Christian of months.

Dec 1, 1999 - Bernd Wechner

Did you ever consider taking your rollerskates on a tour of Europe. Cruising the highways, thumbing it from time tot ime, skating when the mood took you. I tried just that last summer to see how it goes ... here's the verdict.

Nov 1, 1999 - Bernd Wechner

I had course to meet a very special hitch-hiker not so long ago, the author of a book that never fails to move, with a story that opens eyes like none other I've read. Meet the book, the picture show and the man ...

Oct 1, 1999 - Bernd Wechner

Ever heard of the Rainbow Family? Rainbow Gatherings? This August I joined my first one and have a story to tell ...

Sep 1, 1999 - Bernd Wechner

All too often people will cut down socially challenging differences by alluding to the state of a world where everyone was like that. A surprising number of hitchers one day, and an on-line discussion left me thinking, well, what if everyone did ...

Aug 1, 1999 - Bernd Wechner

Grace Small was a most remarkable woman. She witnessed the birth of the automobile as a popular form of transport, taught others to drive them, and later in life thumbed them down.

Jul 1, 1999 - Bernd Wechner

Brad Benedict continues the Thumbing Around series with his wonderful thumbs up to hitching, it's all about people ...

Jun 1, 1999 - Bernd Wechner

Believe it or not, Esperanto and Hitch-hiking have some things in common. When asked to explain what, I thought "now there's material for an article ...". In fact it was a talk, and the article follows, but here's a run-down on what Esperantists and Hitch-hikers share, spiced with a little ramble on both themes ...

May 1, 1999 - Bernd Wechner

Imagine it: hitch-hikers from a variety of countries all coming together to talk about their experiences, enjoy some time together and discuss plans on improving the popularity, safety and image of their past-time ... I'm sure for many the idea sounds crazy, but all the same, it happens, once a year, and here's my brief acount of the third year this conference took place.

Apr 1, 1999 - Bernd Wechner

Coralie and Leslie Rees hitch-hiked around north western Australia before there were roads! Tony Horwitz followed them 34 years later. Imagine how different their experiences. Both are worthwhile tales and here's a short review of their respective accounts.

Mar 1, 1999 - Bernd Wechner

Two people hitched around Ireland roughly ten years apart and wrote full accounts of their trip. You could hardly imagine two different accounts from hitch-hikers travelling the same country though ... here's a quick review of Tony Hawks' and Rosita Boland's books.

Feb 1, 1999 - Bernd Wechner

Is it possible that hitch-hiking can benefit from simple technologies to boost security, clean up its reputation and make everyone happy again? Probably not, but maybe some things will change anyway, the times are, after all, a changin' ...

Jan 1, 1999 - Bernd Wechner

There are some very interesting people hitching Europe, going from job to job, dressed in 19th century garb, officially on the wander. Who are they? What are they doing, and why do they dress so odd? I was surprised to bump into one recently and open a whole new world ...

Dec 1, 1998 - Bernd Wechner

Robert Prins is a record keeping, record breaking hitch-hiker, a one of a kind, and here's the story of his hitching career in short.

Nov 1, 1998 - Bernd Wechner

Jostein Sand Nilson gave up on hitch-hiking. Here's why ...

Oct 1, 1998 - Bernd Wechner

The Ratchet Effect winds you up. But does it have to? Find out here what it is, and how you probably suffer from it. Most of us do ... be afraid, very afraid!

Sep 1, 1998 - Bernd Wechner

Hitch-hiking Australia with a Maori and a Swagman and lots of beer.

Aug 1, 1998 - Bernd Wechner

How bad can hitch-hiking really get? Well I wasn't murdered, and I wasn't raped, but this day certainly qualified for the worst day of my living memory, exploring the depths of my emotional trauma ... and even then, it wasn't all that bad I guess, I am after all still alive and my body intact.

Jul 1, 1998 - Bernd Wechner

Ever wonder how serious people decide what to do and what not to do? Well, they balance up the risks with returns. In financial circles they talk of a Risk/Return ratio, but it applies to all walks of life ... even to the question: Should I hitch, or should I not?

Jun 1, 1998 - Bernd Wechner

One of the best hitching spots in Europe falls to the cutting sword of progress ....

May 1, 1998 - Bernd Wechner

The 2nd International Hitch-Hikers' Conference took place in Warsaw this March. it's not a big event, but conjures wildly interesting images in my mind. I'd be most curious to see one of these events in action, and look forward to participating in next years if I can. Here's some imagery on my part touched up with some hard facts on hitch-hiking conferences ...

Apr 1, 1998 - Bernd Wechner

Hitch-hiking is generally held to be a rather dangerous activitiy. Some people are so afraid of the idea they'll go to any lengths to paint a hitch-hiker as a suicidal freak, particularly if that hitch-hikker happens to be a woman. Ride sharing in turn is often presented as a safe alternative, hook up with a driver through a notice board, or organisation that lends some credibility and forethought to the whole deal. And yet, is it all so safe? And is hitching all so dangerous?

Mar 1, 1998 - Bernd Wechner

Long term hitch-hikers tend to have strong personalities. At least that's what experience tells me. The surprising thing is, what little objective research into hitching I've found, lends a little credence to the idea beyond mere supposition. This article walks us through the evidence we have ...

Feb 1, 1998 - Bernd Wechner

Hitch-hikers are almost by nature a solitary species, gathering in pairs at times, perhaps triplets ... it's just the nature of the beast so to speak. Yet, they have a lot in common, they share values, ideals, imagination and stories. Maybe there's some scope for them to band together a little. It's happening in fact, and there are some loose models in other sub-cultures which are interesting. This article explores some ideas in that direction.

Jan 1, 1998 - Bernd Wechner

Hitching around Switzerland on the eve of the 24th, brought to light some interesting paradoxes about this time of year I've long been aware of. Why is it, that at this special time of honouring love and caring, the teachings of Christ, there is so much loneliness and heartache? Find here some musings on Christendom from the hitch-hikers perspective ...

Dec 1, 1997 - Bernd Wechner

Hitch-hiker's are usually pretty independent, or solitary beasts. They frown when another hitcheer or two turns up to compete for rides, and crowds don't travel as well as loners or pairs. But there is something all the same, that makes them mighty glad to see one another much of the time. A certain fraternity. Here's what reminded me so strongly of it.

Nov 1, 1997 - Bernd Wechner

In Australia, like in the United States there's a general feeling that hitching is a thing of the past, just not viable any more. The murder of seven hitch-hikers not far from my home didn't help lighten that view any! Still, I wasn't about to let that shake me -- well I was, but I hitched anyway ... believe me, hitching is alive and well in Oz, and thumbing there was one of the most beautiful months I can remember. Here's the story.

Oct 1, 1997 - Bernd Wechner

Now here's a real record for the Guinness people! Who cares how many miles you can hitch-hike, why not see how big your heart: how many hitch-hikers can you pick up?

Sep 1, 1997 - Bernd Wechner

The seventh in a series of seven reviews of on-line tales of hitch-hiking, that are lengthy enough to call books.

Aug 11, 1997 - Bernd Wechner

The sixth in a series of seven reviews of on-line tales of hitch-hiking, that are lengthy enough to call books.

Aug 1, 1997 - Bernd Wechner

The fifth in a series of seven reviews of on-line tales of hitch-hiking, that are lengthy enough to call books.

Jul 21, 1997 - Bernd Wechner

The fourth in a series of seven reviews of on-line tales of hitch-hiking, that are lengthy enough to call books.

Jul 11, 1997 - Bernd Wechner

The third in a series of seven reviews of on-line tales of hitch-hiking, that are lengthy enough to call books.

Jul 1, 1997 - Bernd Wechner

The second in a series of seven reviews of on-line tales of hitch-hiking, that are lengthy enough to call books.

Jun 21, 1997 - Bernd Wechner

The first in a series of seven reviews of on-line tales of hitch-hiking, that are lengthy enough to call books.

Jun 11, 1997 - Bernd Wechner

Looking for literature on the web, I came across seven pieces long enough to warrant the title "book". Well, what a coincidence, I'd just read and reviewed the wonderful hitch-hiking adventures of Wendy Myers, entitled "Seven League Boots" -- what better sign that I should review these seven league books ... here's the introduction to a series of seven book reviews.

Jun 1, 1997 - Bernd Wechner

A young woman who hitch-hiked around the world, solo, for seven years. Not an everday feat. And well worth reading!

May 1, 1997 - Bernd Wechner

A little disillusioned with the number crunching of the Guinness Book records? How the add up the miles and days to see who's hitched fastesr, furthest, or most? Well, here's a suggestions for a qualitative record, rather than quantitative ...

Apr 1, 1997 - Bernd Wechner

A summary of record breaking hitch-hikes extracted from the Guinness Book.

Mar 1, 1997 - Bernd Wechner

The Guinness Book of Records has listed quite a few hitch-hiking records in its time, but I have to confess I'm cynical about it all. I don't see a great deal of achievement in most records, some to be sure, but not much, and their manner of presentation and validation is open to question ... Here I muse of what a real record is ...

Feb 1, 1997 - Bernd Wechner

One of the biggest problems with popular hitch-hiking guidebooks is that they go out of date. You follow the advice they give, and find you're standing one newly build motorway, or the road you hoped for has been bypassed and traffic is gone. Thrice I set out of London with a 1985 guidebook to draw on and faced problems like these. Here's a suggestion on how to work around that, cover more ground and stay up to date, it can be done, and I believe will be done, it's just a question of time ...

Jan 1, 1997 - Bernd Wechner

People often talk of ride sharing agencies as a form of organised hitch-hiking. But there are striking differences, not least of which is organisation! FInd out here, just why people continue to hitch-hike, and what makes ride-sharing very different to thumbing around ...

Dec 1, 1996 - Bernd Wechner

Much of the focus on hitch-hiking seems to be negative. Why is that? There are surely risks involved, the cons so to speak, but dhould we neglect the returns altogether, the pros? Some simpley musings on what hitching costs and what it brings ...

Nov 1, 1996 - Bernd Wechner

If you're wondering why or how a whole column in an an on-line gazette could be dedicated to subject as esoteric as hitch-hiking, pumping out one article every month, engendering discussion and collecting resources, here's why and what it's all about ...

Oct 1, 1996 - Bernd Wechner