The First Time We Picked Up A Hitchhiker
15th August 2023 - New Experience Number 28
Have you ever driven past someone thumbing a lift and thought about giving them a lift but never actually done it?
We’ve often considered picking up a hitcher, but they’ve either been going in the opposite direction, or we’ve not been able to stop to get them. At last, on our 2023 Baltic road trip, everything aligned and we picked up a hitchhiker! For full disclosure, we did also drop them off at a safe destination!
Hoping It Would Go Without A Hitch
Unfortunately hitchhiking tends to only hit the news when something has gone wrong. However, I have read many tales of successful rides and brilliant new relationships, so I know there are many positive stories. We hoped we would be good hosts when we eventually picked up a hitcher, but there was no way of knowing who we might pick up!
The Day We Picked Up A Hitchhiker
It was a day of a big drive as we were making our way from Askolompolo in Finnish lapland towards Alta in northern Norway. A journey of around 340 km. Not too long after lunch, we saw a woman with a backpack, thumb aloft, standing outside a garage in a place that looked deserted. This was our chance to pick up a hitchiker!
We pulled over and asked where she was heading. She was making her way to Nordkapp and was very appreciative of a lift to Alta which was along the way. So we welcomed aboard our very first hitchhiker, Solenne, who I had so many questions for!
Getting Acquainted
Solenne was a teacher from France who was hitchhiking during the summer holidays. She’d begun her trip staying with a friend in Svalbard (somewhere that is very much on my ‘hope to visit one day’ list), she had then been travelling around Scandinavia, and had hitched from Sweden that morning.
Hitchhiking her way around the world, she had been catching lifts for many years, often in some very off the beaten track places. I had to be extremely restrained and not drown her in an avalanche of questions, but there was so much I wanted to know!
Hitchhiking Mythbusting
Thankfully, Solenne was incredibly lovely and happy to share all about her adventures on the road as we got to know each other over the course of the journey. She was even very kind about my rusty French when I attempted to communicate in her native language.
During her years of travelling with strangers, she hadn’t had any hassle. Of course we know that sadly there are some instances where hitchhiking doesn’t end happily. Those stories are thankfully few and far between but do gather more attention than the good ones.
No Long Waits
The average wait time between being dropped off by one lift and waiting for another kind driver to offer to pick her up, was surprisingly around 10 minutes! Considering how remote many parts of Scandinavia are, I’d have thought there could be times when it took hours for a vehicle to even pass by, and possibly longer for someone who would provide a lift to a stranger.
She’d made good friends with many people in many places, and seen some of the most beautiful parts of the world. Her job had enabled her to take her skills to different countries, including teaching in Russia, Iraq and the ‘Stans where a class of two had been intense but fun.
Keeping In Touch With Family When On The Road
Her parents had been a bit wary about her hitchhiking adventures when she first told them, but have come to accept it as a fantastic way of getting about and seeing different destinations. Although Solenne said she sometimes tells them about her journeys with random people after the event when the places are considered a bit riskier for travellers.
The Drop Off
The scenery was stunning as we left the relative flat of Finland and entered the majestically mountainous Norway. The landscape was more rugged, bigger and bolder. We shared stories from our trips, offered water, phone charging and sweets as we drove the distance.
Without any definite onward plans, we dropped Solenne off in the town of Alta, making sure she was somewhere where there was plenty going on and lots of opportunities for overnight accommodation. Kindly agreeing to a selfie, we said our goodbyes and continued our separate ways.
Our first experience of picking up a hitchhiker had been brilliant! I’d loved hearing Solenne’s stories, her experiences of life, and understanding her outlook on the world. It was amazing to think we had played a small part in her journey.
Picked Up A Hitchhiker - Our Second Passenger
A few days later we were making our way back south from Nordkapp. It had been incredible to visit the most northern part of mainland Europe. It felt so untamed and remote, yet there was a sense of community at the very top as travellers made their way by coaches, campervans and bicycles. I managed to keep my runstreak going there too, completing the most northern 5km I have ever run. The road to and from Nordkapp had been driven in almost silence as the spectacular scenery left us speechless.
We were now winding our way around the epically beautiful north west coast of Norway, and pulled over for another smiling hitchhiker. Miriam jumped aboard.
More Hitchhiking Mythbusting
Like Solenne, Miriam was a seasoned hitchhiker and had thumbed lifts across Europe and South America for some amazing sounding journeys.
Another teacher, this time from Germany, Miriam was doing a very similar route to us. She’d travelled through Poland and the Baltic states using public transport and had then hitchhiked up through Finland and all the way to Nordkapp. Now she was making her way back south to catch a lift with her brother back to Germany.
Whilst Miriam said she’d not had any problems and had always travelled with nice friendly people, I think she said there was just the once over the years when something had felt a bit off so she just asked to be dropped earlier, and everything was fine.
The Kindness Of Strangers
On this trip, Miriam had been given a lift by a very friendly couple in a motorhome. They had taken her right up to the most northerly point of mainland Europe at Nordkapp.
Although she had a tent in her backpack, the couple insisted that she spend the night in their van with them. In fact, she ended up spending three days with them as they took her up and back down the long road from Nordkapp!
Our campervan is a little on the smaller side, so whilst we couldn’t offer to put her up for the night, I did offer her a cup of tea. We also offered water, and phone charging. I’m not sure the Other Half was so keen on me offering the sweets though as he seems to think they are all for him.
The Drop Off
We offered to take Miriam to the next town, but she insisted on getting out when we pulled into the lay-by near where we were going to be parking for the night. The clear fjord was backed by cloud capped mountains, not a bad view to admire whilst waiting for another lift.
As we turned to drive down the small side road, we noticed Miriam had a ball attached to her backpack. Intrigued, we wound down the window to enquire about it, and she laughed off the volleyball as essential camping equipment! It was definitely a good talking point.
Our second experience of picking up a hitchhiker had been just as good fun, and although I felt uneasy that we had dropped Miriam off somewhere very remote, we could see her from the van and it didn’t take long for another van to pick her up and continue her journey.
Thumbs Up For The Time We Picked Up A Hitchhiker
Hearing similar stories from two different hitchers quietened my doubting mind that Solenne had just been very lucky. I had previously thought it must be a slow, difficult and uncertain way to travel.
To find out that people are willing to stop, that it doesn’t take long to get a lift, and that neither Solenne or Miriam had experienced any problems, confirmed that there are many good people in the world and that hitchhiking isn’t just about bad news.
It was a great way to meet interesting people with tales of travel and adventure, and to share stories from life on the road.
Itching To Try Hitching
Hearing the tales from our two hitchers definitely piqued my interest in giving it a try myself – although I will probably start off with a smaller journey than theirs!
I posted about our experience of picking up hitchhikers on Instagram, and had several responses from others who have done it too – including some top tips for when I eventually get around to giving it a go. If you’ve any tips then please let me know in the comments.
What Are Your Hitchhiking Stories?
Have you tried hitchhiking? Have you picked up a hitcher? How did it go for you? Let me know any of your tales from the road in the comments.
Want To Try It Yourself?
Keep your eyes peeled when you’re on a journey. Some people have signs indicating where they are trying to get to, others will simply put their thumb up.
Cost Of Experience
- Free!
Recommendations
- Remember that whilst you are sussing out the person you might be about to give a lift to, they are doing the exact same thing to you. There is a lot of trust being built in a very short time by both parties.
- Don’t be offended if they decline your offer.
- Don’t let them into your vehicle until you’ve had a brief conversation and you’ve weighed up whether you feel comfortable giving them a lift.
- It’s up to you who you decide to offer a lift to. If you don’t feel comfortable, then don’t do it.
- Only stop for a hitchhiker if it’s safe to do so – if it’s on a particularly busy road it might not be easy to safely pull over for them.
- To help you and the hitchhiker feel comfortable, you could suggest that they take a picture of your vehicle including the registration number, and send it to one of their contacts.
- It might be a good idea not to reveal the full length of your journey. Instead tell them you’re heading 20 minutes along the road. If they take up your offer and you feel comfortable with them during that time, then you can let them know you are going further.
- Ask questions. This is a great opportunity to hear some amazing stories from some incredible people.
- Ask for a selfie. Of course, respect their wishes if they decline and think it’s a bit odd.