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== To Calais ==
Hitchhikers can cross the channel for free because drivers only pay for their vehicle and a certain number of passengers, up to seven with a car and two with a lorry, the same holds true for the [[Channel Tunnel]]. In the online booking process, drivers have to declare the number of passengers in advance. However, this is for statistics and has no effect on their right carry up to seven passengers.
'''To get a lift to France, you may prefer to stop at [[Maidstone Services]] on the M20, where you have the possibility to talk to both drivers and truck drivers that might be crossing.''' Many more trucks stop at [[Maidstone Services|Ashford Truckstop]] on the M20, but there is security here and if they see you asking for lifts they will tell you to leave. Update January 2012: The security in the Ashford truck-stop does not allow anyone near the trucks, and there were not so many trucks stopping there anyway, only British truck drivers who are not allowed to take hitchhikers for some insurance issues. We tried to hitchhike at all possible spots on the big roundabout and before it, but no one stopped for Dover. Ended up taking the bus, which is only 5 pounds day ticket for the whole region.
==== In Dover ====
* you can try to get a ride on the road leading to the port. Difficult as there is no [[shoulder|hard shoulder]] and very few breaks in the flow of traffic allowing anyone to stop.
* you can try hitching after the last round-about. Unfortunately it's illegal to hitch on port property (i.e. after the ''Port of Dover Authority'' sign) and although you might get away with it sometimes, the police is known to enforce this rule and send you away.
* you can try your luck inside the Travel Centre or on the car park in front of it. The problem is that both are nowadays very quiet as most people book on-line. If you speak to people here, you might have to convince them that they don't pay anything extra for taking you across and possibly that you are not an illegal immigrant. [[User:Grégoire|Grégoire]] was told by a person working at a ticket office that you can also directly ask to the people making the queue if they have room in their car before they buy the ticket, so that they can verify it is legal. He found a car in ten minutes, but thinks it should be done discretely. [[User:Pete the Temp|Pete the Temp]] found some leads by approaching cars but there was much suspicion and many people coming to buy tickets were crossing as foot passengers.
* you are allowed to stand at the rail of the last roundabout leading into the port, i.e. before the port property. You'll be standing at the height of a truck driver who can see you clearly and can pull aside just in front of the Port Police building after the roundabout. This is far from ideal.
* much better are the normal bus stops on the main seaside road with a sign that says France.
