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[[Hitchhikers]] often debate about whether to use a '''sign'''to signal possible rides your destination. If you decide  == Tips == === What to use one there are several important things:write === * Think well about what place or text to put on it: use well known places, and sometimes also road names can be used or more humorous phrases (''"I don't stink", "On va pas loin"'').* Use the same font as the route directions- (A sign saying:'ANYWHERE!' might get people laughing but that doesn't mean getting picked up)

* Use the same font as the route directions for clarity. Orderly signs suggest orderly people - but epic rides won't depend on that! * Write only the initial letters letter in capitalscapital. The human brain detects a word not only by combining a few letters, but also by recognizing the different ascenders and descenders (the heights of the different words). When writing only in capital letters you lose this advantage. That's why street signs respect the upper and lower case.* In general, signs are useful when going out of a city, from which many roads start or if, for example, you have a junction 15 km ahead and you do not want to walk, thus writing ''to the junction''.* Often a big sign just saying ''please'' works wonders. People fall for the politeness if you can't get them to stop with a destination sign.* Know your car number-plates, and you can get away with just writing a few letters - like HRO for Rostock, Germany. (see: Shortcuts)* If you're bad in handwriting (like [[User:EliasExplores|EliasExplores]]), ask people if they can write signs for you. Workers at petrol stations are often surprisingly good artists. ==== Shortcuts ==== Often, you might use shortcuts because they need way less space on your sign. The sense of this depends on what kinds of shortcuts you use. If you just shorten a long name to a shorter, but still logically understandable one (like "Amsterdam" to "A'dam", for example), this is certainly a good idea. In some countries, you could also use the license plate shortcuts to put on a sign, e.g. Germany or Switzerland. This can also be a disadvantage - sometimes only regional+local people know them, especially if they don't really seem to make sense on the first look (like "HH" for [[Hamburg]]) ==== Use your nationality on a sign ====If you're hitching in a foreign country, it might be a good thing to express your nationality on your sign. Drivers will think you're more interesting, or will feel sorry that someone who lives that far off has to stand by the road in his country. Also, compatriots will be more likely to pick you up.

For example, [[User:Nathan|Nathan]] and [[User:Rocky|Bob]], who hitched through France had great help writing '2 belges'Tip #1''on their sign. [[User:Guaka|guaka]] was successful with a sign "from Holland" in both [[New Zealand]] and in several parts of the [[United States of America|United States]], once by a Dutch girl living in [[Santa Cruz]], most people were happy to pick him up just because they thought Holland was cool (oh and one guy was smoking weed in the car). === How to fabricate your sign === ==== Reusable sign ====

''Tip #2''[[File:Img_l_1306483.jpg|thumb|180px|right|[[User:MayaCova|MayaCova]] was using a white board with considerable success.]]Make use of waterproofIf you have a chance to plan a long hitchhiking trip in advance, some find using an erasable white board as a sign to be very useful for making big, dust-proof document bagsclear and reusable signs. There you This sign can store many sheets be used a lot of paper and signs you can reuse. Nothing falls outtimes without being cleaned with alcohol, you could hang them somewhere and you can use both sides of the folder is resistant to have two signs at once. Ortlieb is one company that produces good oneswind and water.

''Tip #3'':Buy Another possibility is to make a pad sign out of A4 plain paper, and two small white boards that children use it inside a waterproof, dust-proof transparent plastic folder at school. Just join them with enough string so that you can find in most stationary shopsfold those boards like you would close a book. When writing, insert something under the page The benefits compared to stop the pen ink running through to the page underneath a single white board are that this sign takes a smaller place when folded (a document so it fits better in your bag is good for this). With a pad of paper, and that you can quickly flip through pages to find the sign you need. Also, the pad can be a great souvenir of write your destination in advance without it rubs out in your journeybag.

[[File:Img_l_1306483.jpg|thumb|180px|right|[[User:MayaCova|MayaCova]] using was using a white board ====Reusable sign combined with considerable success.]]map====''Tip #4'': If you have a chance to plan a 're hitch-hiking long hitchhiking trip in advanceroutes (ex. Europe), some find using an erasable white board as you can make a reusable sign to be very useful for making bigon bad side (white) of the map. Cover the map with self adhesive tape, clear and you will have: a waterproof map and reusable signssign. For easier cleaning use whiteboard markers.

''Tip #6'':==== Waterproof, dust-proof document bags ====If you have access to a computer with a printerMake use of waterproof, dust-proof document bags. There you can make a quality hitch sign easily then. Since most languages read horizontally, set the page orientation to be landscape but with a size twice long as a normal A4 sheet. For a place name no longer than 9 letters, store many sheets of paper and signs you can set the font size from 200 to 500 points to fully utilise the page size in one line; longer place names can be wrapped into two linesreuse. Using a tiled printing softwareNothing falls out, you could hang them somewhere and you can print use both sides of the long page folder to have two sheetssigns at once. Cut off the short tiling margin of Ortlieb is one sheet and glue two sheets together, find a cardboard of same size and use four paper clips to pin the paper onto it, a lightweight wind-resistant hitch sign is ready to use. You don't need a water-proof sign, if you don't hitch in the rain or underwater. The plastic bag idea in previous tips will reduce contrast and introduce reflectivity. In case of company that it rains, just wrap your hitch sign with the cling film from kitchen and it will work fineproduces good ones.

If you already have a lot of baggage you probably don't want to carry around another square meter of waterproofed cardboard in your backpack. Use what you find and what you can put in the next garbage can! ==== Don't leave your sign lying around ==== Some people argue that leaving your sign lying around on the street gives hitchhiking a bad impression. Make sure to take your sign with you and only dispose it in a garbage can (ideally one for paper and cardboard).<br>On the other hand side, some hitchhikers make sure to leave their signs behind for following hitchhikers to use or at least to see that they're not alone in the world... == When not to use signs == If your destination is really far away, writing it discourages drivers to take you nearer. E.g., if you are in Perpinyà, and you write Valencia in your map, it is unlikely that drivers heading Girona, Barcelona, Tarragona, Castelló... will stop, leaving you hundreds of miles nearer to your destination. Some hitchhikers think it could be better not to use signs at big crowded petrol stations where it's up to you to ask people, like in the [[United Kingdom]] and [[Germany]] on highway motorway [[petrol stationhitchhiking|petrol stations]]s (and speaking fluent English/German). It's not very likely that holding a sign will help if you can already clearly state where you want to go (and even show it on a map) and that you are hitchhiking.

== Cons of using signs == To use or not to use signs is one of the main points of debate among hitchhikers. In this paragraph, you'll find some (allegedly) negative things about the usage of signs. One reason not to take a sign is if you are want to have additional leverage in declining offered rides, especially as a [[Women hitchhiking|woman hitchinghitchhiking]] alone and you want to have additional leverage in declining offered rides. If someone stops you ask first "where are you going?" Even if they are going exactly where you want to go, if you are not comfortable with them, tell them the ride is not going to work, but thanks anyway. Ditch the sign, they will stop without it. A good compromise is to have a sign with the road name rather than your destination, this allows you to ask which direction the driver will be going. Another reason against using a sign might be this: The driver must read it, then he's got to work out if goes in the same direction and finally he's got to decide if he likes your face and if he can stop somewhere... but then he realises that he's already passed you and that he is now 500m away from you... so he will decide to drive on! If you just use your thumb, the driver only has to decide if he likes you and if he can stop his car in this place. Whether he is going the right way or not, you can determine when he stops.  Also, the driver might see the faraway destination city on your sign, and although he doesn't want to go there, he could take you to a place in between. Most drivers don't realise how helpful they could be with these extra kilometers, so they drive on.

In conflict with the above, a sign only makes sense when you stand next to the road. At the petrol station you could better show the driver on a map where you want to go and so he can show you where he can take you. You even don’t need to speak his language for that. The big problem with signs is that the driver must read it, then he must wonder if goes the same direction, than he wants to know if he likes your face and if he can stop somewhere...but than he realises that he passed you, he is now 500m away from you ...so he will decide to drive on![[File:Guaka my bithday2.jpg|thumb|200px|left|Sometimes you can use special signs]]If you just use your thumb are an adept of the driver only has to decide if he likes you and if he can stop his car in this place. If he is going the right wayultra light packing philosophy, you can find out when he stops. Another bad idea is the use of shortcuts, because only locals know them (like HH for Hamburg). Also, the driver can see your faraway destination city and although he doesn't might not want to go there, he could take you for the next 200km. Most drivers don't realise how helpful they could be with these 200km, so they drive on.If you already have drag along a lot of baggage you probably don't want to carry around another few extra square meter feet of waterproofed cardboard in your backpack.Use what you find and what But then again, you can put in the next garbage can! Another option is to just use normal A4 paper and a plastic map.Some only use sometimes funny signs or at some crossroads they could be helpful and or when they're not the only hitchhiker who is standing next likely to the motorwayfind discarded cardboard anywhere you go. ...but it's like religion, everybody has his own idea of it! <br clear="all" />

It is possible that destination signs could increase danger as a driver can pretend to be going to your destination[[File:Guaka my bithday2. This is not a problem if you are just thumbing for a lift as jpg|thumb|200px|Sometimes you can ask where the driver is going. A good compromise is to have a sign with the road name rather than your destination, this allows you to ask which direction the driver will be going.use special signs]]

'''Signs for hitchhiking trough through Germany:''' Write the following letter(s) on a card board sign when hitchhiking in Germany, because thus people can easily understand where you want to go to. It's always the number plate sign of the city you want to reach. For destinations with many foreign drivers it's probably better to write out the full name, e.g. there are always plenty of Polish drivers on the way from the Netherlands or Belgium towards Berlin, they might just not understand if you only put a big B.

[[fr:SignesPanneau]]