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Talk:Norway

4,222 bytes added, 02:49, 5 September 2012
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'''If you hitchhike in norway take alot of time with you, much food (it´s so fucking expensive there) and a good tent. Then it will be a nice trip. The nature is still awesome. But anyway i wouldn´t recommend this country!!!'''
 
== Another contribution ==
 
In my experience Norway is not so easy but drivers can be very nice.
To explain more in depth: it worked less easily than in other country (and definitely less easier than I expected), but once somebody stop they will hardly disappoint you, often taking you some kms further their destination.
 
In order to give the right picture I think it is necessary to talk separately about different areas/conditions.
 
'''Roads''': some roads are most difficult than others just because of their nature. Hitchhiking down from Oslo (actually from Horten) to Kristiansand on the E18 was terrible and took too may hours (something like 8) because you could not hitch directly on the road (illegal and anyway crazy), so we got a lot of local traffic picking as up at some roundabout (not an easy place for cars to stop) up on the shoulders of the E18 and leaving us at another one often less than 10kms far, while most of the long-distance traffic was passing just below us. Only once we got a long lift that really saved us from being stuck in many (and not frequent anyway) micro-lifts.
Once past Kristiansand (we were lucky in getting a lift past the city), things got much better on the E39 as there was plenty of bus stops very often from which you could easily hitchhike almost directly on the main road. Unfortunately we got just a couple of short lifts and then we got the last bus to Stavanger since we had wasted most of the day on the E18. As a side note, I tried to tell the bus driver we were hitchhiking (hoping in a free ride) but I was not very convinced and asked after a few seconds for price of regular ticket.. he said "I suppose you're student" (we were not anymore, but we did look young and this was enough, no papers) and gave us a student price... at this point I wanted to try and insist a bit making something like a sad/scared-by-the-price face (price was very high for that distance anyway) and he went down to children ticket. Being late and tired we found it reasonable and got it. So, if you're stuck you can still try your luck even if most of the Norwegians were very surprised by this kindness and they do not consider it normal.
 
'''Areas''': Main roads around big cities are just more difficult to hitch than countryside roads. This is true everywhere, but especially in Norway as far as I could see. Hitchhiking also work very smooth on the way to/back from naturalistic attractions as you're very likely to get tourists (including local tourists) or locals who live in rural areas.. in any case more relaxed people. When getting down from some hike, even easier to make friends with people on the path and ask a lift after having broke the ice.
 
'''People''': as I said, after they stop people are very nice. The difficult thing is to stop them. We got a long and important lift from a remorseful guy who had just ignored us and then got back after 2 mins feeling guilty for having ignored us in a remote place with not many cars at almost dusk. He turned ut to be one of the most kind drivers I've ever had... but if he had seen us maybe 2 hours earlier or in a less remote place, he would have just ignored us. So I think what somebody said is quite true: try to find a way to talk to them. I think asking in petrol stations, on ferries, and so on, might be more effective then just standing on the road. this is probably true for every country, but it seems to be especially true in Norway.
 
'''Conclusions''': For long distances on main roads in the south, expect to find it difficult and time-consuming, quite frustrating sometimes when plenty of empty cars go in your directions ignoring you. For rural areas, especially nearby naturalistic attractions and/or place where you can get to talk with people it looks almost as any other country... so plan carefully, have b-plans (tent, or timetables of last buses, or places to sleep), and with some luck you'll really enjoy this beautiful country.
 
PS: just for a complete information, my experience is referred to my only trip to Norway, in august, only in the south (never been northern than Bergen), we were a couple (m/f) from south Europe, white, clean, nothing particularly weird or scary in our look.
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