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Hitchgathering/2011/news

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==Press Release #1 - April 2011 ==
The In 2011, the gathering for the European Hitchhikers' Meeting 5-8-11 takes Hitchhiking Week will take place in Bulgaria, 5 August 2011. This annual "Hitchgathering " is organized now for the fourth time, by the people its participants and for the peoplethem. The gathering aims to promote hitchhiking in Europe.
"''The Hitchgathering brings together people from different countries and gives them life changing experiences. It portrays an alternative way of travelling that saves our planet's resourses''," a Latvian hitchhiker, Arta, describes.
Marco Polo, and other travelers of the past, would have never made their epic journeys without the help of friendly strangers. Voyagers travel the roads for a multitude of reasons. Yet, when it comes to hitchhiking, getting from A to B for free by raising your thumb is not the only motivation. Some seek personal growth, others yearn for adventure and others still, appreciate the profound cultural experiences to be had while enjoying their discussions with the lift giversdrivers that stop for them.
For the past couple of decades, however, the popularity of hitchhiking has been in steady decline. People have put more emphasis on ownership of possessions and feel ever more isolated from the communities they live in. Fear in our contemporary society is much more prevalent than it used to be. Generally people don't want to jeopardize their wealth and health by taking unnecessary risks, such as sharing a ride with an unfamiliar traveler.
But is this really the case? "''Through hitching I have come to accept my faults, ignore those of others and realise that there is a whole lot more compassion, mercy, love and humanity out there than we are led to believe," '' a South African hitchhiker, Tam, sums up. "''I have become more patient and talkative than I expected. I have realized that most people are willing to help each other despite what is said in the news. People are just afraid of what they don't know," '' says Anaïs from France.
Every Each year, new generations of hitchhikers emerge. And now they are equipped with modern day technology! People can plan and prepare their trips with knowledge-bases such as [http://hitchwiki.org Hitchwiki.org ] and [http://digihitch.com Digihitch.com]. Accommodation can be found through online platforms like [http://couchsurfing.org CouchSurfing], [http://hospitalityclub.org Hospitality Club ] and [http://bewelcome.org BeWelcome]. Internet has enabled organized action between hitchhikers around the world. One example of this new open collaboration is The the European Hitchgathering that started as, and still is, a grass-roots initiative to ensure that hitchhiking culture prevails and develops.
"''It is a family where you can share 'the essence' of travelling," '' says Max who is coming to the Hitchgathering all the way from New Zealand.
Previous hitchgatherings took place in France, Ukraine and Portugal. This year The Hitchgathering is going to be organized on a the beautiful Kara Dere beach near Byala, Bulgaria. The event starts on 5 August 2011 and lasts at least a few days, or as long as people wish to stay. SimilarlyBut for most participants, the adventure starts many days earlier as they set off for their journey. Smaller scale gatherings will be organized for them in all major stopover city, so they can rest and meet the others on their way to Bulgaria. The program of the event is made by the participants, on the spot. Anyone can hold a workshop, facilitate team games or whatever they think might contribute to the success of the event. Workshop that need preparation will be organized by the participants themselves through the website.
"''Go for it! You won't regret it. It's a way to get out of your comfort zone, to challenge yourself, but also to witness that there still are nice people on this planet that are willing to share," '' says Ron from Guatemala. "''It's a great festival where you can meet other hitchhikers, share stories and knowledge, and have a freaking good time! But you really have to want to hitch, as there will be hard moments when you have to see the adventure in it," '' Zsolt, a Hungarian hitchhiker, adds.
"''Hopefully the reason why you don't see that many hitchhikers on the road is that they already got a ride," '' a Finnish hitchhiker, Tomi, states and continues, "''We wish that this event contributes to a creation of a more open, trust-filled and sustainable society... and proves the drivers that we don't bite!"''
'''More information:'''
www[http://hitchgathering.hitchgatheringorg Hitchgathering.org]
www[http://hitchwiki.hitchwikiorg Hitchwiki.org]
==April 2011 Newsletter (sent out) ==
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