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Spain

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'''Spain''' is a member state of the European Union as well as the Schengen Agreement.
Spain consists of the 17 administrative units called ''Comunidades Autónomas''.
== Language ==The Comunidades are not only administrative districts; many of the regions have their own cultureIn Spain, language hitching isn’t a very common concept and some even don’t consider themselves as a part of Spainmostly done by foreigners. For example However, the dominating language in [[Catalonia]] is Catalan, so thumb will be aware of that. Nevertheless, everyone speaks ''castellano'' (Spanish)understood.Aside from SpanishThe best method is to ask people directly whenever, obviously languages like Basque, Catalan, etc are spoken, and learning a handful of words even in local languages, may make the driver loosen upif your Spanish is very poor.The Spanish phrase ''Vas vas a... ?'' (are ‘are you going to... ?) is an excellent a good starting point.In Because Spain, hitching isn’t is a very common concept and mostly done by foreigners. Thoughtouristic country, the thumb will be understood. The best method definitely isat some large service stations you can find drivers from all over Europe, who are more likely to ask take you than the local people directly, even if your Spanish is very poor. But be careful, as many petrol stations, especially in the South, are deserted, if you are unlucky, only one or two non-local cars stop at the station every hour, and you might spend the night there. Even if you hitchhike alone or in groups of two: be prepared to make much less fewer kilometers per day than in e.g. Germany or France. Waiting times of over an hour are commin, and 500 or 700 km a day may be a real challenge. First The first time you hitchhike in Spain , it might be a good idea to only plan for 300 km a day.
== Hitchhiking, ''Autostop'' ==
[[File:Espana.jpg|thumb|left|[[User:Amylin|Amylin]] hitching to Spain from [[Portugal]].]]
[[File:CommunidadValenciana.JPG|thumb|left|Hilde hitchhiking to [[Valencia]].]]
You will find a lot of foreigners in cars from countries where the hitchhiking culture is more developed. You usually have to wait for some time – but those who pick you up at least tend to be really nice. Unfortunately they also seem to be somewhat clueless about distances (to walk) and what is a good spot and what is not (since no one knows much about hitchhiking). Another complication is the paid highways and the unpaid highways. Hitching in groups of three (even girls) turns out to be nearly impossible (about 150 km a day).
 
I suggest that wherever u want to go,write on the board a NEAREST CITY towards your destination.DONT be droped in small towns even cities!people living there are almost afraid of you.Otherwise if u write a city's name which is 300kms away drivers won't have the idea to help u approach a little bit,they think u r waiting for the direct lift.And be careful with numbers of entrances to highways in one city,ask locals cars go to your destination take which entrance normaly.And they r not as respectful towards hikers u r prepared to be laughed at and girls to be bothered .So with all this homework done I think it will be much easier,with a 30 minutes waiting-time usually(personal exeprience)
Sometimes you will have to be patient possibl waiting for over an hour! Once, [[User:Latindane|Latindane]] had to wait 4 hours to get a 300 kilometers ride with lunch included towards [[Madrid]].== Border crossing ==
When entering the country from [[France]] you should try to get a lift as close to your destination as possible. On the Mediterranean side, a good place for this is La Jonquera, one of the biggest truck stops in Europe. You’ll find plenty of international truck drivers all over the country, because Spain is a centre of the fruit industry, exporting their oranges and tomatoes. On the Atlantic side, there is another huge truck stop near Irun.
== Road network ==
 
[[File:Hitchhiking_in_Salamanca_Spain_2010-05.JPG|thumb|right|[[User:Mikael|Mikael]] hitchhiking from [[Salamanca]] to [[Ávila]] in [[Spain]], May 2010.]]
The north of Spain has a well developed system of ''Autopistas''. Autopistas are very similar to French ''Autoroutes'', and so similar rules can be applied when hitchhiking. Autopistas have two or more lanes in each direction, accessed after passing through a ''peaje'' (tollgate) and have large rest stops along the way.
When hitching at Peajes, usually people have great successThe north of Spain has a well developed system of ''Autopistas''. Autopistas are very similar to French ''autoroutes'', and so similar rules can obtain long distance rides, even at night timebe applied when hitchhiking. Usually the police and motorway staff do not interfere, but some stricter police may request that you leave. It is important to note that large peaje sections are usually split by a concrete wall; 2 ''Autopistas'' have two or 3 more lanes for cars, on the insidein each direction, and another 2 or 3 lanes for buses and trucks on the outside. The concrete walls usually carry on some distance accessed after the passing through a ''peaje, '' (tollgate) and end once have large rest stops along the vehicles are traveling too fast to stop. It is up to the hitchhiker to decide which lanes to take, however sticking to the outside and waiting for a truck may attract less attention from the authorities than standing further inside waiting for a carway.
When hitching at ''peajes'', usually people have great success, and can obtain long distance rides, even at night time. Usually the police and motorway staff do not interfere, but some stricter police may request that you leave. It is important to note that large ''peaje'' sections are usually split by a concrete wall; 2 or 3 lanes for cars, on the inside, and another 2 or 3 lanes for buses and trucks on the outside. The concrete walls usually carry on some distance after the peaje, and end once the vehicles are traveling too fast to stop. It is up to the hitchhiker to decide which lanes to take, however sticking to the outside and waiting for a truck may attract less attention from the authorities than standing further inside waiting for a car.  When hitching long distances it is a good idea to stick to large ''peaje '' sections or rest stops. Bring water and food, since these ''áreas de servicio'' are expensive. It should be noted that hitching at small ''peaje '' sections, on motorway exits, is not recommended, as often there is one peaje for both directions, automatically ruling out many vehicles as possible rides. In the south of Spain, the motorways are smaller and the petrol stations are usually further away from the road. It is best to be patient at these places. Be careful when people promise you to drop you off at a "very busy" petrol station, as it might turn out to be deserted. It is better in these cases to find direct lifts from one town to another (use a sign when thumbing). == Language ==The Comunidades are not only administrative districts; many of the regions have their own culture, language and some even don’t consider themselves as a part of Spain. For example the dominating language in [[Catalonia]] is Catalan, so be aware of that. Nevertheless, everyone speaks ''castellano'' (Spanish).Aside from Spanish, obviously languages like Basque, Catalan, etc are spoken, and learning a handful of words even in local languages, may make the driver loosen up.The Spanish phrase ''Vas a... ?'' (are you going to... ?) is an excellent starting point.
In the Southern regions, the motorways are smaller and the petrol stations are usually further away from the road. It is best to be patient at these places. Be careful when people promise you to drop you at a "very busy" petrol station. Often the small petrol stations are deserted, it's possible that you won't see a single "non-local" car for an hour or two or three.== Sleeping ==
== Carpooling =Squatting ===Carpooling (''compartir coche'') is an alternative. The website [http://www.viajamosjuntos.com/ ¿viajamosjuntos.com?] gives the opportunity to the driver to post their journey in search of passenger to share the cost of the ride. [http://www.blablacar.es/ Blablacar] is another popular ridesharing website.
== Squatting ==Despite the fact that many houses have been shut down lately, Spain has a very active squatting scene. It’s quite easy to find a place to crash by asking around for a ''casa okupada''.
== Maps ==

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