Hitchwiki:Hitchability old

Everyone is welcome to add his idea about this stuff, also would be great if you add your personal opinion about rated countries. Here is also the Hitchability extended on a worldmap. For further discussions and the data of the ratings check below and feel free to add you experiences!! <travelmap easy="kp,jp,dk,bt,si,be,ee,hu,de,ie,tw,mx,ht,lt,ma,na,lv,jo,th,ca,ro,ru,ir,sz,ye,om,ec,il,cl,sy,tr,bg,ml,pk,gb" medium="my,lu,nz,nl,is,it,gr,id,in,ch,za,uk,ua,sk,pl,no,rs,pt,cr,br,bo,at,cz,ar,au,fi,fr,ls,et,ke,ug,mz,tz,us,cn,la,uy" hard="mm,hk,mn,ph,sg,es,se" width="700" description='Hitchability' />

Currently there are some info-boxes on the country articles too, for example at Bulgaria or the Netherlands. For having a quick view how the country is rated for hitchhiking, there is a point called Hitchability and a thumb next to it. Here's the legend of the thumbs:

Legend:  (very good) |  (good) |  (average) |  (bad) |  (senseless)

For adding a rating, just add this text to the infobox:

|hitch = {{good}}

if you want to rate it good. Possible ratings are {{Very Good}}, {{Good}}, {{Average}}, {{Bad}} and {{Senseless}}

Discussion

• There is the idea that we add some sort of voting system to the wiki, because this rating is quite subjective from the view of the author, and for him a country can be seen as senseless while other people hitched there a dozen times easily.
  • That could be something similar to the ratings system on digihitch.
  • Found two extensions here, maybe useful? Did someone knows better solutions? 1 , 2

• Maybe we can discuss possible ratings for countries on this page, and the more people add their opinion, we can come to a conclusion for countries.

• A solution could be to improve the categorisation by defining countries between a 'gap' such as: Good to Average. Another one could be to eliminate the general use of the extremes.Maplefanta 01:15, 23 December 2007 (CET)

• • Jep, such as "good to average" sounds good, but for me it is a bit a spongy statement. Maybe a rating system might be perfect. Everyone give a number (from 1=bad to 5=fantastic) and then the average shows you best what people think. This is not solved yet and so we try to find this average here via this article ;-) platschi^{site, wikitalk} 21:14, 26 December 2007 (CET)

Different (world) regions, different measures

Hi all, I just wanted/added to add some countries of Africa and the Middle East and I found it difficult to put it into our system of rating. To which standards to compare? Compared to Germany (where I wait 10 minutes and get a ride of 200+ km), most other countries would look bad... but still, in comparison to other countries in this region, culture and available public transport alternatives in the country itself are big differences... --Alex 11:30, 4 May 2009 (UTC)

I guess a further differentiation might be to try to judge on the basis of a local (who is also speaking the local language). I guess this is different to what a foreigner might experience. --Alex 12:33, 4 May 2009 (UTC)

Europe

Northern Europe

Ireland

• So much better than any country I've tried. --MrTweek^{site, wikitalk} 18:22, 24 December 2007 (CET)
• So I guess it earns a (very good) :-) platschi^{site, wikitalk} 21:14, 26 December 2007 (CET)

Western Europe

Austria

• (good) - quarim

Belgium

• (good) to (very good) - might be ok.

France

• (good) ?
  • (average) I would say it really depends where you are hitchhiking, in mountainous areas such as the alps it's really easy to get a lift, but in the south-east (Nice-Marseille...) it's quite difficult cause there is a kind of paranoia about hitchhiking, probably because of the higher rates of criminality in this area. Anyway if you go hitchhike on the motorhway you can do as much as 800 km in a day.--Kimdime69 10:41, 17 August 2008 (CEST)
  • less than in Germany, but still a (good) quarim
  • Just (good)

Germany

• (good) I think Germany is good for hitchhiking, easily to hitch the whole country east-west of north-south in one day, but still some areas where hitching is more difficult. so no very good from me. platschi^{site, wikitalk} 14:45, 16 December 2007 (CET)
• (average) I hate hitchhiking in Germany. There is often a lot of traffic, so you don't wait long for rides, but you wait impossibly long in cars. Also, the weather is less than ideal, most of the time. Germany is often chilly and rainy, even in summer! However, when you consider the cost of the average German train ticket, I suppose hitchhiking really is the only way to go. Sometimes, you'll get lucky when hitchhiking at night in Germany, because there is less traffic and rides can go fast, but often, there are also more drunk drivers on the roads at night. On the whole, the myth that "Most Germans speak good English" is total rubbish, as every time I hitchhike through, less than 30% of my rides speak _any_ English at all. Amylin
• (good) I love hitchhiking in Germany. There is a lot of traffic and always someone going your way. Cars tend to go really fast so you can go faster than public transport. The country also offers a great opportunity to learn German ;) guaka^{site, wikitalk} 23:25, 2 June 2008 (CEST)
• as you can go really fast and there are roads everywhere, I would say it is a (very good) quarim
• I would like to see ratings for Germany per Bundesland and not as a whole. The abundance of neo-nazi youth at Raststättes in some of the eastern Bundesländer have on occasion made my hitchhiking experience less pleasant than it ought to be, and my experience in general is that people in the east, as well as in Bayern are less likely to pick one up. 70-80% of the rides I've had east of Hannover-Hamburg were with Polish truck drivers. I'd say (average) to (very good) depending on the region. clint.hotvedt 13:10, 19 May 2009 (UTC)
• (very good)

Netherlands

• (good) Also good as far as I experienced. Not Very Good because people sometimes behave like assholes, showing the middle finger or pushing the horn when they see you. Never experienced that in for example Bulgaria or Germany. platschi^{site, wikitalk} 15:21, 16 December 2007 (CET)
• (bad) to (average) Yes, people pick you up, yes, the police aren't complete obnoxious arseholes, but still I wish to not go any higher than "average" as a hitchability rating. Why? Well, the country is fairly small, extremely populated, and has a network of motorways so extensive that it resembles an urban conglomeration more than a country. To hitch fast through the Netherlands, extensive knowledge of the country's topography is much more a factor than luck. Many people drive no more than 20-50 kilometres (that's the average distance between cities of 100,000+, and even in a country 350 by 250 kilometres that's not much..) I've noticed that most people rating the Netherlands highly are quite seasoned hitchhikers, but a foreign newbie without much experience might have a nightmarish time here. In light of this also being a resource for that group, I think we should adjust the rating accordingly, possibly with a disclaimer that says that the rating is (average) to (good) for people who are familiar with the Dutch geography. Then I'm not even talking about the arseholes who give one-finger salutes while driving by, they're mostly harmless anyway. clint.hotvedt 16:27, 4 June 2009 (UTC)
• (good)

Eastern Europe

Bulgaria, Romania

• (very good) Great country for hitchhiking and friendly people. For that also a lot of hitchhikers there. platschi^{site, wikitalk} 15:21, 16 December 2007 (CET)
• Also for Romania, I guess. Even someone's 80+ grandma' is hitching out there. platschi^{site, wikitalk} 21:14, 26 December 2007 (CET)

Moldova

• Is there any better than very good ? excellent ?

Poland

• Poland only (average)? (medium) on the map? I find Poland one of the easiest countries to hitch in, a good proportion of lorry drivers pick you up, and will often go out of their way to help you get further, police doesn't give you too much grief, and lunatics seems to be even rarer than in most countries. If it wasn't for the lack of fast north-south infrastructure (Szczecin-Kraków can easily take 24+ hours, and is usually faster through Berlin), I'd give Poland (very good), but a (good) rating would definitely be deserved there. clint.hotvedt 13:10, 19 May 2009 (UTC)

Southern Europe

Croatia

• I love hitchhiking in Croatia, but lifts used to be short - so: (good) quarim

Italy

• (average)?? or (bad)?? quarim 07:06, 5 June 2009 (UTC)

Macedonia

• (average) to (bad) Very nice country but hitchhiking is a bit difficult. quarim
• (average) I hitched through Macedonia 2 times and found it OK to hitch. Sometimes you have to wait long, but often it is do to the fact that there is hardly any traffic between the cities.

Serbia

• I cannot agree with Serbia being a good country for hitching. I traveled slowly through Serbia once, and hitchhiked straight through twice, and never found it easy. I usually waited for more than 30 Minutes. (average) to (bad)

Turkey

• why is there a hard on the map, I never hitched Turkey but all I read is a (very good) quarim
• sure, even for Turkish hitchhikers it's easy out there. (very good) ! --Platschi 15:26, 5 May 2009 (UTC)

(very good) Amazingly easy and you almost always get a free meal or tea. You can even hitch directly on the highway and get picked up in no time.

North America

United States

• Might be better to add a specific rating for each state? platschi^{site, wikitalk} 14:45, 16 December 2007 (CET)
  • That is an absolute, it could even be extend to the regions in most countries. Maplefanta 01:17, 23 December 2007 (CET)

Central America

Costa Rica

• (average) Small distance rides are very common on the coast. Long distance hitchhiking works but you ve got to wait some time. Fabzgy 18:56, 29 December 2007 (CET)

Asia

Afghanistan, Iraq

• (senseless) - Guess everyone agrees with that.
  • At least form some areas in Iraq, I heard something else. --MrTweek^{site, wikitalk} 18:22, 24 December 2007 (CET)
  • Well I guess your body member can travel easily in different area of Iraq, your head goes somewhere and thumb somewhere else... I'm pretty sure that is a plain (senseless) Maplefanta 21:35, 24 December 2007 (CET)
  • Jep, I guess you mean what Iris told us this September. But according to the Iraq article, situation changed in the North through the Turkey-PKK conflict, and I guess currently it would be more wise to give it a senseless at the moment. Hopefully we can change this status in the future to a more positive way. platschi^{site, wikitalk} 21:14, 26 December 2007 (CET)

Iran

• Iran is OK. The biggest problem are the taxis, who always stop and ask for money. (average)

Japan

• Very easy, but I was always hitching with a sign written in Kanji, and nearly none of the drivers I met spoke any English whatsoever. Not sure how many people would stop for a Westerner holding a sign with Latin letters, but judging from the amazing friendliness that I witnessed, they would. So, I give a (very good) but mind the language point! gutuater

Pakistan

• In most places it is very easy to hitch. In some areas though, the police will not let you. (good)

Africa

Morocco

• (good), according to article and what people said. platschi^{site, wikitalk} 21:14, 26 December 2007 (CET)

Hitchability Map

• Country Ease Code Color Statement based on
• Argentina medium ar c2 Wikitravel
• Australia medium au c2 Wikitravel
• Austria medium at c2 Wikitravel
• Belgium easy be countries Wikitravel & Hitchwiki Hitchability Discussion
• Bhutan easy bt countries Wikitravel
• Bolivia medium bo c2 Wikitravel
• Brazil medium br c2 Wikitravel
• Bulgaria medium bg c2 Wikitravel & Hitchwiki Hitchability Discussion
• Canada easy ca countries Wikitravel
• Chile easy cl countries definitely easy --MrTweek 11:59, 4 May 2009 (UTC)
• Costa Rica medium cr c2 Wikitravel & Hitchwiki Hitchability Discussion
• Croatia easy ht countries Wikitravel
• Czech Republic medium cz c2 Wikitravel
• Denmark easy to medium dk countries Wikitravel
• Estonia easy ee countries Wikitravel
• Ethiopia medium et c2 Sometimes good, sometimes bad... --alex
• Finland medium fi c2 Wikitravel
• France medium fr c2 Wikitravel & Hitchwiki Hitchability Discussion
• Germany easy /medium de countries Wikitravel
• Greece medium gr c2 Wikitravel
• Hong Kong very hard hk c3 Wikitravel
• Hungary easy hu countries Wikitravel
• Iceland medium is c2 Wikitravel
• India medium in c2 Wikitravel
• Indonesia medium to hard id c2 Wikitravel
• Iran easy ir countries I would say it is easy. --alex
• Iran easy ir Wikitravel
• Ireland medium ie countries Wikitravel & Hitchwiki Hitchability Discussion
• Israel medium il c2 Wikitravel
• Italy hard it c3 Wikitravel
• Japan easy jp countries Wikitravel
• Jordan easy jo countries Wikitravel
• Kenya medium ke c2 Sometimes good, sometimes bad... --alex
• Latvia easy lv countries Wikitravel
• Lesotho medium ls c2 Sometimes good, sometimes bad... --alex
• Lithuania easy lt countries Wikitravel
• Luxembourg easy to hard lu c2 Wikitravel
• Malaysia medium my c2 Wikitravel
• Mexico easy mx countries Wikitravel
• Mongolia hard mn c3 Wikitravel
• Morocco Easy – medium ma countries Wikitravel & Hitchwiki Hitchability Discussion
• Mozambique medium mz c2 Sometimes good, sometimes bad... --alex
• Myanmar (Burma) hard mm c3 Wikitravel
• Netherlands medium-easy nl c2 Wikitravel
• Netherlands easy
• New Zealand medium nz c2 Wikitravel
• Nigeria easy na countries Wikitravel
• Norway medium no c2 Wikitravel
• Oman easy om countries I would say it is easy. --alex
• Philippines hard ph c3 Wikitravel
• Poland medium pl c2 Wikitravel
• Portugal medium pt c2 Wikitravel
• Romania easy-medium ro countries Wikitravel & Hitchwiki Hitchability Discussion
• Russia easy ru countries Wikitravel
• Serbia medium rs c2 Wikitravel
• Singapore very hard sg c3 Wikitravel
• Slovakia medium sk c2 Wikitravel
• Slovenia easy si countries Wikitravel
• South Africa depends za c2 Wikitravel
• South Korea easy kp countries Wikitravel
• Spain hard es c3 Wikitravel
• Swasiland easy sz countries I would say it is easy. --alex
• Sweden hard se c3 Wikitravel
• Switzerland medium ch c2 Wikitravel
• Taiwan easy tw countries Wikitravel
• Thailand easy-medium th countries Wikitravel
• Turkey hard tr c3 Wikitravel
• Uganda medium-easy ug c2 Sometimes good, sometimes bad... --alex
• Ukraine medium ua c2 Wikitravel
• United Kingdom medium uk c2 Wikitravel
• USA varies us c2 Wikitravel
• Yemen easy ye countries I would say it is easy. --alex

This article is a stub. This means that the information available to us is obviously insufficient. In these places little information is available or the description is severely outdated. If you have been there, whether hitchhiking, for travel or as part of an organized tour − be sure to extend this article!