Changes

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''Finland to Spain (May-July 2006)'': Started in Oulu, Finland and went north and then down to Stockholm. Caught the ferry (didn't boat hitch) to Tallinn, Estonia and then hitched through the Baltics and entered Poland stopping in Warsaw and Krakow. Then went to Slovakia and stayed in Bratislava. Managed to get a free train ticket to Budapest so ended up going to Budapest. Then hitched into Belgrade, Serbia and then proceeded to get lost in the Balkans going through Bosnia, Croatia and coming up through Slovenia. Then got lost through the Alps passing through the Austrian, Italian and Swiss Alps before coming out on the tourist mecca that is Interlaken. Pass Passed through Geneva before heading into France and staying stayed in Grenoble. Then hitched to Reus (south of Barcelona, Spain). From there hitched to Pamplona for the Running of the Bulls. Was a fast paced trip as left Oulu in mid-May and was in Pamplona for the Running of the Bulls in July.

''Australia (May-December 2007)'': Left Canberra and hitched to South Coast NSW. Proceeded onto Melbourne. Then flew to Tasmania for most of June. Went back to Melbourne and went to Adelaide which was home base for most of July. From there went to Mildura, Grampions, Geelong and Great Ocean Road and then back to Adelaide. Then went to Kangaroo Island before finally returning to Adelaide and headed north. Went through the Flinders Ranges as far as Blinman before turning onto the Oodnadatta Track and following it up to Williams Creek. *WARNING* Outback hitching is not possible impossible but if you leave the pavement carry ''at least 10L of water with you!'' Most people will stop and offer you water even if they won't offer you a ride. From William Creek took a ride back to the main highway and came out at Coober Pedy. Met up with a guy had met in Adelaide and got taken 200km off the highway to a Aborignal Reservation. Then continued up the center to Alice Springs. Did 150km of hiking along the West Macdonalds mtn ranges before continuing north all the way to Darwin. Went through Kakadu Park and then kept going west out of Katherine. Then left the main highway again to hitch the Gibb River Road through the Kimberly. *warning* do not attempt in the wet season, best times are at the start of the dry july-august. the later you leave it the less cars travel the road. It is possible to travel into the northern Kimberly (Kalamburu) but there are even less cars. Be prepared for minimum waits of 4 hrs up to a day. Then went to Broome, and continued down the west coast until detoured inland at Port Headland to go into Tom Price and Karijini National Park. Came out and continued down the west coast to Perth with detours at Exmouth, Denham and the Pinaccles. From Perth went through the South-west stopping at Margaret River first and then hiking along the Cape to Cape before meandering through to Pemberton. Did a section of hiking on the fabled Bibbulumn track before ending up in Albany. Starting hitching towards Espearance but ended up going into the Stirling Ranges (spectacular!) and eventually Wave Rock and back to Perth. Left Perth and ended going all the way to Adelaide in 3 days. Got one ride with a truck to Port Augusta and then another ride into Adelaide. Left to hitch to Mildura but upon arrival the friend who I was going to stay with wasn't there so ended up hitching 24 hrs straight to go from Adealaide to Canberra.

In 2005 hitched from Canberra to Sydney, Australia. Then from Bundaberg to Mackay (Queensland, Australia). In 2006 did a side trip to Scotland and hitched after the West Highland Way. Also had another ride on a side trip in Spain.   

Only done km stats on my big tripsBoat hitching:Europe (Finland to Spain)- 5183km (according to google maps but without the section 40km around Singapore. 280km from budapest to belgrade to mostar)New Zealand - 4398km (according to google maps)Australia - 21 832km (according Kos to google maps)TOTAL = at least 31 413km (according Crete. more to google maps)come!

Have kept a pretty accurate ride count Only done km stats on my big trips:<br>Ottawa-Montreal-NYC - about 980km or so according to google maps<br>Europe 2006(Finland to Spain)- 5830km (according to google maps)<br>New Zealand - 4398km (according to google maps)<br>Australia - 21 832km (according to google maps)<br>Europe 2008 (Switzerland to Norway to Vienna) - 6978km (according to google maps)<br>Australia 2011 - 18 784km<br>->Around Darwin 100km<br>->Darwin-Katherine 450km<br>->Darwin->Canberra (Via Bourke, Tamworth, Dubbo) - 4575km<br>->Canberra->Darwin (Via Oodanatta track) - 4288km<br>->Perth->Uluru (Via Great Central Road)->Port Augustus->Broken Hill->West Wylong->Canberra 4722km <br>->Canberra->South Coast NSW-> Pt. Augusta->Esperance->Perth 4649km<br>Indonesia 2011: Bali->Jakarta through mtns: 1448km<br>Europe 2011: Athens->Belgrade: 1130km<br>Europe 2012: 38,361km<br>->Belgrade-Berlin-Belgrade: 3202km<br>->Belgrade->Timisoara->Cluj->Reghin->Suceava->Brasov->Sibiu->Hunedoara->Belgrade: 1783km<br>->Belgrade->Nis->Sofia->Belgrade: 800km<br>->Belgrade->Tulza->Sarajvo->Split->Zadar->Zagreb->Belgrade->Sofia: 1790km<br>->Sofia->Plovdiv Return: 294km<br>->Sofia->Belgrade->Oradea->Ruzomberok->Brno->Munster->Lyon (including getting lost): 3376km<br>->Lyon->Antwerp->Paris->Auch: 1862km <br>->Cape Finisterra->Porto->Talvira->Vigo->Gijon->Santandar->Barcelona: 3155km<br>->Barcelona->Avila->Toulous->Auch->Biscarosse-Plage->Brussels->Osnabruck->Berlin (+side trips): 4150km<br>->Berlin->Warsaw->Vilnius (including getting lost): 1300km<br>->Vilnius->Ambrasikiai->Vilnius->Warsaw->Krakow->Lukovista->Ruzomberok->Arad->(lost in Romanian mountains)->Sibiu->Zemica->Blagovegrad: 2952km<br>->Blagovegrad->Tserovo->Blagovegrad->Sofia->Belgrade: 800km (including local hitching between Tserovo and it stands at over 400 Svogue)<br>->Belgrade->Oradea->Cluj->Iasi->Chisinau->Soroca->Tiraspol->Odessa->Kyiv :2103km (will post it when I have access plus local Transnistrian hitching)<br>Kyiv->Mikolaiv->Djankoi->Kerch->Simferopol->Yalta->Bakhchisaray->Odessa->Cahul->Cluj (not direct routes): 2891km<br>Cluj->Brasov->Bucarest->Istanbul: 1172km<br>Istanbul->Iznik->Bodrum: 826km<br>Crete: Chania->Sitia: 270km <br>Rhodos: 320km<br>Marmaris->Izmir->Konya->Kayseri->Cappadocia->Kayseri->Eskişehir->Izmit: 2069km<br> Izmit->Kutahya->Usak->Antalya->Ankara (got lost too): 1467km<br>Ankara->Avanos->Ihlara->Anamur->Antalya->Butterfly Valley-> Izmır: 1779km <br><b>2013</b><br>Izmir->Mersin->Iskenderun: 1125km<br>ferry to my journals again)egypt...<br>Port Said->Taba->Saint Catherines->Suez->Cairo: 1066km<br>

BE PREPARED! Be ready for everythingOverland total: =73, have enough food766km *Syria, waterNepal, Georgia, shelter and clothing for you handle whatever conditions that could arise where you are.Laos is missing from total<br><br>

Refuse rides! or <b>Grand TOTAL = at the very least get out of the car when the chance presents itself if you have a bad feeling.I have never refused a ride but I should have. I have had bad experiences...not with guys coming onto me or getting robbed176, but I have been afraid for my life because they are such bad drivers. Or they have been having a domestic dispute with their partner. Have even had someone do a drug deal with me in the back and then had the client get into the car and snort a line of coke!694km km(according to google maps)</b><br>

Be a jack not in total - hitched sections of all trades. Always let the cars occupants express their opinions first. Shape what you say around what they have already said. You may be selling yourself out but it makes for much pleasanter rides with much more hospitality extended to youmy trip in Africa: South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Mozambique, Malawi.

Give prizes for awesome rides/milestones. For exampleHave kept a pretty accurate ride count and it stands at ~2300 (November, every 100 rides with something special for 500...any advice for me when I hit it? ;2010) :)

Know what you are getting yourself into. When you walk out on the road you are putting yourself in fates hands. Don't try to fight it, if the ride takes you back to somewhere you have already been, go with it. There is probably a reason for it.  =='''Future Trips'''My Advice== 2008 #1: Starting from Sault Ste. Marie in Ontario, Canada I will be trying to hitch to St. Johns Newfoundland before catching a flight to Africa on April 20th. Flying into Johannesburg and flying out of Nairobi, Kenya on August 19th to Zurich 2008-2009-2010? Staying with family for Sept/Oct in the alps. After that traveling overland to south-east asia before flying to New Zealand again. Route looks to head into Balkans, Greece, Turkey, Middle East (Lebanon, Syria, Israel (?), Egypt, Iran, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Burma (?), Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore. After that....?

Walk out the highway, put your hand in the air...see where the road takes you :)Surrender to the journey as much as possible!