49
edits
Changes
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
→Personal Experiences
I started in Madurai and Hitched all the way up to new Delhi. In the south, people are generally more friendly and less money-driven than the people in the north (Rajasthan and Delhi). The hitchhiking itself became easier further up north, as the private cars slowly appeared. In the southern states (Tamil Nadu, Kerala , Karnataka) I hopped on every vehicle I flagged down, but the greater variety of available cars in the north (Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Delhi) allowed me to be picky and to stop thumbing up so many trucks. If you are alone, motorcycles offer great rides, although some of them were slightly uncomfortable in a physical sense. The roads were surprisingly alright , apart from the occasional dead cow or dog! The highways are the best for hitchhikers, since you can just stand on the actual highway, and people just stop for you. It's very normal to park your car on the middle of the highway to chat you up or let you in (love it). In short: hitchhiking is easy and safe, although people don't understand it. It is slow, but remember that everything moves slow in India.. hitchhiking is probably one of the fastest options to reach your destination. Please make sure for yourself to be comfortable with what you are doing. It is simply not for everyone.''
Hitchhikernick - Visited for 5 weeks in sept-oct 2018. hitching via motorcycles were very easy in the cities. Hitching in busy areas like New Delhi and surrounding cities/towns just isnt worth the effort (took me 8 hrs to get from southern New Delhi to Agra with lots of walking between rides). Best thing to do is go general class on train as no ticket inspectors check this carriage (lowest class) as it is so packed with people, i did this 75% of my time in India. i visited all over and the best area for hitching was in kashmere, followed by the far south. i entered first time via plane (as evisa requirement) and re-entered overland from Nepal in Darjeeling region. beware of kid/opportunist pickpockets if you sleep on the train. this is definitely the most challenging country for a hitchhiking traveller as it isnt easy to find camping spots in a lot of areas, the roads infrastructure is very messy and there is so many people and much rubbish/human waste everywhere, . definitely one of the smelliest /dirtiest countries i have visited, though the Indian people seemed very clean themselves. food was very cheap and very tasty, lots of dal bhat and one driver took me to a restaurant where i had some delicious tandoori chicken 😋. when i did get lifts is was a mixture of truck drivers, private cars and motorbikes. one ride was on the back of a harley like royal enfield with a turban wearing driver doing 70mph, with no helmet or eye protection, weaving between traffic on the highway, definitely tested my mettle/foolishness. India is definitely an eye opener!!!
== Border crossings ==
