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'''Algeciras''' is an industrial port-city in southern [[Spain]], in the region named [[Andalusia]]. It is one of the main ferry crossings to [[Tangier]], [[Morocco]], and from which it is often possible to hitchhike with truckers ("camioneros") onto a boat to Morocco, without having to pay a ticket. Many drivers have the right to bring a passenger along with them, so it is both legal and free for them to take you along. Beforehand, you will see many trucks waiting in the many parking lots surrounding the port. The easiest way to find a ride is to simply ask, and continue asking everyone you see until you find someone who is leaving on the next [[hitchhiking a boat|boat]]. The last ferry of the night departs around 24:00, and each ferry loads about an hour before departure. So, to be on the safe side, you should arrive no later than 21.00 if you´d like to try for the last ferry of the night. There are basically two ways of getting a lift. Walking around and asking truck drivers is one option, you will meet many of them on their way between town and the truck parking lot, a little south of the main terminal, where the military port is. Stand near the roundabout (see maps) and ask people, but they might go hours or days later. If you want to get a quicker ride, it's better to try your luck in the terminal itself. Follow the signposting for the trucks to Tangier (same as for the P.I.F. parking lot). If you feel you are running around areas where no pedestrians should be, don't worry, authorities seem to be quite relaxed. Walk until you come to a roundabout where the signposting for Tanger (trucks) and P.I.F. parking lot lead different ways, there should be a little police control - but they don't seem to care. You can walk around that roundabout and the adjacent parking lot, asking for a lift. most trucks there are going to Morocco, and should leave in the following 1-2 hours.

== To Morocco ==Many drivers have the right to bring a passenger along with them, so it is both legal and free for them to take you along. Beforehand, you will see many trucks waiting in the many parking lots surrounding the port. The easiest way to find a ride is to simply ask, and continue asking everyone you see until you find someone who is leaving on the next [[hitchhiking a boat|boat]]. The last ferry of the night departs around 24:00, and each ferry loads about an hour before departure. So, to be on the safe side, you should arrive no later than 21.00 if you´d like to try for the last ferry of the night.  There are basically two ways of getting a lift. Walking around and asking truck drivers is one option, you will meet many of them on their way between town and the truck parking lot, a little south of the main terminal, where the military port is. Stand near the roundabout (see maps) and ask people, but they might go hours or days later. <br> If you want to get a quicker ride, it's better to try your luck right where they boad the ferry. Follow the signposting for the trucks to Tangier. If you feel you are running around areas where no pedestrians should be, don't worry, authorities seem to be quite relaxed. You can walk all the way up to the water where the boats are loaded and ask the truckers waiting there. Some drivers are actually willing to take more people into their truck than they are allowed, but don't bet on it, it's better to split up if you are hitching with more than 1 person. Once on the ferry, you can expect a free meal and coffee (if your driver is nice and shares the coupon with you), and sometimes even a shower and a room. Remember that the ferries do not go to tangier Tangier itself, but to Tangier-Med, a port 40 km to the east of tangierTangier. ApparentlyThere is a Bus to Tanger right by the Port, which costs 7MAD (0, there 70€), but hitchhiking is obviously possible as well. UPDATE: As of March 2016, renovations of the port seem to be complete. There doesn't seem to be a free shuttle service parking lot where Trucks to Tangier itselfMorocco are waiting in the port, or but you can just hitch walk all the way through to the quay and ask around there. This has the added advantage that your ride should usually leave on the next ferry, as this is already where everybody is boarding the boat. Right before the last Police checkpoint, there can be quite a queue of trucks, whom you can also ask, but nobody seems to care if you walk past the checkpoint either. Next to the checkpoint there is also a parking lot, but the trucks there are coming from the ferries and are not going to Morocco. If you are planning on buying a ferry ticket to Morocco, consider sailing out of the little-known portof Motril, which is an hour and a half south of Granada. If you don't want to make the detour all the way to Algeciras, the boat from Motril to [[Melilla]] costs about the same as from Algeciras to Ceuta (€36 for adult, €32 for ages 17-21). Drawbacks: Ferries leave only once a day, and the trip is several hours long (although you may enjoy the cruise). [[Melilla]] is a bit out of the way, but if you plan on heading straight for [[Fes]] or Tazekka National Park, it may be a good starting point. === Formalities ===Police might send you away if they find you walking the last metres of the road leading to the quay because you are bypassing the passport control, but once you're on the last, big parking lot where everybody is waiting to board the ferry, noone should bother you, as you're already past all checkpoints. If you don't have a passport from a Schengen member country, things might be more complicated for you. Using the method described here, you will bypass the passport control on the european side and thus not get an exit stamp, which you might need for different reasons. So it would be wise to find out in advance if you need an exit stamp, in which case you would need to find a truck '''before''' passing the checkpoint.

Some drivers === Personal Experiences === There are actually willing more or less two ways to take more people into their truck than they hitch the ferry. You will either ask around in the parking area, or wait at the entrance gate for the trucks boarding the ferry. You are allowednot assured to get an exit stamp of the Schengen Area through any of those options. The first roundabout South of the boarding station/ticket boots leads you to the parking area where all the trucks wait before boarding, but don't bet on italso after coming out of the ferry that arrived from Morocco: good opportunities to head out very far into Europe will arise from asking around there (within an hour, I could have hopped into 2 trucks headed all the way back to Paris, one truck to London, it's better and one to split up if Italy)! Multiple parking areas will be awaiting you are hitching with more than 1 person. Once on Enter the area through the opening in the fence, right before the gates where truckers exit the ferryarea, about 50 meters from the roundabout. It is perfectly legal for you can expect to be in there and to ask around for a free meal and coffee ride (if your driver words of the Portuary Police themselves). However, do not talk to the trucks on the road as the act of soliciting a ride is nice and shares actually illegal in the port (words, again, of the coupon with youPortuary Police), and sometimes even . I take it that "soliciting a ride" only applies to a running vehicle on the road. You will have better chances to find a shower ride if you walk through that first parking area and a roomcross into the second area (there is another opening in the fence back there). The whole point of this is just to avoid walking through the exit gate. Use the license plates to find out in which language you should try to communicate with the drivers.

It took [[User:N0id|n0id]] two hours If you catch a trucker that still hasn't submitted his forms to the authorities, it is apparently possible that he might be able to find a ride in August 2009. Without a basic knowledge of French get you an exit stamp if you give him your passport, but it would then be possible that you would have been much harder. Many trucks already had two drivers, only to wait a few didn'tdays around. Truck drivers on A truck boarding the ferry told him that it was much harder to hitch a ride from Tangier to Algeciras, due to the drivers' fear of getting busted for drug-trafficking and the tight security at the port in Tangier. On has already done all the other sidepaperwork, security will let which is why you sleep in end up skipping the ''gare maritime'' in Tanger (New Port) if you arrive after 23:00 because there won't be any buses going to Tangier city anymoreSpanish Border Authorities.

[[User:DamnthatTelevision|DamnthatTelevision]] got a ride with If you want to try the first camion he sawother option, you should head into the boarding building and crossed find out when the straight with next ferry is leaving: trucks will start driving through the Moroccan driver, who also bought dinner ferry's entrance gate (first roundabout North of the boarding building) as early as an hour and let him sleep at his place in [[Tangier]]. French was crucial, moroccan hospitality is legendarya half before the ferry leaves.

'''2014 IMPORTANT UPDATE''': I tried to hitch a truck to Morocco August 2014 and there were major renovations going underway all around On the portferry, meaning there is no longer a nice easy parking lot where truckers park before getting on the ships. It took me almost 10 hours of searching but I finally got someone by standing by the road near the boarding platform. There is a parking lot to the south where you will see lots of truckers, but DO NOT go here, as it is only for truckers coming off the boats, and there are lots of guards who will shoo you away. Here is rough instructions to get to the spot I found: Walk towards the main terminal (where the public buys tickets). Take man sitting in a left and follow the Tangers/Truck signs. You should pass chair with a big warehouse and eventually (just north of the warehouse) come to a little gas station. Just next to the gas station computer in front of him will be doing the cement deviders is your best chance. Trucks pass there on the way Entrance Stamp to boarding, and often times park and relax for a bitMorocco. It's He will not ideal, but it will work. The situation should change rapidly as be there throughout the renovations continuewhole trip, so if take care of that as early as possible once you hitch it please update this section -[[User:PhysicsHipster|PhysicsHipster]] are on board.

UPDATE February 2015: A hitchhiking couple, Ewelina and Luís had to wait My understanding is that the ticket for around five hours (8-13) until they got a ride (this trucks is not counting with the couple of hours they spent the night before checking how the place looked like and trying their luck - which was useful valid for up to be quicker getting around next morning). They followed the directions mentioned by PhysicsHipster. Close to the little gas station there's a roundabout where the trucks pass through a gate towards 2 persons inside the main parking lot. They managed to cross it easilycab, both at day- and nighttime, without any problems from the workers who didnits price doesn't say anything when they got to know they were trying to hitch to Morocco. Just as both of them managed to find drivers willing to take them onboard, a vary based on whether or not-so-empathetic worker didn't allow Luís to get on the truck without a ticket. Soon the police arrived and they were both told to head back to the roundaboutplaces are used up. Again, not much traffic, but Ewelina managed to get a ride in ~10 minutes and Luís It also found includes a truck driver after another 30 minutes, both luckily on the same ferry (the explanation "my girlfriend is already onboard, free shower and me here free meal on this roundabout" was convincing enough).The port in Tanger Med is huge, it has many platforms and the main building is quite big. So getting to meet on the same boat was really fortunate and made things easier (they had only one phone)board.

You can just simply walk all The boarding building in Spain has 1 hour of free Wi-Fi to offer. On the road for trucks Moroccan side, it is supposed to be the placesame, where they are entering the ferry. How but it was already mentionedactually turns off more or less every half hour, no one actually cares that but also allows you are to log in prohibited area for pedestrians. I walked around the police, security, stuff and nobody said anything. When you are on the place few meters from the sea, there are plenty of trucks waiting for the next boat. The very first driver that was alone offered me a liftagain infinitely. Dinner included :)

If you are planning on buying a ferry ticket Personal experience: Blitz and J successfully hitchhiked to Moroccoin February 2018. J speaks French and this was essential for communicating with drivers and securing rides. We first tried to pass by the final police check before trucks board the ferry, consider sailing out of the little-known port of Motrilon duty officer told us it was impossible, which is an hour had never been done and a half south of Granadawe couldn’t pass. If you don't want Having read hitchwiki we knew this wasn’t true and decided to make persist, passing through the fence elsewhere was not an option because we both had packs and the detour all area from the way fence to Algeciras, the boat from Motril to [[Melilla]] costs about ferry is large so we would have been spotted immediately. J suggested we try at the roundabout before the final police check anyway incase the same as from Algeciras officer on duty had changed. We spoke to Ceuta (€36 for adult, €32 for ages 17-21)truck drivers and were both taken through within 20 minutes by trucks. Drawbacks: Ferries leave only once a day, and When passing through the trip is several hours long (although you may enjoy police check the cruise). [[Melilla]] is a bit out of officer had changed and the way, but if you plan officer on heading straight for [[Fes]] or Tazekka National Park, it may be a good starting pointduty barely glanced at either of us.

[[User:Traveling_Charles|Traveling Charles]] used this information Me and hitched my friend were not able to make it past the ferry police checkpoints in May & June 2013september 2018. Since they were two people, they were unsuccessfull asking the trucks waiting in line As we tried to board walk around the boat and many of the drivers said no, as they can only take one person. But they asked the guy who was (first?) checkpoint two police officers in charge of loading the boats and he was the key for getting a ride as he said he'd help them car came and basically gave permission told us to one of the drivers to take two people go back. We didnt try it any longer so maybe if you are more sneaky and so the driver who had previously said no, was then happy to take them now that he had the permissionresistant you can make it.

[[File:Hh-maroc-camionBoarding the ferry in a truck.jpg|left|300px|thumb|Someone drove me into the port, then on the first roundabout we went right|[[User:Amylin|Amylin]], inside there is a parking with some trucks and a cafeteria. I think it's called "Parque de seguridad". I asked a truck, hitchhiking onto he told me I was crazy. I asked a second one and he took me in. It took me less than a minute... And free meal on the ferry from [[Algeciras]], [[Spain]] to [[Tangier|Tanger]], [[Morocco]], April 2008.]]

 Arriving by ferry from Morocco you should have tried to locate a ride on or before the ferry. If this failed (as it did in my case) you arrive at the ''passengers port''. Go past the places where there are long distance buses and you'll come to a crossing. Follow the signs to whatever direction you're going to. If your going direction Malaga (many people going long-distance here) follow the signs to Malaga saying "Salida Norte" for a couple of minutes and you'll see the huge shipping port. Keep on walking until and you come to a roundabout 'll be on the main road out of the Port, where there will be many trucks going in slow speed and many all cars from all over Europe coming from the ferry. Although these cars tend to be fullferries are passing.

[[User:Vrana|Vrana]] found that if If you just walk over to where the cars are being led off the ferry and out of the port area (the roundabout by the main building), you can find a lot of people hitching and cars that stop. She found a ride directly to Amsterdam there.

[[User:Fedecicco|Fedecicco]] found his lift on the same round about but he was very lucky. It is better Better to try next to the harbour (you can see also a petrol station but don't ask there) there is an alimentary security control for trucks. All trucks trasporting fish or fruit (the bests to go straight in continental europe) must pass by it and stop inside. He arrived there during spanish holidays (semana santa) that's why it was pretty hard but normally this option should be the best. Either try directly at the ferry harbour (not the big merchandise one) where cars and trucks leave the ferries, or look for trucks that doesn't cross the sea and just wait for containers.

Around the harbour are plenty of supposedly "cheap hotels" for around 10€/night. However, the waiting Waiting hall for the ferries is open 24/24h, is actually safe, controlled and also some other people (locals/homeless/travelers) sleep in it. If you don't find a lift for the ferry or a long lift for Europe, it is better to sleep there and try the next day instead of moving somewhere else. == Trashwiki & Nomadwiki == [[nomad:Algeciras]] [[trash:Algeciras]]