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'''Brazil''' is a country in [[South America]]. It has a border with every country on the continent except [[Chile]] and [[Ecuador]]. Brazil is a huge country and [[hitchhiking]] depends a lot on the area as to how receptive people will be and your chances in getting rides. Some Brazilians consider their country violent and dangerous , in part due to the media's love of seizing stories and exaggerate exaggerating them.

== Regions Hitchhiking ==Brazil needs to be taken with caution but hitchhiking is doable in every area except within greater [[São Paulo]], as you are overshadowed by the volumes of traffic. On roadsides, care must be taken because of the erratic ways of Brazilian motorists. Many use the slip lanes to overtake traffic or swerve to allow others past.

Areas like the Amazon and Pantanal backlands are much easier when asking on road sides and at [[petrol station In Brazil, hitchhiking|petrol stations]]. Areas with just one national highway are much easier for reaching your destination. Put your mind is referred to it and itas 's very possible to cover 'pegar uma carona'', which means taking a little over 300 kilometer daily or more depending on arearide. North East may On roadsides, care must be trickier as there are less cars and peoples fear taken because of the erratic ways of ''bandidos'' Brazilian motorists. Many use the slip lanes to overtake traffic or swerve to allow others past. Hitchhiking on motorways is not illegal, but when if you get someone they will just follow the common rules, like hitchhiking in a place where the cars can stop, you'll be talkative and friendlyfine.

[[File:Guaka-hitch-brazil.jpg|thumb|right|300px|[[User:Guaka|guaka]] ([[User talk:Guaka|talk]]) hitching to [[Rio]], 2012]]Hitchhiking on Having a sign with the interstate highway is even easier. Interstates highway have different names, depending on the state city that you are in. For example, if you are in the state heading is a great idea and will definitely increase your chances of Santa Catarina, the interstate highways are read as SC. They are called in portuguese as the Rodovia do Estado. There is less traffic on these highways, so hitchhiking is easier. And you get more rides on private vehicles, rather then trucksgetting a ride.

The national highways === Tax offices ===One of the best things about Brazil are shown as BRthe truck tax offices (Postos fiscais). Hitchhiking here These are buildings along a highway, usually in a city or town which is pretty hard according to somea border with another Brazilian state, fairly easy according but sometimes along the route. Truckers who use that route generally have to others ([[User:Guaka|guaka]] ([[User talk:Guaka|talk]]) on BR-101 in RJ stop and ES)get their papers stamped at a window. The best way to get ridesstaff are generally hitchhiker-friendly, is to talk to truck drivers at so you can stand outside the Petrol Station window with a sign or ask the Posto BR as locals would call themdrivers for rides.

Note that vehicles license plates === Gas Stations ===You can get rides easily by asking drivers at [[Gas stations]] (Postos de gasolina). Attendants are different, depending on where the car was issued.It starts with the State abbreviation usually friendly and followed with numberslet you sleep behind them. This way you can also somehow figure out where In the vehicle is going north, they tend to.For example: *PR is Paraná*SC is Santa Catarina*RJ is Rio do Janeiro*SP is Sao Paolo*RS is Rio Grande Do Sul*ES is Espírito Santohave free coffee and showers too!

== Maps = Police Stations ===[[File:Brazil highwaysSome cities have federal police stations alongside with the road, they are called PRF (Polícia Rodoviária Federal).jpg|thumb|300px]][http://www.br.map24.com/ map24] was a useful online route planner for Brazil Every car that passes by those stations (which are always yellow and blue) reduce the rest of South Americaspeed, so it's a great place to hitchhike. [http://www.guiamais.com.br/ruas GuiaMais] is another great website You can also talk with maps the police officers, which are usually friendly and route planning for Brazil only. As of 2012 Google maps is pretty decent for Brazilhelp you getting a ride.

Guia Quatro Rodas publishes a great road map == Regions ==Brazil needs to be taken with caution but hitchhiking is doable in every area except within greater [[São Paulo]], as you are overshadowed by the volumes of Brazil. Available at some gas stations for R$13traffic.

== Sleep ==If In the south (Rio Grande Do Sul) drivers hardly stop on the roadside if you look like a foreigner you might consider go are only using your thumb (even if it seems to be a hostel or perfect hitching spot). [[httpUser://www.bewelcome.org/ couchsurfBalazs|Balazs]]. There are lots of homeless crackheads in major cities these days. In rural areas, if you say you have nowhere would suggest to stay they will often offer you always use a spot in their house and good hearty Brazilian food sign on roadsides (which is often rice, beans and corn porridge in some areas, or roasted cassava flour to eat with the beans, very energetic and delicious, and sometimes chicken or meat - if you are a vegetarian say you don't like meatbut generally, if you just say you don't want they will think you're shy and put on your plate anywayshitch there, and if you don't want try as hard as possible to get to the food say you are very full and they will stop insistingpetrol stations.). Small villages are great for camping and rarely police will bug youAt the stations, unless it is a touristic city. Avoid setting up a tent he was almost always taken if the driver was going in big cities, if you got no dime his direction and no concealed spot sleep in bus stations or open airthe car was not full.

You can also always camp in gas station. In the northNote that vehicles license plates are different, truckers usually put their hammocs in depending on where the back of car was issued. It starts with the station state abbreviation and follows with numbers. This way you can go sleep with them (in also somehow figure out where the vehicle is going to. Usually the north, most name of the station have free showers!). Just make sure to have a mosquito net! More south, where people where not using hammoc so much and we were alone to sleep state is written in small letters at the stationtop, the security usually came to us but this is harder to ask if we would pass the night there and then passed to check regularly to check if we were all rightsee. {|class="wikitable"|-! Abbr! State! Abbr! State! Abbr! State|-|AC|[[Acre]]|MA|[[Maranhão]]|RJ|[[Rio de Janeiro]]|-|AL|[[Alagoas]]|MG|[[Minas Gerais]]|RN|[[Rio Grande do Norte]]|-|AM|[[Amazonas]]|MS|[[Mato Grosso do Sul]]|RO|[[Rondônia]]|-|AP|[[Amapá]]|MT|[[Mato Grosso]]|RR|[[Roraima]]|-|BA|[[Bahia]]|PA|[[Pará]]|RS|[[Rio Grande do Sul]]|-|CE|[[Ceará]]|PB|[[Paraíba]]|SC|[[Santa Catarina]]|-|DF|[[Distrito Federal]]|PE|[[Pernambuco]]|SE|[[Sergipe]]|-|ES|[[Espírito Santo]]|PI|[[Piauí]]|SP|[[São Paolo]]|-|GO|[[Goiás]]|PR|[[Paraná]]|TO|[[Tocantins]]|}

=== Cities ===

* [[São LuizLuis]]

* ''[https://warmroads.de/en/hitchhiking-in-7-brazil/ Short anlyses of hitchhiking in Brazil - warmroads.]* ''If you are friendly and avoid drunk drives, along with avoid showing that you have valuable things you will be fine. Once it got dark with me on the roadside with nothing close by, and people took some time to give me a ride. When the car stopped it was with 4 somewhat drunk guys with loud music. I felt it was going to be okay so I went with them (keep in mind it is a tiny city!) and nothing happened, not even sex proposals. In a couple of occasions there was unauthorized groping, but a firm yet polite response kept them from trying anything else. In some days there was a lot of sex proposals, some even offering money. They insist once or twice but when they see there is no chance they will (at least in my experience) respect you. Twice truck drivers that kept insisting heard from me a "so let me get down anywhere, I am not hitchhiking for that". Well, they said "ok, sorry, no need to get down, I am not going to insist anymore". With one of them we even changed subject and got quite a nice conversation. Most, a least for Portuguese speakers, just start talking about themselves and their personal life. One of them even let me sleep on his truck while he went home. They often offer to buy meals at barbecue diners in roadsites, with rice, bean, meat, salad and possible other options (I often just drink an orange juice, since I am a raw foodist and take food with me all the time, like nuts and specially bananas - this one is a good idea for cheap energetic food, which often you can get for free in small markets if they are overripe, if you ask the price it will often be half or free. I lived on bananas and avocados for several days once before I was raw, not very fun but with a stronger kick than fast food...).'' -A personal story of a Brazilian 20 year old girl hitchhiking alone * ''I was hitchhiking during 3 months in Brazil both alone and with friends, it was easy in the tourist states of Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais, in Parana I never waited more than 15 min...the only time I got stuck was 40 km from Sao Paulo in not so nice area with prostitutes, it was gettting dark and the drivers scared so close to the city but finally one car brought me to the bus station in few km from where I took the bus. The people are quite friendly and helpful despite the paranoia around and the main difficulty in the beginning was my poor Portuguese and being guided many times towards the bus station instead the road I needed to hh :)'' - Nadita, March 2014 * ''Something I learned as a woman hitchhiking through Brazil alone is that certain highways (I heard it was mostly on the BR 116, Rio-Salvador, for example) have women that are highway prostitutes that wait to be picked up on the side of the road. Traveling with truck drivers alone I also learned that many of them pick up hitchhikers that also become lovers, mostly locals from smaller towns who wait on the highways to leave town and go on an adventure. But it is usually easier to tell the difference between hitchhikers and women wanting rides for sex, and of course communication is important. I think it's important to know that these incidents are common because you understand where people are coming from when the subject arises. I never had problems with males drivers and truck drivers but I have definitely had them ask for sex, the program ("not even with a condom?" yuck...), what not. I think being clear with drivers before is important and making sure you feel safe is important too. But again, I hitched almost 5000 km alone in Brazil, no problem, it is incredibly liberating and easy! Go adventure! :)'' -[[User:Yayael|Yaya]] * User "[[User:Miriam|Miriam]] hitched around the south of Brazil for several weeks on her own in 2017 without running into major problems, met only super nice and friendly people, got rides easily and was never confused for a prostitute or treated without respect, as the above contributors sadly experienced. Two minor problems were: 1.) People automatically assuming hitchhikers are Argentinian and staying clear because of the rivalry between both countries (sadly). If you're a non-argentinian foreigner, consider carrying your country's flag! 2.) Lots and lots of traffic on giant, unstoppable highways. If possible, stick to nice and cozy interior roads which makes for amazing experiences on it's own! :)" ==Links==* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/233318683352416/ Caroneiros de beira de estrada - hitchhikers] FB group* [https://mapsengine.google.com/map/u/0/viewer?mid=zp9crAsPGb2s.kP_S4APpoKLY Brazilian hitchhikers/tramps on the map]* [https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/caroneirosdebeiradeestrada Brazilian hitchhikers mailing list] *[[nomad:Brazil]]*[[trash:Brazil]]*[[visa:Brazil]]