Dover
Dover is a busy port in East Kent, in the South of England. For hitchhikers this is one of if not the best possibility to cross the Channel. Because it is the closest port to continental Europe on mainland Britain with just 21 miles from the French port of Calais, Dover is the busiest cross-Channel port in the UK, with 18 million passengers every year and thousands of lorrys each day. Regular ferry services operate from Dover to Calais (P&O and Seafrance) and Dunkerque (norfolkline).
To Calais
Hitchhikers can manage to cross the channel for free because drivers might only pay for their vehicles and up to a cerain amount of passenger (usually four) with a car and two with a lorry – additional persons pay like footpassengers. Keep in mind that the free place on the ferry with a Car Driver are not a golden rule and these are often due to long lasting promotion by the ferry company (P&O usually). If you are searching for a lift you often have to tell people about this possibility first – otherwise they often don't take you with them just because they think it's too complicated or they'll have to pay... This passenger rule does not apply for The Channel Tunnel, which might reveal a better option beforehand!
To get a lift to France, you may prefer to stop at Maidstone Services on the M20, where you have the possibility to talk to trucks that might be crossing. Many more trucks stop at Ashford Truckstop on the M20, but there is security here and if they see you asking for lifts they will tell you to leave.
In Dover
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If you reached Dover without a ride over the Channel, your best option will simply be to try to hitch a trucker upstream (or possibly a car driver) upstream the arrival to the harbour. This can reveal a hardous experience as the road leading to the Port is narrowed, without shoulder and under a constant traffic. Added to this, it is prohibited to hitch on the Port property (everything beyond the Port of Dover Authority Sign), the police is quite cooperative and will simply kindly request that you don't continue on the property though you may talk to people at the Travel Centre without any problem. The following problem is that less and less car does stop at the Travel Centre as many booking are done electronically inside the Port Property where foot pedestrian can not access.
The best option is to talk to people who have parked their car at the travel center. Make sure you spend quite some time talking to them before you ask them for a ride as some drivers are a bit wary of illegal immigrants who wish to cross the Channel with them. There are quite a few cars parked there and it is quite easy to find a ride. I found a ride within 15 minutes.
The other potential hitching spots before the port property would be the following: - It is possible to simply stand directly at the rail of the last Roundabout leading into the port, it is before the port property and you stand at the height of a truck driver whom can see you clearly and can pull aside just in front of the Port Police building after the Roundabout. - It can also usually works out if you stand at one of the bus stops on the main seaside road with a sign that says France. If you're really stuck you can also try at the Western Docks, there is a truck park where drivers carrying certain types of goods or from outside the EU have to stop to complete some paperwork.
Near Calais, there is a huge lorry park with great possibilities for hitchhikers to continue their journey once the crossing is done!
Other directions
North towards Canterbury along the A2
From Dover there's the A2 that runs north to Canterbury and on to the M2, the A20 that follows the coast south to Folkestone, and the A256 that heads north towards Ramsgate, Broadstairs and Margate.
For leaving Dover, you probably have a better chance of a lift if you follow the Main road out of town. After about 20 minutes when you start to walk up a hill, there is a good place for vehicles to pull in.
