Norway

Norway is a good country to hitch in, of course depending on location! Hitching in big cities is almost impossible, unless it's weekend. People have a tendancy to always be in a rush on weekdays. The main thing to be aware of is the rapidly shifting weather, so be prepared for anything, as they say in Norway: "there is nothing called bad weather, only bad clothing".

Places close to small towns are good hitching spots. But do take care of your appearance, as people are a bit judging in this country.

You should definitely write your destination (if you know it) on a big piece of paper, with a thick marker. Don't necessarily write your final destination, but the next town or city in your desired direction is a good start, once you're in the car you can find out if it's going any further.

Also, you can contact truck drivers and companies to hitch a ride if you're traveling far.

Most people speak English well enough for reasonable communication.

Don't try hitchhiking out of Oslo's airport.

ReZz is a dude, and he has found that Trondheim one of the worst places to hitch from. Still, he has done it, even in the winter, all the way to Oslo in the South and Hammerfest/North Cape in the extreme North. Sadly, I must say that one steadfast rule of hitchhiking has to be amended. Although I am a polyglot and love language, I must say that if you are not white, speak English to people. Norwegians are extremely wary of foreigners and any nonwhite who speaks English is assumed to be a refugee.

Still, a lot of white women tell me that truckers are very friendly and that the hitching is great if you go out to the shipping areas around Dyre Halsels Gate and north of Stradveien. This has not worked for me.

They love foreign tourists, though, as long as you keep telling them that you love Norway.

One thing that makes hitching easy in Norway is that almost all of the population lives near the E6 road, which extends from Italy to almost all the way north, so it's pretty hard to get lost, as long as you are headed the right way.

North is spelled "NORD" and south is "SOR," with a slash through the "O," which gives it a short sound, as opposed to the unslashed "O," which is pronounced "oo," as in "book."

To go north, a convenient place is Inherredsveien, around where it crosses Mellomveien. You can get there by crossing one of the bridges bridge east of the train station, Bakke Bur (bridge) or Nidelv Bru. Inherredsveien becomes the E6.

To go South, you can intercept the E6 at Heimdal, near the train station, by taking a train or city bus south.

It is illegal to hitch on the expressway in Norway, but not illegal from rest stops or on ramps. It is legal to camp out almost anywhere if it is a good distance from a private house, but not permanently.

Hithing is MUCH easier in the beautiful north (at least in the Summer), where many locals hitch regularly to commute.

Cities

• Oslo
• Trondheim
• Narvik