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[[Hitchhikers]] often debate about whether to use a '''sign'''to signal possible rides your destination. If you decide  == Tips == === What to use one there are several important things:write === * Think well about what place or text to put on it: use well known places, and sometimes also road names can be used or more humorous phrases (''"I don't stink", "On va pas loin"'').* Use the same font as the route directions- (A sign saying:'ANYWHERE!' might get people laughing but that doesn't mean getting picked up)

* Use the same font as the route directions for clarity. Orderly signs suggest orderly people - but epic rides won't depend on that! * Write only the initial letters letter in capitalscapital. The human brain detects a word not only by combining a few letters, but also by recognizing the different ascenders and descenders (the heights of the different words). When writing only in capital letters you lose this advantage. That's why street signs respect the upper and lower case.* In general, signs are useful when going out of a city, from which many roads start or if, for example, you have a junction 15 km ahead and you do not want to walk, thus writing ''to the junction''.* Often a big sign just saying ''please'' works wonders. People fall for the politeness if you can't get them to stop with a destination sign.* Know your car number-plates, and you can get away with just writing a few letters - like HRO for Rostock, Germany. (see: Shortcuts)* If you're bad in handwriting (like [[User:EliasExplores|EliasExplores]]), ask people if they can write signs for you. Workers at petrol stations are often surprisingly good artists. ==== Shortcuts ====

Often, you might use shortcuts because they need way less space on your sign. The sense of this depends on what kinds of shortcuts you use. If you just shorten a long name to a shorter, but still logically understandable one (like "Amsterdam" to "A'dam", for example), this is certainly a good idea. In some countries, you could also use the license plate shortcuts to put on a sign, e.g. Germany or Switzerland. This can also be a disadvantage - sometimes only regional+local people know them, especially if they don't really seem to make sense on the first look (like "HH" for [[Hamburg]]) ==Tips==Use your nationality on a sign ===Reusable sign===Make If you're hitching in a sign of foreign country, it might be a large sheet of brightly colored paper glued good thing to a sheet of cardboardexpress your nationality on your sign. Cover this with self adhesive transparent book wrapDrivers will think you're more interesting, or will feel sorry that someone who lives that far off has to stand by the road in his country. Now Also, compatriots will be more likely to pick you have a re-usable up. For example, [[User:Nathan|Nathan]] and [[User:Rocky|Bob]], who hitched through France had great help writing '2 belges' on their sign which you can use . [[User:Guaka|guaka]] was successful with a whiteboard marker sign "from Holland" in both [[New Zealand]] and clean again with in several parts of the [[United States of America|United States]], once by a small towelDutch girl living in [[Santa Cruz]], most people were happy to pick him up just because they thought Holland was cool (oh and one guy was smoking weed in the car).

===Waterproof, dustproof document bagsHow to fabricate your sign ===Make use of waterproof, dust-proof document bags. There you can store many sheets of paper and signs you can reuse. Nothing falls out, you could hang them somewhere and you can use both sides of the folder to have two signs at once. Ortlieb is one company that produces good ones.

===Pad of A4 plain paper= Reusable sign ====Buy Make a sign of a pad large sheet of A4 plain brightly colored paper, and use it inside glued to a waterproof, dust-proof transparent plastic folder that you can find in most stationary shopssheet of cardboard. When writing, insert something under the page to stop the pen ink running through to the page underneath (a document bag is good for Cover this)with self adhesive transparent book wrap. With Now you have a pad of paper, you can quickly flip through pages to find the re-usable sign which you need. Also, the pad can be use with a whiteboard marker and clean again with a great souvenir of your journeysmall towel.

===Whiteboard===[[File:Img_l_1306483.jpg|thumb|180px|right|[[User:MayaCova|MayaCova]] using was using a white board with considerable success.]]If you have a chance to plan a long hitchhiking trip in advance, some find using an erasable white board as a sign to be very useful for making big, clear and reusable signs. This sign can be used a lot of times without being cleaned with alcohol, and is resistant to wind and water.

===Use your nationality on Another possibility is to make a sign===If out of two small white boards that children use at school. Just join them with enough string so that you're hitching in can fold those boards like you would close a book. The benefits compared to a single white board are that this sign takes a foreign country, smaller place when folded (so it might be a good thing to express your nationality on fits better in your sign. Drivers will think you're more intrestingbag), or will feel sorry and that someone who lives that far off has to stand by the road you can write your destination in advance without it rubs out in his country. For example, [[User:Nathan|Nathan]] and [[User:Rocky|Bob]], who hitched through France had great help writing '2 belges' on their signyour bag.

[[User:Guaka|guaka]] was successful ====Reusable sign combined with map====If you're hitch-hiking long routes (ex. Europe), you can make a reusable sign "from Holland" in both [[New Zealand]] and in several parts on bad side (white) of the [[United States]]map. Cover the map with self adhesive tape, and you will have: a waterproof map and reusable sign. For easier cleaning use whiteboard markers.

[[Myoto]] has an [http://www==== Waterproof, dust-proof document bags ====Make use of waterproof, dust-proof document bags.myotoThere you can store many sheets of paper and signs you can reuse.be/tool/indexNothing falls out, you could hang them somewhere and you can use both sides of the folder to have two signs at once.html online tool to make a printable sign]Ortlieb is one company that produces good ones.

== When not to use ==Some hitchhikers think it could be better not to use signs at big crowded petrol stations where it's up to you to ask people, like in the [[United Kingdom]] and [[Germany]] on highway motorway [[petrol stationhitchhiking|petrol stations]]s (and speaking fluent English/German). It's not very likely that holding a sign will help if you can already clearly state where you want to go (and even show it on a map) and that you are hitchhiking.

In conflict with the above, a sign only makes sense when you stand next To use or not to the road. At the petrol station you could better show the driver on a map where you want to go and so he can show you where he can take you. You even don’t need to speak his language for that. The big problem with use signs is that one of the driver must read it, then he must wonder if goes the same direction, than he wants to know if he likes your face and if he can stop somewheremain points of debate among hitchhikers...but than he realises that he passed you, he is now 500m away from you ...so he will decide to drive on![[File:Guaka my bithday2.jpg|thumb|200px|left|Sometimes you can use special signs]]If you just use your thumb the driver only has to decide if he likes you and if he can stop his car in In this place. If he is going the right wayparagraph, you can 'll find out when he stops. Another bad idea is the use of shortcuts, because only locals know them some (like HH for Hamburgallegedly). Also, negative things about the driver can see your faraway destination city and although he doesn't want to go there, he could take you for the next 200km. Most drivers don't realise how helpful they could be with these 200km, so they drive on.If you already have a lot of baggage you probably don't want to carry around another square meter usage of waterproofed cardboard in your backpack.Use what you find and what you can put in the next garbage can! Another option is to just use normal A4 paper and a plastic map.Some only use sometimes funny signs or at some crossroads they could be helpful and or when they're not the only hitchhiker who is standing next to the motorway. ...but it's like religion, everybody has his own idea of it! <br clear="all" />

It One reason not to take a sign is possible that destination signs could increase danger if you want to have additional leverage in declining offered rides, especially as a driver can pretend to be [[Women hitchhiking|woman hitchhiking]] alone. If someone stops you ask first "where are you going?" Even if they are going exactly where you want to your destination. This is not a problem go, if you are just thumbing for a lift as you can ask where not comfortable with them, tell them the driver ride is not goingto work, but thanks anyway. Ditch the sign, they will stop without it. A good compromise is to have a sign with the road name rather than your destination, this allows you to ask which direction the driver will be going. Another reason against using a sign might be this: The driver must read it, then he's got to work out if goes in the same direction and finally he's got to decide if he likes your face and if he can stop somewhere... but then he realises that he's already passed you and that he is now 500m away from you... so he will decide to drive on! If you just use your thumb, the driver only has to decide if he likes you and if he can stop his car in this place. Whether he is going the right way or not, you can determine when he stops.  Also, the driver might see the faraway destination city on your sign, and although he doesn't want to go there, he could take you to a place in between. Most drivers don't realise how helpful they could be with these extra kilometers, so they drive on. If you are an adept of the ultra light packing philosophy, you might not want to drag along a few extra square feet of cardboard. But then again, you're likely to find discarded cardboard anywhere you go. [[File:Guaka my bithday2.jpg|thumb|200px|Sometimes you can use special signs]]

'''Signs for hitchhiking trough through Germany:''' Write the following letter(s) on a card board sign when hitchhiking in Germany, because thus people can easily understand where you want to go to. It's always the number plate sign of the city you want to reach. For destinations with many foreign drivers it's probably better to write out the full name, e.g. there are always plenty of Polish drivers on the way from the Netherlands or Belgium towards Berlin, they might just not understand if you only put a big B.

[[fr:SignesPanneau]]