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[[Hitchhikers]] often debate about whether to use a '''sign''' to signal possible rides your destination.
== Tips ==A '''sign''' is a tool used by a [[Hitchhiker]] to communicate information to [[drivers]]. Signs typically - but do not always - directly inform the driver of the hitchhiker's desired destination. Hitchhikers often debate about whether and how to use a sign. This article is meant to compile many of the best tips so you can develop your own technique.
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" == How to "A'dam", for example), this write ==Visibility is certainly a good idea. In some countriesimportant, because you could also use want the license plate shortcuts sign to put on a sign, ebe read from far away.g. Germany or Switzerland. This can be a disadvantage, though, because sometimes only local people will know them That way, especially if they don't really seem drivers have time to make sense on the first look (like "HH" for [[Hamburg]])decisions. Faster traffic requires bigger signs. Keep these things in mind:
For example, [[User:Nathan|Nathan]] and [[User:Rocky|Bob]], who hitched through France had great help writing '2 belges' on their sign==== Airports ====Airport abbreviations can also be used in some circumstances. [[User:Guaka|guaka]] was successful with "PHL" makes a great sign "from Holland" in both to get to [[New ZealandPhiladelphia]] and in several parts of , but if you're near the [[United States]]city, once by people will think you want a Dutch girl living lift to the airport. Some airport abbreviations are not widely understood, such as MSY in [[Santa CruzNew Orleans]], 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).
[[Myoto]] has an [http://www.myoto.be/tool/index.html online tool to make a printable sign]. [[File:HitchSignPrintHitchhikingSignIrun.JPGpng|thumb|200px|A worked reusable hitch [[User:EliasExplores|EliasExplores]] proudly showing his sign print clipped on a cardboard support, with a sign print roll and a cling filmto get to Irun.]]
If you already have a lot of baggage you probably don't want to carry around another square meter of waterproofed cardboard in your backpack. Use what you find and what you can put in the next garbage can! == Sign use by country/region ==
Some hitchhikers think it could be better not to use signs at big crowded petrol stations The two- or three- letter code on the first part of license plates represents the region where it's up to you to ask people, like in the [[United Kingdom]] vehicle is registered... and [[Germany]] on highway [[petrol station]]s (also widely understood by the average German and speaking fluent English/used frequently by German)hitchhikers on signs. It's not very likely that holding a sign will help if you can already clearly state where you want Not every German knows the abbreviation for every locality, but it would be fair to go (and even show it on a map) and say that you are hitchhikingthe typical German knows all the major German cities as well as the abbreviations in the local region.
Others always have a sign. To show For destinations with many foreign drivers it 's probably better to people while their still in write out the full name. For example, there are always plenty of Polish drivers on the car and then ask them when they way from the Netherlands or Belgium that pass by to pay for their petrol. If they don't through Berlin, but might not understand what's written on it they also ask. And I already have it with me when getting out of a car, so people sometimes ask me right away if they can take me"B" is... So it's definitely good to have it. It doesn't have any negative effects so why not use it?
== Cons of using signs ==Here are some examples:
To use or not to use signs is one of :HH for Hamburg (the main points of debate among hitchhikers. In this paragraph, you'll find some (allegedlyfirst H means Hansestadt) negative things about the usage of signs.:B for Berlin:M for Munich:H for Hannover
One reason not to take a sign is if you want to have additional leverage in declining offered ridesFor more cities and districts check [http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liste_der_Kfz-Kennzeichen_in_Deutschland the list at Wikipedia]. For more information, especially as a see [[Women hitchhiking|woman hitchhikingGermany#License_plates]] alone. If someone stops ==== Ireland ====Flying signs for Irish placenames (appears alongside their English placenames on road signs) may net you ask first "where are some success, though this may lead to drivers expecting you going?" Even if they are going exactly where you want to goconverse in Irish. ===== Derry/Londonderry =====If hitchhiking into '''Derry/Londonderry''', stick with your thumbs. The naming dispute may lead to some tension among you and drivers if you write what they view to be the wrong one. === North America ======= United States ====The [https://pe.usps.com/text/pub28/28apb.htm two-letter state abbreviations] are not comfortable with themwidely understood across the country. However: * Some Americans might confuse the the M-states that aren't nearby (MS,ME,MO,MT, tell them the ride is not going to workMN, but thanks anywayMI... it can be confusing. Ditch the sign)* ''Oklahoma'', abbreviated as ''OK'', they will stop without might be perceived as just saying "OK" if you aren't near it. A good compromise * ''Hawaii'' is to have abbreviated as ''HI'', but if you're hitching there you probably don't need a sign . See [[hitchhiking_on_boats]]. * "LA", [[Louisiana]] can be easily confused with the road name rather than your destination"L.A.", this allows you [[Los Angeles]] Many states are also less-frequently referred-to ask which direction the driver will be goingby a three-, four-, or five-letter abbreviation. They're widely understood too. * Mass.* Miss.* Colo.* Conn.* Wyo.* Cali. or Calif.* Mich.* Fla.* Wash.* Mont.* Wisc.* Ala.or 'Bama Some long city name abbreviations:
Another reason against using a sign might * [[New York City|New York]] can 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 "NYC"* [[Los Angeles]] can stop somewhere.be "L.A. ", but then he realises that hedon's already passed you and that he t get confused with LA, which is now 500m away from you]]Louisiana]]!* [[Philadelphia]] can be "Philly" or "PHL", but don't get confused with the airport. (See the section on [[Signs#Airports|Airport abbreviations]].)* [[Oklahoma City]] is "OKC".* [[Kansas City]] is "KC". 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* [[San Francisco]] is "SF". Whether he * [[New Orleans]] is going the right way "NO" or not"NOLA", you can determine when he stopsthough these aren't always understood outside the southeast.
Also, The state of [[Louisiana]] is "LA" and the driver might city of [[Los Angeles]] goes by "L.A.". You can probably see the faraway destination city on your sign, and although he doesn't want to go why there, he could take you to a place in between. Most drivers don't realise how helpful they could are situations where these two should be with these extra kilometers, so they drive onavoided.
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.== Other tips ==
[[File:Guaka my bithday2=== Don't leave your sign lying around ===Some people argue that leaving your sign lying around on the street gives hitchhiking a bad impression.jpg|thumb|200px|Sometimes Make sure to take your sign with you and only dispose it in a garbage can use special signs]](ideally one for paper and cardboard).
== Examples On the other hand side, some hitchhikers make sure to leave their signs behind for Germany ==following hitchhikers to use or at least to see that they're not alone in the world...
'''Signs for hitchhiking 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.== Gallery ==
:HH for Hamburg (the first H means Hansestadt):B for Berlin:HRO for Rostock:M for Munich/München:DD for Dresden:H for Hannover/Hanover''***Photos needed***''
For == References =======ref 1=====I, [[User:Dr.Keith|Dr.Keith]] developed the technique for using signs with local traffic (I'm probably not the only one) while tramping from [[Folkstone, UK|Folkstone]] to [[Brighton, UK|Brighton]] in August 2011. After having no luck with a "Brighton" sign, I started using smaller, more cities local place names, to great success. =====ref 2=====[[User:Nathan|Nathan]] and districts check [http[User://deRocky|Bob]], who hitched through France had great help writing '2 belges' on their sign.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liste_der_Kfz-Kennzeichen_in_Deutschland [[User:Guaka|guaka]] was successful with a sign "from Holland" in both [[New Zealand]] and in several parts of the list at Wikipedia[[United States of America|United States]], once by a Dutch 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).
→A town closer than your destination: Forgot a verb
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[[File:Sheffieldbedroomwall.jpg|thumb|300px|right|[[User:Tmoon|Tmoon]]'s collection of [[signs]]]]
=== What When to write =not use a sign or not ==To use or not to use signs is one of the main points of debate among hitchhikers. There are a lot of factors to consider in whether a sign is a good idea.
* Think well about what place or text Do you have time and materials to make a good one? * Are people going to be able to put on read it? * Is itgoing to be easier to just talk to drivers? Consider this: the driver must read the sign; 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 well known placesyour thumb, the driver only has to decide if he likes you and sometimes also road names if he can decide to stop sooner. === At petrol stations and rest stops ===Some hitchhikers rely on gas stations and rest areas and advise talking directly to people rather than using signs. This can be used or more humorous phrases effective at big crowded petrol stations, like at [[petrol station hitchhiking|petrol stations]] on motorways in the [[United Kingdom]] and [[Germany]]. This obviously won't work if you don't have some mastery of the language (perhaps with an intriguing accent). Some hitchhikers think that 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. Others use these stops ''with''signs, for example, by hold up a sign near the entrance instead of approaching people. This can be less intrusive and reduce the likelihood of being kicked off property. When using a sign at stops, the techniques from this articl on what to write generally also apply. For more info, see the articles on [[gas stations]] and [[rest stops]]. ==== Easier to decline rides ====One reason not to take a sign is if you want to have additional leverage in declining offered rides, especially as a [[Women hitchhiking|woman hitchhiking]] alone. If someone stops you ask first "where are you going?"I Even if they are going exactly where you want to go, if you are not comfortable with them, tell them the ride is not going to 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. === Packing space ===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. === With significant local traffic === Sometimes local traffic won't stop for someone travelling a long distance, because they don't stink"realize that every little bit helps. Many hitchhikers abandon signs in these situations. There are, however, various techniques for different types traffic (see [[Signs#What_to_write|What to write]] == What to write ==What you write on the sign should depend a lot on what kind of traffic you're seeing. Generally, "On va pas loin"a good idea is to use the shortest abbreviation for a place that is well known by the most traffic. You can often determine where vehicles are registered by reading [[license plates]] === Your destination ===The most obvious thing to write is the place you're going. This is most effective if you're already on a major route there with little local traffic (more drivers traveling long-distance). The place or abbreviation needs to be well-known to the drivers at your location. === A route to your destination ===From a branching road, writing the name and possibly direction of the major highway to your destination can be more effective. Sometimes getting to the motorway can be half the battle, but once there, you'll have access to the long-distance traffic you need. * Use For example, to get to [[San Francisco]] from [[L.A.|Los Angeles]], you first need to get to [[I-5]], which is on the far western side of the city. If you can't find [[public transportation]], hitching with a sign saying "I-5" will be most effective because it will signal to people going to the same font western side of L.A. as well as the route directionslong-distance drivers going to San Fran, [[Sacramento]], or [[San Diego]] === A town closer than your destination ===* Use contrasting colors: black This technique is useful for distance travel on brown cardboard highways with lots of local traffic[[#ref_1|<sup>[1]</sup>]]. If you see lots of local license plates for local traffic, with little traffic going all the way to your destination, this is not very a good readable for passing technique. Consider that the driversare also thinking, "Oh, black I'm not going to <destination>. I'm only going to <locality>. I'll let someone else pick him up." The trick here is to write the next locality on white is the sign. This encourages the local traffic to stop. Even people who are going a few towns further than the place on the sign will now also stop, because they know they can drop you off on the way. Once you mention you are actually going to your destination, drivers typically take you as far as they're going. Since locals are going to be more readablefamiliar with how well-known place names are, it's a good idea to ask your driver what's a good town to put on the next sign. Since you'll be making many signs rapidly with this technique, it's a good idea to carry lots of cardboard or a [[Signs#Reusable_signs|reusable sign]].* Write only the initial letters in capitals=== A city farther than your destination ===A similar but less common technique is to put a major, better known city, even though you aren't travelling that far. The human brain detects a word conditions required for this to be effective are rare, but not only by combining impossible: you must be going to a few letterslocal place, but also by recognizing going there on a major long-distance thoroughfare. If you become reasonably certain that the different ascenders traffic is mostly distance and descenders (may not be familiar with the heights of town you're going to, switching to a sign for a distant city can be the different words)right move. === Misc stuff ===[[File:Guaka my bithday2.jpg|thumb|200px|[[User:Guaka|Guaka]] holding a sign that says ''My birthday today!'']] You don't have to write a place on your sign to use a sign effectively. ==== Your nationality ====If you're hitching in a foreign country, it might be a good thing to express your nationality on your sign[[#ref_2|<sup>[2]</sup>]]. When writing only Drivers will think you're more interesting, or will feel sorry that someone who lives that far off has to stand by the road in capital letters his country. Also, compatriots will be more likely to pick you lose this advantageup. ==== Funny stuff ====You can always put something funny, like "I don't stink" on you're sign, if you're feeling silly. A sign saying "ANYWHERE!" might get people laughing, but might not get you picked up. That Sometimes, goofy things you write on your sign can discourage stopping, for example if you's why street signs respect the upper and lower casere perceived as a drifter or mentally ill.
==== Shortcuts Nice stuff ====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.
==== Use your nationality on a sign =Abbreviations ===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 youjust shorten a long name to a shorter, but still logically understandable one (like "Amsterdam" to "A're hitching in a foreign countrydam", for example), it might be this is certainly a good thing idea. In some countries, you could also use the license plate shortcuts to express your nationality put on your a sign, e.g. Drivers will think you're more interesting, Germany or will feel sorry that someone who lives that far off has to stand by the road in his countrySwitzerland. AlsoThis can also be a disadvantage - sometimes only regional+local people know them, compatriots will be more likely especially if they don't really seem to pick you up.make sense on the first look (like "HH" for [[Hamburg]])
=== How to fabricate your sign Design ===* Use contrasting colors: black on brown cardboard is not very good readable for passing drivers, black on white is far more readable* 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 letter in capital. 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.* 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.
== Sign-making == === Reusable sign =signs ===
Make a sign of a large sheet of brightly colored paper glued to a sheet of cardboard. Cover this with self adhesive transparent book wrap. Now you have a re-usable sign which you can use with a whiteboard marker and clean again with a small towel.
[[File:Img_l_1306483.jpg|thumb|180px|right|[[User:MayaCova|MayaCova]] 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.
Another possibility is to make a sign out of two small white boards that children use at school. Just join them with enough string so that you can fold those boards like you would close a book. The benefits compared to a single white board are that this sign takes a smaller place when folded (so it fits better in your bag), and that you can write your destination in advance without it rubs out in your bag.
====Reusable sign combined with map====
If you're hitch-hiking long routes (e.g. Europe), you can make a reusable sign on bad side (white) of the map. Cover the map with self adhesive tape, and you will have: a waterproof map and reusable sign. For easier cleaning use whiteboard markers.
==== Waterproof, dust-proof document bags ====
==== Pad of plain A4 paper ====
Buy a pad of plain A4 paper, and use it inside a waterproof, dust-proof transparent plastic folder that you can find in most stationary shops. When writing, insert something under the page to stop the pen ink (or India ink) running through to the page underneath (a document bag is good for this). With a pad of paper, you can quickly flip through pages to find the sign you need. Also, the pad can be a great souvenir of your journey. ==== 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.
==== Print your sign ====
If you have access to a computer with a printer, you can make a quality hitch sign easily then. Since most languages read horizontally, set the page orientation to be landscape but with a size twice long as a normal A4 sheet. For a place name no longer than 9 letters, you can set the font size from 200 to 500 points to fully utilise the page size in one line; longer place names can be wrapped into two lines. Using a tiled printing software, you can print the long page to two sheets. Cut off the short tiling margin of one sheet and glue two sheets together, find a cardboard of same size and use four paper clips to pin the paper onto it, a lightweight wind-resistant hitch sign is ready to use. You don't need a waterproof sign, if you don't hitch in the rain or underwater. The plastic bag idea in previous tips will reduce contrast and introduce reflectivity. In case of that it rains, just wrap your hitch sign with the cling film from kitchen and it will work fine.
[[File:Smileycardboard.jpg|thumb|200px|Even this can work great]]
[[File:Signs.JPG|thumb|200px|Some more examples]]
==== Use found scavenged materials ====If you already have a lot of baggage you probably don't want to carry around another square meter of waterproofed cardboard in your backpack. Use what you find and what you can put in the next garbage can!
== When not to use signs = Europe ======= Germany ====
[[Category:Equipment]]
[[de:Schild]]
[[fi:Kyltti]]
[[fr:SignesPanneau]]
[[pt:Placas]]
[[tr:Karton tabelalar]]
[[zh:Signs]]
[[nl:Bordjes]]
