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Aside from Spanish, obviously languages like Basque, Catalan, etc are spoken, and learning a handful of words even in local languages, may make the driver loosen up.
The Spanish phrase ''Vas a... ?'' (are you going to... ?) is an excellent starting point.
In Spain, hitching isn’t a very common concept and mostly done by foreigners. Though, the thumb will be understood. The best method definitely is, to ask peopel directly, even if your Spanish is very poor. But be careful, many petrol stations, especially in the South, are deserted, if you are unlucky, only one or two non-local cars stop at the station every hour.
== Hitchhiking, ''Autostop'' ==
[[File:Espana.jpg|thumb|left|[[Amylin]] hitching to Spain from [[Portugal]].]]
[[File:CommunidadValenciana.JPG|thumb|left|Hilde hitchhiking to [[Valencia]].]]
You will find a lot of foreigners in cars from countries where the hitchhiking culture is more developed. You usually have to wait for some time – but those who pick you up at least tend to be really nice. Unfortunately they also seem to be somewhat clueless about distances (to walk) and what is a good spot and what is not (since no one knows much about hitchhiking). Another complication is the paid highways and the unpaid highways. Hitching in groups of three (even girls) turns out to be nearly impossible (about 150 km a day).
Sometimes you will have to be patient possibly waiting for over an hour! Once, [[User:Latindane|Latindane]] had to wait 4 hours to get a 300 kilometers ride with lunch included towards [[Madrid]].
When hitching long distances it is a good idea to stick to large peaje sections or rest stops. Bring water and food, since these ''áreas de servicio'' are expensive. It should be noted that hitching at small peaje sections, on motorway exits, is not reccommended, as often there is one peaje for both directions, automatically ruling out many vehicles as possible rides.
In the Southern regions, the motorways are smaller and the petrol stations are usually further away from the road. It is best to be patient at these places. Be careful when people promise you to drop you at a "very busy" petrol station. Often the small petrol stations are deserted, it's possible that you won't see a single "non-local" car for an hour or two or three.
== Carpooling ==