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There are some essential things you should remember when you are going hitchhiking. [[Hitchwiki:About|Hitchwiki]] suggests you keep these in mind when starting your career as an enthusiastic thumber: [[File:Warsaw-poznan.JPG|thumb|250px|left|You'll be seeing a lot of this.]]
== Take the most used route ==
== [[Where to hitchhike|Be in a good, safe spot]] ==
[[File:Warsaw-poznan.JPG|thumb|right|250px|left|You'll be seeing a lot of this.]]
[[File:Amylin_hitching_northern_ca.jpg|thumb|250px|left|This could be a good spot. You're easily visible, the drivers slow down at the junction, and there is an obvious place for them to stop.]]
It is basically possible to hitchhike from every place, just keep a single rule of thumb in mind: The faster the cars the more space for the cars to stop is needed.
== Stay positive, smile and laugh ==
[[File:hitch_hiker_58392_in_spain.jpeg|thumb|right|250px|left|Taking pictures of your hitch-hiking buddy is an excellent way to keep up your mood.]]
Standing on dirty boring roads with loads traffic passing by and no one picking you up is as much a part of hitch-hiking as it is to eventually get picked up by a kind-hearted soul. If you're travelling alone, the road is your only companion that is reliably always by your side. If you can manage to have a friendly relationship with it, you'll have a much more enjoyable experience. Obviously, when travelling in a group, the same goes for your human friend(s).
It is easy to become bored or frustrated when waiting for a ride, but remember that a good attitude will help you get rides. Keep your spirits up by singing, humming, laughing and simply smiling. A grumpy hitchhiker may get rides out of sympathy, but a happy hitchhiker will get better rides and go further distances in less time. If you're in a group, try dancing or clapping your hands at the same time, it makes the drivers smile and lifts come much more often!
If you carry a marker with you, you can even cheer up future hitch-hikers who will use your spot by leaving them little messages on sign posts or crash barriers.
== Avoid tight deadlines ==
If you can, don’t wear your old clothes or clothes that might frighten a driver (such as a T-shirt with a skull). Conservative people only take well shaved guys with proper clothes. Liberal-minded people always take you, but even conservative (or old) people can be very helpful on your trip. (I don't think this is of overwhelming importance. I often hitch wearing red tartan pants, punk/metal t shirts and black leather boots and I get rides just as often as the next guy!)
Avoid wearing black. (Not really, it had positive impact (in comparison with a similar trip some time before) on one of my over-Europe hikes where I got on road wearing completely black clothes. Even women were picking me up regularly on that trip.) Even having a smart black shirt could keep you stuck in one place for a long time. Some have found that caps might have a negative impact. (Though Simon from [[Sweden]], with shaved head and beard found it much easier wearing a cap always, because people seem to be afraid of people with shaved heads.) Black or blue woolly hats are awful too. If the weather permits, wear light coloured shorts and a bright colourful t-shirt or a smart short sleeved shirt. Although you may have no choice on whether you have luggage, some hold that hitching without luggage is quicker as the driver knows you're not concealing anything. But some drivers think that carrying a backpack makes you more of a traveler and will only pick up people with backpacks (e.g. [[User:Guaka|Guaka]] and [[User:Amylin|amylin]] experienced this in [[New Zealand]]). Making your traveling backpack visible could prove to be an advantage as you will have more chances of not being perceived as a threat, as it is harder to run away with so much weight in case you steal or damage something. Stuart at [[http://lookingforstu]] .com swears by a Superman T-shirt. It's bright, colourful and is a universal symbol of hope and peace. The amount of times drivers have said that is the reason they picked him up is astounding!
== [[Signs]] ==
= Related links and references =
{{nomadwiki}}* [http[wikivoyage://wikitravel.org/en/Tips_for_hitchhiking |Tips for Hitchhiking on WikitravelWikivoyage]]
* [http://www.claudioadrianodobre.com/importance-smiling-communication/ The importance of smiling when engaging drivers]
* [http://www.christopherdrifter.com/books/Rules_of_Thumb/ Rules of Thumb] - A free guide to living on the road and hitch-hiking