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To make the sign, it's better to use cardboard or similar with a thick black marker. Write neatly in big, block letters the name of a city or the name of a road, or both. You're in charge.
If space dosen´t permit a long city name shorten it to something everyone will understand. For example [[Amsterdam ]] could be A'DAM and [[Hamburg ]] could be HAMBHH.
While living in a small village near a larger town my housemates and I found that using a sign decreased waiting times from 20-40 minutes average to about 10-20 minutes even though there were no other villages on the way. When I put this to my drivers some of them said that the sign made me look like a proper hitch-hiker.
Say no, if you don't feel safe!Trust your instinct, when it says no. This doesn't happen often, though. Minimizing risk is not being a coward, it's being smart. If you don't feel comfortable with someone, just don't ask him/her, there will be enough other cars. Most people who pick up hitchhikers are friendly and don't mind a no.
Tip:
If you want more security, send a an SMS of the number plate of the car to a friend.
== In the car ==
It is also a good idea to check out [http://couchsurfing.com CouchSurfing.com] (more active) and [http://www.hospitalityclub.org Hospitality Club] (good for finding phone numbers in smaller places) for free accommodation. If there's a YMCA center in town, see if they have a room for the night. There are many hitchhikers and it is easy to find a couple of places to stay while on the road or even at your destination. A fresh shave and shower will also greatly increase the chances of getting picked up.
If you can't find anywhere to sleep there are still other ways out of the situation. If you are lucky enough to be at a 24 hour gas station just keep drinking coffee and keep hitching through the night. At night dont don't bother trying to get lifts with a sign, just ask people at the gas station when they go to pay. Keep in mind that it gets really quite between 2-5am :00 and 5:00 even at a busy autobahn rasthoffservice area. The other alternative is to find a truck (or a car) going a really really long way and crash out on the way. Make sure you trust the driver or do it with 2 hitchers taking turns to sleep. The downside to this is that you might wake up a long way from where you wanted to be but at least you didnt have to sleep in the gutter.
== Use buses and trains ==