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[[Image:tokyohitch.jpg|thumb|300px|right|[[User:Garthelgard|Garthelgard]]<small>^{, [[user talk:Garthelgard|wikitalk]]}</small> [[Lille]] [[Tokyo]] :direct ride, May 2008]] [[Image:momointokyo.jpg|thumb|300px|[[User:Garthelgard|Garthelgard]]<small>^{, [[user talk:Garthelgard|wikitalk]]}</small> The Tokyo Project and Momo, May 2008]] [[Image:ludopascalandme.jpg|thumb|300px|[[User:Garthelgard|Garthelgard]]<small>^{, [[user talk:Garthelgard|wikitalk]]}</small> Pascal,Ludovic and me May 2008]] Garthelgard was born in [[Toulon]], [[France]] but lived in the [[United States]], [[Australia]] and [[Russia]]. ==Hitchhiking philsophyphilosophy== ===On-ramps=== Garthelgard believes in eye contact and either sticking out your thumb, holding a sign with your destination or a joke sign ===Gas stations=== Gas stations is Garthelgard's favorite hitchhiking spot because he gets to talk to a lot of different people.He believes in an active attitude consisting in striking up a conversation with drivers.In Europe, Garthelgard beleives in the use of a funny ice-breaker: he flashes his Tokyo sign at drivers and asks them "Excuse me, are you going to Tokyo today".The ice breaker is essential in order to break the whole "I don't-know-you-why-should-I-take-you-for-all-i-know-you-could-be-a-criminal" pattern.For Garthelgard, the second step consists in explaining his project ( who he is, where he is from, where he left, who took him before, why is he going to his destination, what he does for a living, why does he hitchhike) in order to reassure people and break the common stereotype of the hitchhiker ==Why hitchhiking?== "It is when you are in a survival mode that you can see the best or the worst in people". Pascal Dumont. Hitchhiking is more of a lifestyle that an actual means of transportation for me.I got hooked on hitchhiking pretty quickly because it is a way for me to:*understand the effects of society on people*understand the impact of the media on people*understand the true nature of human beings*see the best coming out of people*share with others (I get a ride and I sometimes buy coffee) and contribute to a communautarian ideal*to maintain a positive thinking*to get a rush of adrenaline and real adventure I consider my drivers as family members and actual teachers and learn something from every ride. I see hitchhiking as an actual school of living.

[[Europe]]: [[Austria]], [[Belgium]], Danemark[[Bulgaria]], [[Denmark]], [[Estonia]], [[France]], [[Germany]], [[Hungary]], [[Italy]], [[Kosovo]], [[Latvia]], [[Lithuania]], [[Macedonia]], [[Netherlands]], [[Poland]], [[Serbia]], [[Spain]], [[Sweden]].

[[Asia]]: [[Mongolia]], [[Russia]], [[Thailand]], [[Turkey]].