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[[Image:tmoon.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Trying (and failing) to hitchhike out of [[Maastricht]], [[Netherlands]].]]
[[Image:Israel_338.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Quiet road through the Maktesh Ramon crater at [[Mitzpe Ramon]], [[Israel]].]]
[[Image:Dhoonglen.jpg|thumb|right|300px|My favourite type of hitchhiking - narrow countryside roads. The [[Isle of Man]] is perfect for this.]]
==The stats==
I first hitchhiked in 2004 but started doing it often in 2006.Here are my recent trips: ''Adventure #68:'' ''My definition of 'hitchhikeEscape from Svalbard''', 4km, March 2018 ''Adventure #69:'' a journey made*for ''free'Back to the McCrorys''',2km, April 2018*arranged ''Adventure #70:'' '''at Escaping the moment the journey startssaddle''', 201km, June 2018*with the ''Adventure #71:'' '''Faroe Islands'explicit consent'' of the vehicle driver,450km, June 2019*who is otherwise a ''Adventure #72:'' '''complete strangerSka vi snacka Järva Discgolfpark'' to you', 6km, July 2019 (i.e. no car-pooling schemes or similar''Adventure #73'' '''Too wet for Agneash''', public transport drivers must agree to let you travel without paying15km, and lifts from friends-September 2019 <span style="color:red">'''Please check [[User:Tmoon/log|my log]] for an overview of friends, work colleagues etc donall my adventures.'''t count)</span>
''Adventure #1Distance travelled:'' '''The Gent Escape28666km''': 9855km alone, 13937km with one other hitchhiker, 4025km in a group of three, 831km in a group of four, 2km in a group of five, never in a group of six, and 16km in a group of seven; hitched road vehicles for 28075km (including 9km by bus, 39km by coach, 90km by taxi, <1km by golf cart, and one Eurotunnel journey), trains for 590km, trams for 1km, August 2004and not hitched by sea or air... yet
''Adventure #2Longest lift:'' '''Home to Home to Home589km''', June 2006from [[Povegliano Est]] ([[A22 (Italy)|A22]] services near [[Verona]], Italy), to [[Feucht]] ([[A9 (Germany)|A9]] services near [[Nürnberg]], Germany), in September 2009. The driver was going from [[Bologna]] to [[Szczecin]], and took four hitchhikers in a five-seater car at the same time
''Adventure #3Furthest distance in 24 hours:'' '''"Jedzie Pan do Wrocławie?" "Tak! :)"1042km''', June from [[Rome]], Italy, to [[Lausanne]], Switzerland, in August 2006
''Adventure #4Furthest distance in 12 hours:'' '''AWOL in Europe1033km''', July-from [[Bisenzio Est]] ([[A1 (Italy)|A1]] services near [[Firenze]], Italy), to [[Frankfurt am Main]], Germany, in September 20062009
''Adventure #5Countries hitchhiked (earliest first):'' '''Bummit to Belgrade'''[[Belgium]], [[Germany]], [[Netherlands]], [[Poland]], [[Lithuania]], [[Latvia]], [[Estonia]], [[Sweden]], [[Denmark]], [[Switzerland]], [[Italy]], [[Austria]], [[United Kingdom]], [[France]], [[Czech Republic]], [[Slovakia]], [[Ireland]], [[Isle of Man]], [[Israel]], [[Monaco]], [[Slovenia]], [[Iceland]], [[Spain]], [[Andorra]], [[Portugal]], [[Norway]] ([[Svalbard]]), March-April 2007[[Faroe Islands]]
''Distance travelledMost useful lift:'' '''8860km''' of which 4977km hitchhiking aloneGabor the Hungarian, 2068km with one other hitchhikerwho picked us up at [[Pforzheim Nord]] ([[A8 (Germany)|A8]] services near [[Pforzheim]], Germany) and 1815km hitchhiking didn't care where he was going - he wanted to be a personal taxi service. So we got him to take us to a mate's house in a group [[Kelkheim]], 177km away. Although neither of three; done 8280km by roadus trusted him, 580km by railand he tried to abduct my travelling partner, and not hitchhiked by sea or air... yetit was one hell of a useful lift
''Longest Least useful lift:'' I think it's '''352km''', through Germany from [[Inntal Ost]] ([[A93]] services) the Slovakian white van man who took us to the wrong side of [[Pforzheim NordBratislava]] ([[A8]] services), September 2006 - on the wrong motorway and by facing in the wrong direction, making us fail the goodest good golly gosh were we grateful for itBummit to Belgrade challenge
''Longest journey in 24 hoursMost fun lift:'' '''1042km'''two Israeli soldiers found me north of [[Tiberias]], and took me with them for a great day out throwing snowballs, avoiding minefields and exploring abandoned military outposts in the [[RomeGolan Heights]], Italy, before tasty ostrich steak and a cross-country drive just to drop me back in [[LausanneHaifa]]. Also, Switzerland, August 2006drinking syrupy hot chocolate with a French white van man and his two young children as we travelled through the Italian Alps was fun. And I won't forget the three Danish students on the start of their roadtrip
''Countries hitchhiked (earliest first)Best hitchhiking spot used:'' [[BelgiumBrunautal West]], ([[A7 (Germany)|A7]], services near [[NetherlandsHamburg]], [[Poland]], [[Lithuania]], [[Latvia]], [[Estonia]]Germany), [[Sweden]]where those three Danish students dropped me off in front of around 200 hard rock fans going home from the Wacken festival. I could pick and choose from so many offered rides, [[Denmark]], [[Switzerland]], [[Italy]], [[Austria]], [[United Kingdom]], [[France]], [[Czech Republic]], [[Slovakia]]going all over Europe... the only way the situation could have been better would be if I was among a crowd of hippies
''Most useful liftWorst hitchhiking spot used:'' Gabor the Hungarian, who picked us up at Pforzheim Nord and didn't care where he was going - he wanted to be a personal taxi service. So we got him to take us to a mate's house McDonalds restaurant in [[KelkheimMeerane]] (near [[Zwickau]], 177km Germany), a couple of kilometres awayfrom an empty motorway junction. Although neither of us trusted himAll hope seemed lost. Whilst I was thankful to the previous driver for going 50km off his route, and he tried did it so as to abduct my travelling partner, it was one hell of a useful liftdrop me off in the most useless place he could find
''Least useful Most unexpected lift:'' the Slovakian white van man who took us from [[Keele]] to [[Knutsford]] [[M6 (GB)|M6]] services in the wrong side UK, from a coach full of old-age tourists from [[BratislavaWarrington]], on who were travelling back from a package holiday in the wrong motorway southwest. We won over their sympathy and facing in the wrong direction, making us fail played them some old classic tunes on the Bummit to Belgrade competitionukulele
''Best hitchhiking spot usedscenery:'' waking up at a service station in the mountains east of [[Aosta]], then travelling through the town, and north on the [[E27]] across the Swiss border towards [[Brunautal WestLausanne]] (- this was unforgettable and was well worth the overnight hitchhike from [[A7Rome]] services) in . In Germany, where three cool Danish guys dropped me off in front of around 200 hard rock fans going home from I had the opportunity to hitchhike to [[Traben-Trarbach]] through the Wacken festivalhills and vineyards. I could pick 've hitchhiked through some beautiful Israeli scenery, especially Route 40 south of [[Be'er Sheva]], and the mountain roads around [[Galilee]] and choose..the [[Golan Heights]]. Most of the only way Isle of Man (especially the situation could have been better would be if A18 'mountain road') is breathtaking. [[Svalbard]] was also beautiful to hitch, but I was among a crowd of hippiesdid so in the dark
''Worst hitchhiking spot usedScariest lift:'' an empty motorway junction outside any of the old-age drivers with terrible eyesight who pick you up on the [[MeeraneIsle of Man]] (, and drive way too fast. The Isle of Man has no national speed limit. Also, in June 2009 we suffered a rear wheel suspension failure while doing a high speed on a German autobahn near [[ZwickauKoblenz]]). No big accident but we considered ourselves very, Germany. All hope seemed lostvery lucky. Whilst I was thankful to the previous driver for going 50km off his routeAlso, he did it so as to drop me off hitchhiked through a polar bear danger zone in the most useless place he could findSvalbard.
''Shortest time waiting:'' a couple of seconds, no time at [[Antwerp]], Belgiumall. A driver pulled up just as weOn many lucky occasions it'd picked our spot, and took us towards the Netherlandss taken under five seconds to thumb a lift. My travelling partners both fancied the pants off himIt's a big relief
''Longest time waiting:'' a spot in central [[Cologne]], going east. I'd used the spot the year before and it took 2 hours for a lift to arrive. This time we weren't so lucky; after waiting for eight hours, we cut our losses and hitchhiked a train
''Most ride offers turned down:'' I turned down many, many ride offers in the direction of Munich while on the German-Austrian border at [[Inntal Ost]] ([[A93 (Germany)|A93]] services) during a seven-hour wait. I was trying to get to Vienna - there was a fair bit of traffic going in my direction, but no-one was interested in helping
''Biggest moment of genius:'' none. In this era, your average hitchhiker has a few screws loose
''Biggest moment of stupidity:'' spilling freshly squeezed orange juice onto my rucksack and sleeping bag whilst trying to thumb down a VW camper van outside [[Jönköping]], Sweden on a hot, sticky afternoon. The van didn't stop and I had to grudgingly trudge back to Jönköping centre, wash out my equipment and catch a bus
==More info==
*[http://www.bewelcome.org/members/tmoon BeWelcome]
*[http://www.couchsurfing.com/people/tmoon CouchSurfing]
[[Category:Hitchhikers]]
[[Category:Hitchhikers in England]]
{{CanHostIn|Manchester|United Kingdom}}