OP - this is a super cool post! Really enjoying your responses! I hope you don't mind if I chip in a bit for this one! :)
I'm a pretty small myself, and I did some hitching alone in New Zealand. I'm adventurous enough to do it, I guess, but also wary enough to not be super comfortable about it all the time. My number one recommendation about hitching by yourself as a girl is probably not to do it. Honestly, I wouldn't have if I weren't in New Zealand, where there's a huge backpacking culture and I'd met several other women who gave me the go-ahead. (That said, once you start asking around, you get both ends of the spectrum. I decided I was going to do it, and then the day before I left, my hostelkeep told me about two girls who'd done the same and been abducted not too far from where I was going. It's really about your personal comfort level.) I've found it's way, way better to travel with one other person, preferably a guy. Two people means that you have someone to be backup if you need it and means that cars will probably have enough space for the both of you.
If you're hitching, some recommendations:
Pack really lightly. You'll probably end up doing a lot of walking between where you're dropped off and the next logical point to get picked up. You don't want to be carrying a ton, and, besides, you probably don't need it. (But have a pocketknife and headlamp. More useful than you'd realize! And if you're going somewhere rainy, have garbage bags or rain gear; if you're out there in the rain unprepared, everything is going to get wet and you have to find time/space/money to get things dry.)
When trying to get a ride, choose a spot a decent distance in front of a logical pull-off. It takes a little bit between the person seeing you and being able to pull to the side of the road, and you want to make it as easy as possible to pick you up. Also, learn the rules of the region. Some places it's illegal to be on the side of a highway.
Instead of having the person ask you where you're going, ask where they're headed. Especially if you're a girl by yourself, the few seconds it takes to have the discussion can give you a super quick vibe of the person and the car. If something feels off, you can just say that, nah, not headed that way, or nah, looking to go a bit farther. (That said, a sign can be super useful, depending on the situation.)
Keep your pack at your feet, rather than in the truck or back seat. It's everything you have, and you don't want to be separated from it.
I didn't do this, but people (including someone who picked me up) told me that you should text a contact the license plate of the car that picks you up and your ostensible destination. At the very least, it tells your ride that you have someone looking out for you. There're some websites that you can text, too, I think.
Budget lots of time, and consider the hitch as a journey in and of itself. I did this because time wasn't an issue for me, and I was being super frugal. A lot of time is spent waiting for rides - especially if you decide to try going somewhere remote, which can be super hairy and I don't know if I'd recommend - and you can't expect to be there in x amount of time. Don't try to rush your ride either. They're not just a mode of transportation; they're part of the experience. I found that most people who pick you up are just paying it forward, and they usually have really interesting stories. (Or are just very stoic truckers.)
If it comes up, tell people you have a boyfriend or are going to meet up with your bf in the next city. With one exception of a nice police lady saving me from a bit of a bad spot, everyone who picked me up was a guy. And invariably, even if you're dressed like a tomboy who hasn't seen a laundry machine in weeks, they'll ask around your relationship status and, in most cases, obliquely snoop around whether you'd sleep with them. Assuming that's not what you want, shut it down early and politely. You don't want to be uncomfortable while trapped in a car with someone else at the wheel, and most people will get the hint.
Hitching is super fun once you get into it, but I think it takes a certain mindset to really enjoy it. You have to decide that the adventure will be worth the personal risk, and then embrace the lifestyle. Be smart about it (it's never going to be 100% guaranteed safe), but have fun! Talk to everyone and be kind; it'll all come around in unexpected ways.
humtetum22 karma
OP - this is a super cool post! Really enjoying your responses! I hope you don't mind if I chip in a bit for this one! :)
I'm a pretty small myself, and I did some hitching alone in New Zealand. I'm adventurous enough to do it, I guess, but also wary enough to not be super comfortable about it all the time. My number one recommendation about hitching by yourself as a girl is probably not to do it. Honestly, I wouldn't have if I weren't in New Zealand, where there's a huge backpacking culture and I'd met several other women who gave me the go-ahead. (That said, once you start asking around, you get both ends of the spectrum. I decided I was going to do it, and then the day before I left, my hostelkeep told me about two girls who'd done the same and been abducted not too far from where I was going. It's really about your personal comfort level.) I've found it's way, way better to travel with one other person, preferably a guy. Two people means that you have someone to be backup if you need it and means that cars will probably have enough space for the both of you.
If you're hitching, some recommendations:
Hitching is super fun once you get into it, but I think it takes a certain mindset to really enjoy it. You have to decide that the adventure will be worth the personal risk, and then embrace the lifestyle. Be smart about it (it's never going to be 100% guaranteed safe), but have fun! Talk to everyone and be kind; it'll all come around in unexpected ways.
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