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The more than 104,000-square foot Southwest Pacific island of New Zealand is rich in natural beauty with enormous mountain chains, volcanoes, rain forests and spectacular coastlines. It is one of the least crowded countries in the world, according to the New Zealand Tourism Board. With little variation in climate New Zealand is a good... more »
Miami is a city full of exciting nightlife, hot beaches and tasty food. Activities abound for the solo traveler. Read on for some ideas on how to stay entertained even without a buddy. more »
An undeveloped, 600-acre canyon hidden behind the Beverly Hills Hotel, Franklin Canyon features a lake, historic ranch buildings and hillside hiking trails. It's the ideal, peaceful retreat right in the heart of the west side of Los Angeles, remarkably uncrowded, easily accessible and a great spot to see celebrities exercising or... more »
There are many dangers associated with hitchhiking and accepting rides with strangers or from people you barely know. Keep in mind that hitchhiking is illegal in many countries or sharply restricted in most states and punishable by fines or imprisonment. Hitchhiking puts the travelers at the mercy of others. Rather than putting... more »
Most people would think hitchhiking is easy: walk along the shoulder of a road with your thumb out and someone will eventually stop. Arguably, one way that might increase your chances of getting a ride is by holding up a hitchhiking sign. Making the right kind of sign might be the difference between walking and getting a ride. more »
Hitchhiking is a cheap way to travel long and short distances. It used to be a common way to get from one place to another during the sixties.... more »
If you've decided to hitchhike across America, you're in for quite a trip. To make the most of your journey, do your homework and research ahead... more »
There are some places in the world where hitchhiking is relatively safe, inexpensive and a good way to meet locals. Do your research ahead a time... more »
Hitchhiking (also known as thumbing, tramping, hitching, autostop or thumbing up a ride) is a means of transportation that is gained by asking people, usually strangers, for a ride in their automobile or other road vehicle to travel a distance that may either be short or long. The latter may require many rides from different people; a ride is usually but not always free. If one wishes to indicate that they need a ride, they must simply make a hand gesture. In North America, the gesture is to stick one of their thumbs upward. In other parts of the world, its more common to use a gesture where the index finger is pointed at the road. This cultural difference stems partly from an alternate offensive meaning for the thumbs up gesture in parts of Europe and Asia.
Legal status
Hitchhiking is a historically common practice worldwide, and hence there are very few places in the world where laws exist to restrict it. However, a minority of countries have laws that restrict hitchhiking at certain locations.Nwanna, p.573 In the United States, for example, some local governments have laws to outlaw hitchhiking, with safety being the primary concern. In 1946 New Jersey arrested and imprisoned a hitchhiker leading to intervention by ACLU. In Canada, several highways have restrictions on hitchhiking, particularly in British Columbia and the 400-series highways in Ontario. In all countries in Europe with the exception of Slovakia Hitchwiki.org , Retrieved 2009-11-17. it is legal to hitchhike, and in some places even encouraged, however it is illegal to hitchhike where pedestrians are banned, such as Motorways (United Kingdom) or the Autobahn (Germany)
Signaling method
The hitchhikers method of signaling to drivers differs around the world. In the U.S. and UK, one would point ones thumb up, while in some places in South America one displays to an oncoming car the back of ones hand with the index finger pointing up. In India, the hand is waved with the read more at » http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hitchhiking
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