Hitchhiking

Hitchhiker in Luxembourg (1977)

Hitchhiking is a way that people can travel from one place to another. Usually, a hitchhiker (a person who hitchhikes) will stand at the side of a road and hold his or her thumb in the air. This is a sign that he or she wants a car to stop and pick him/her up. The distance traveled by hitchhiking can be anywhere from walking distance to across a continent. Hitchhiking is against the law in some areas (for example around a prison in the United States).

It was a very common way of travelling in Europe in the 1970s and is still done by many people all over the world.

Other websites

• The Hitchhiker's Guide to Hitchhiking - a wiki project to collect information about hitchhiking
• Anhalterfreunde - Information all about hitchhiking (English and German language)
• Liftershalte.info - a worldmap with hitching places.
• hitchbase.com - Database with hitchhing places
• Abgefahren e.V. - the first German Autostop Society; ideas, tips, projects,..