Walker Evans Hitchhidkers Vicksburg (vicinity) March 1936

Hitchhiking (also known as thumbing, autostop or hitching) is a means of transportation that is gained by asking individuals, usually strangers, for a ride in their

car A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarded as ...

or other vehicle. The ride is usually, but not always, free. Nomads have also used hitchhiking as a primary mode of travel for the better part of the last century, and continue to do so today.

Signaling methods

Hitchhikers use a variety of signals to indicate they need a ride. Indicators can be physical gestures or displays including written signs. The physical gestures, e.g., hand signals, hitchhikers use differ around the world: *In some African countries, the hitchhiker's hand is held with the palm facing upwards. *In most of Europe , North America and Australia, most hitchhikers stand with their back facing the direction of travel. The hitchhiker typically extends their arm towards the road with the thumb of the closed hand pointing upward or in the direction of vehicle travel. In 1971, during the Vietnam War, drivers invented methods to communicate various messages to hitchhikers (frequently soldiers in those areas of the U.S. near military bases). To indicate to a hitchhiking soldier that their vehicles have no additional space to accommodate them, drivers could tap on the vehicle roof. Another common message that drivers could signal to hitchhikers—who usually sought to travel long distances, distances too far to walk in a reasonable amount of time—was that the driver's destinations were located nearby—and of little use to the hitchhiker—by pointing at the ground for a few seconds.

Legal status

Hitchhiking is a historically common ( autonomous) 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. In the United States, for example, some local governments have laws outlawing hitchhiking, on the basis of drivers' and hitchhikers' safety. In 1946, New Jersey arrested and imprisoned a hitchhiker, leading to intervention by the American Civil Liberties Union. In Canada, several highways have restrictions on hitchhiking, particularly in British Columbia and the

400-series highways The 400-series highways are a network of controlled-access highways throughout the southern portion of the Canadian province of Ontario, forming a special subset of the provincial highway system. They are analogous to the Interstate Highway ...

in Ontario. In all countries in Europe, it is legal to hitchhike and in some places even encouraged. However, worldwide, even where hitchhiking is permitted, laws forbid hitchhiking where pedestrians are banned, such as the Autobahn ( Germany),

Autostrade The Autostrade (; singular ) are roads forming the Italian national system of motorways. The total length of the system is about . In North and Central Italy, the Autostrade mainly consists of tollways managed by Autostrade per l'Italia, a ho ...

( Italy), motorways (United Kingdom and continental Europe, with the exception of, at least, Lithuania) or

interstate highways The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. Th ...

(United States), although hitchhikers often obtain rides at entrances and truck stops where it is legal at least throughout Europe with the exception of Italy.

Decline

In 2011, '' Freakonomics Radio'' reviewed sparse data about hitchhiking, and identified a decline in hitchhiking in the US since the 1970s, which it attributed to a number of factors, including lower air travel costs due to deregulation, the presence of more money in the economy to pay for travel, more numerous and more reliable cars, and a lack of trust of strangers. Fear of hitchhiking is thought to have been spurred by movies such as '' The Texas Chain Saw Massacre'' (1974) and a few real stories of imperiled passengers, notably the kidnapping of Colleen Stan in California. See , below. Julian Portis points out that the rise of faster highways, such as freeways, motorways, and expressways, has made hitchhiking more difficult. He adds: Some British researchers discuss reasons for hitchhiking's decline in the UK, and possible means of reviving it in safer and more-organized forms. In recent years, hitchhikers have started efforts to strengthen their community. Examples include the annual Hitchgathering, an event organized by hitchhikers, for hitchhikers, and websites such as hitchwiki and hitchbase, which are platforms for hitchhikers to share tips and provide a way of looking up good hitchhiking spots around the world. While hitchhiking is on the decline, it is still in regular use around the globe.

Public policy support

Since the mid-2010s, local authorities in rural areas in Germany have started to support hitch-hiking, and this has spread to Austria and the German-speaking region of Belgium. The objectives are both social and environmental: as ridesharing improves mobility for local residents (particularly young and old people without their own cars) in places where public transport is inadequate, thus improving networking among local communities in an environmentally friendly way. This support typically takes the form of providing hitch-hiking benches (in German '' Mitfahrbänke'') where people hoping for a ride can wait for cars. These benches are usually brightly coloured and located at the exit from a village, sometimes at an existing bus stop lay-by where vehicles can pull in safely. Some are even provided with large fold-out or slide-out signs with place names allowing hitchers to clearly signal where they want to go. Some ''Mitfahrbänke'' have been installed with the help of the EU's LEADER programme for rural local development In Austria, ''Mitfahrbänke'' are especially common in Lower Austria and Tyrol, and are promoted by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Regions and Tourism under its ''klimaaktiv'' climate protection initiative. In 2018 the Tyrolean ''MobilitäterInnen'' network published a ''Manual for the Successful Introduction of Hitch-hiking Benches''.

Safety

Limited data is available regarding the safety of hitchhiking. Compiling good safety data requires counting hitchhikers, counting rides, and counting problems: a difficult task. Two studies on the topic include a 1974 California Highway Patrol study and a 1989 German federal police (Bundeskriminalamt Wiesbaden) study . The California study found that hitchhikers were not disproportionately likely to be victims of crime. The German study concluded that the actual risk is much lower than the publicly perceived risk; the authors did not advise against hitchhiking in general. They found that in some cases there were verbal disputes or inappropriate comments, but physical attacks were very rare. Recommended safety practices include: * Asking for rides at gas stations instead of signaling at the roadside * Refusing rides from alcohol impaired drivers * Hitchhiking during daylight hours * Trusting one's instincts * Traveling with another hitchhiker; this measure decreases the likelihood of harm by a factor of six

Around the world

Cuba

In Cuba, picking up hitchhikers is mandatory for government vehicles, if passenger space is available. Hitchhiking is encouraged, as Cuba has few cars, and hitchhikers use designated spots. Drivers pick up waiting riders on a first come, first served basis.

Israel

In Israel, hitchhiking is commonplace at designated locations called ( in Hebrew, derived from the German ). Travelers soliciting rides, called , wait at , typically junctions of highways or main roads outside of a city.

Lithuania

Hitchhiking in

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

is no longer as common as it used to be, but there are still people soliciting rides, more so in the summer. It is legal to hitchhike in Lithuania, and the country is unique in Europe in that it is actually legal to hitchhike on the emergency lane of motorways.

Nepal

In Nepal, hitchhiking is very common in rural areas. Many do not own cars so hitchhiking is a common practice especially in and around villages.

Netherlands

In the Netherlands, hitchhiking is legal and un-official signs indicate where one may wait for a ride. These designated hitchhiking locations are called ''liftershalte'' or ''liftplaats'' in Dutch, and they are particularly common in university towns.

Poland

Hitchhiking in Poland has a long history and is still popular. It was legalised and formalised in 1957 so hitchhikers could buy booklets including coupons from travel agencies. These coupons were given to drivers who took hitchhikers. By the end of each season drivers who collected the highest number of coupons could exchange them for prizes, and others took part in a lottery. This so-called "Akcja Autostop" was popular till the end of the 1970s, but the sale of the booklet was discontinued in 1995.

Ireland

Hitchhiking in Ireland is legal, unless it takes place on motorways. A backpacker will most likely still get a lift if the car has enough space to park. Local police ( Gardaí) usually let backpackers get away with a verbal warning.

United States

Hitchhiking became a common method of traveling during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

and during the

Counterculture of the 1960s The counterculture of the 1960s was an anti-establishment cultural phenomenon that developed throughout much of the Western world in the 1960s and has been ongoing to the present day. The aggregate movement gained momentum as the civil rights mo ...

Warnings of the potential dangers of picking up hitchhikers were publicized to drivers, who were advised that some hitchhikers would rob drivers and, in some cases, sexually assault or murder them. Other warnings were publicized to the hitchhikers themselves, alerting them to the same types of crimes being carried out by drivers. Still, hitchhiking was part of the American psyche and many people continued to stick out their thumbs, even in states where the practice had been outlawed. Today, hitchhiking is legal in 44 of the 50 states, provided that the hitchhiker is not standing in the roadway or otherwise hindering the normal flow of traffic. Even in states where hitchhiking is illegal, hitchhikers are rarely ticketed. For example, the

Wyoming Highway Patrol The Wyoming Highway Patrol is the highway patrol and de facto state police agency for the U.S. state of Wyoming, and has jurisdiction across the entire state. The goals of the Wyoming Highway Patrol are to make Wyoming's highways safer by reducin ...

approached 524 hitchhikers in 2010, but only eight of them were cited (hitchhiking was subsequently legalized in Wyoming in 2013). Hitchhiking is still in regular practice, but hitchhikers must accept the risks. In several urban areas, a variation of hitchhiking called slugging occurs, motivated by HOV lanes.

Notable hitchhikers

Notable individual hitchhikers include: * Douglas Adams; author whose fictional space-travel book,

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' (sometimes referred to as ''HG2G'', ''HHGTTG'', ''H2G2'', or ''tHGttG'') is a comedy science fiction franchise created by Douglas Adams. Originally a 1978 radio comedy broadcast on BBC Radio 4, it w ...

, was inspired whilst hitching in

Innsbruck Innsbruck (; bar, Innschbruck, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian ) is the capital of Tyrol (state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the ...

, Austria. * Joe Bennett – New Zealand newspaper columnist and author; hitchhiked around the world for 10 years. *

André Brugiroux André Antoine Brugiroux (born 11 November 1937) is a French traveller and author who, between 1955 and 2005, visited every country and territory in the world, the last being Mustang (kingdom), Mustang. He was named "greatest living traveller on e ...

– from France; hitchhiked all around the world for 18 years, from 1955 to 1973. * Simon Calder – author, broadcaster, journalist and travel correspondent. Has a regular column with ''The Independent'' which often features pieces about hitchhiking. Has published some 'classic' guidebook material on thumbing rides in the UK and Europe such as ''Hitch-Hiker's Manual: Europe'' (1984, London: Vacation Publishers). * David Choe – painter, muralist, graffiti artist and graphic novelist, spent two years hitchhiking. * Martin Clark and Graham Beynon – last hitchhikers recorded in the ''Guinness Book of Records'' for the

Land's End to John O'Groats Land's End to John o' Groats is the traversal of the whole length of the island of Great Britain between two extremities, in the southwest and northeast. The traditional distance by road is and takes most cyclists 10 to 14 days; the record ...

trip (17 hours 8 minutes). *

W. H. Davies William Henry Davies (3 July 1871 – 26 September 1940) was a Welsh poet and writer, who spent much of his life as a tramp or hobo in the United Kingdom and the United States, yet became one of the most popular poets of his time. His themes inc ...

– Welsh poet and tramp, who hitchhiked America during the early 20th century. * Sascha Grabow – from Germany; hitchhiked in all but three of the world's 193 countries. * John Howard Griffin – author, journalist, researcher. Hitched in the Southern States of the US to gauge the levels of racism and discrimination he would face. This resulted in the book (also made into a film) ''Black Like Me'' (1961). * Tony Hawks—British journalist, comedian and author. * hitchBOT – Canadian hitchhiking robot. *

Ludovic Hubler Ludovic Hubler is a French traveller, most famous for his 5-year tour of the world completed entirely by hitchhiking (car, boat, etc.). He wrote the travel book Le Monde en stop, rewarded by the 2010 Pierre Loti award. Biography Childhood B ...

– French hitchhiker who toured the world entirely by hitchhiking from 1 January 2003 to 1 January 2008, and wrote ''Le Monde en stop'' about his experiences.
Miran Ipavec
– author, former Mayor of Kanal (Slovenia) and curator of what is probably the world's onl
Hitchhiker's Museum
(a travelling exhibition that has had installations in several Slovenian cities, as well as once in Italy). He has published two books about his travels and hitching 'records' which have been translated into several languages: (2013) ''Tales of Hitchhiking on European Roads. My First Light Second'', Kanal: SP. (2020) ''Hitchhiking Marathon: 42 Countries in 500 Hours''. Kanal: SP. * Ilmar Island (Saar) – the last and only hitchhiker recorded in the ''

Guinness Book of Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

'' for hitching between Key West, Florida and Fairbanks, Alaska (5 days, 20 hours and 52 minutes); the category only appeared once. *

Jack Kerouac Jean-Louis Lebris de Kérouac (; March 12, 1922 – October 21, 1969), known as Jack Kerouac, was an American novelist and poet who, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, was a pioneer of the Beat Generation. Of French-Canadian a ...

–

Beat Generation The Beat Generation was a literary subculture movement started by a group of authors whose work explored and influenced American culture and politics in the post-war era. The bulk of their work was published and popularized by Silent Generatio ...

author who hitchhiked in America and wrote many books about his experience. * Mark Knopfler hitched much to get around Britain, as well as in Europe such UK to Greece when he was about 17. His song ''Matchstick Man'' recounts a Christmas Day hitch from

Penzance Penzance ( ; kw, Pennsans) is a town, civil parish and port in the Penwith district of Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is about west-southwest of Plymouth and west-southwest of London. Situated ...

, after a gig, home to Newcastle, in heavy snow. *

Chris McCandless Christopher Johnson McCandless (; February 12, 1968 – August 1992), also known by his pseudonym "Alexander Supertramp", was an American adventurer who sought an increasingly nomadic lifestyle as he grew up. McCandless is the subject of '' Int ...

– subject of the book '' Into the Wild'' and related films; hitchhiked throughout the western region of North America in the early 1990s. * Robert Prins – first (and only) hitchhiker recorded in the ''Guinness Book of Records'' for the 24-hour hitchhiking record (2,318.4 km). His website contains a page with links to a substantial number of academic publications. * Stephan Schlei – from Ratingen, Germany; hitchhiked more than ; the ''Guinness Book of Records'', before all hitchhiking records were removed, once said that he was the World's No. 1 Hitchhiker. * Devon Smith – listed in the ''Guinness Book of World Records'' for most cumulative miles hitchhiked (1973 to 1985), over ; held the record for hitchhiking all 48 contiguous US states in 33 days during 1957 * Colleen Stan, who was kidnapped by Cameron and Janice Hooker, and tortured and abused for seven years before Janice helped her escape. * Kinga Freespirit (b 1973 d 2006) – travel writer, book author; hitched five years in cars, a boat, plane. *

Andrzej Stasiuk Andrzej Stasiuk (pronounced: ; born 25 September 1960 in Warsaw, Poland) is one of the most successful and internationally acclaimed contemporary Polish writers, journalists and literary critics. He is best known for his travel literature and ess ...

– writer, journalist and literary critic. * John Waters – filmmaker, writer, actor and artist; author of ''Carsick: John Waters Hitchhikes Across America.'' *

Nedd Willard Nedd Willard (August 23, 1926 – July 12, 2018) was an American author and artist living in Thorens-Glières, France, and Geneva, Switzerland. He was a merchant sailor, university teacher and worked in public relations for the World Health Organ ...

– writer, artist and journalist. * Trevor Daneliuk – Self-proclaimed professional hitchhiker documenting and livestreaming hitchhiking on Twitch.

In popular culture

Film

Literature

* 1939 – '' The Grapes of Wrath'', by

John Steinbeck John Ernst Steinbeck Jr. (; February 27, 1902 – December 20, 1968) was an American writer and the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature winner "for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humor and keen social ...

, opens with a hitched ride. * 1957 –

immortalized hitchhiking in his book, ''

On the Road ''On the Road'' is a 1957 novel by American writer Jack Kerouac, based on the travels of Kerouac and his friends across the United States. It is considered a defining work of the postwar Beat and Counterculture generations, with its protagonis ...

''. * 1971 – Ken Welsh's "how to" book on hitchhiking around Europe, titled '' Hitch-hiker's Guide to Europe'', is rumored to have inspired the title of Douglas Adams' 1978 classic book. * 1973 – Kurt Vonnegut's perpetual protagonist, Kilgore Trout, hitchhikes halfway across the country in '' Breakfast of Champions'' (also known as ''Goodbye Blue Monday''). * 1976 – Sissy Hankshaw, the protagonist of '' Even Cowgirls Get the Blues'' by Tom Robbins, becomes legendary as a hitchhiker in part because of her unusually large thumbs. * 1977 – "

The Hitch-Hiker ''The Hitch-Hiker'' is a 1953 American film noir thriller co-written and directed by Ida Lupino, starring Edmond O'Brien, William Talman and Frank Lovejoy, about two friends taken hostage by a hitchhiker during an automobile trip to Mexico. ...

", by

Roald Dahl Roald Dahl (13 September 1916 – 23 November 1990) was a British novelist, short-story writer, poet, screenwriter, and wartime fighter ace of Norwegian descent. His books have sold more than 250 million copies worldwide. Dahl has be ...

* 1978 – In his cult classic '' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' (first broadcast on radio in 1978), Douglas Adams postulated on interstellar hitchhiking. * 1984 – Science fiction author Robert A. Heinlein described interdimensional hitchhiking in his book '' Job: A Comedy of Justice''. * 1996 – '' Into the Wild'' by Jon Krakauer * 1998 – ''

Round Ireland with a Fridge ''Round Ireland with a Fridge'' is a book by Tony Hawks, first published in the UK in 1998. It sold over half a million copies. The book is loosely based on a journey made by Hawks in 1997, when he hitchhiking, hitchhiked around Ireland while re ...

'' by British comedian Tony Hawks: hitchhiking around Ireland with a refrigerator, as a result of a drunken bet. * 2003 – ''

Evasion Evasion may refer to: *''Evade'', a 1960s board game in the 3M bookshelf game series *''Évadé'', the term given to French and Belgian nationals fleeing German-occupied Europe *Évasion, a Canadian French-language travel and adventure television ...

'' by CrimethInc. * 2012 – " Mute" short story by Stephen King about a hitchhiker. * 2019 – Jens Kropp Per Anhalter durchs Leben (Twenty Six) ISBN 9783740749705 * 2021 – ''Escape from The Front'' by Erwin (Erv) Krause ISBN 978-1-6655-1478-7. Will Kraft encounters a colorful host of characters while hitchhiking to Montana. * 2022
Solo Female Traveller: What I Learnt from Hitchhiking in 70 Countries
by Michaela Kabourkova, stories from a young woman who hitchhiked around the world.

Music

* 1936 – " Cross Road Blues" – Robert Johnson * 1941 – "Barstow" – Harry Partch * 1962 – "

Hitch Hike Hitchhiking (also known as thumbing, autostop or hitching) is a means of transportation that is gained by asking individuals, usually strangers, for a ride in their car or other vehicle. The ride is usually, but not always, free. Nomads have ...

" –

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gay Jr., who also spelled his surname as Gaye (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984), was an American singer and songwriter. He helped to shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo ar ...

* 1968 – "

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

" – Simon and Garfunkel * 1969 – " Hitchin' a Ride" – Vanity Fare * 1970 – "Ridin' Thumb" Seals and Crofts – Down Home * 1970 – "Hitchhikin' Woman" – Warren Zevon * 1971 – " Riders on the Storm" – The Doors * 1971 – "The Hitchhikers' Song" – Joan Baez, on '' Blessed Are...'' * 1971 – " Me and Bobby McGee" – Kris Kristofferson * 1972 – " Black-Throated Wind" –

Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, Folk music, folk, country music, country, jazz, bluegrass music, bluegrass, ...

* 1972 – "Sweet Hitch Hiker" –

Creedence Clearwater Revival Creedence Clearwater Revival, also referred to as Creedence and CCR, was an American rock band formed in El Cerrito, California. The band initially consisted of lead vocalist, lead guitarist, and primary songwriter John Fogerty; his brother, ...

* 1972 – " Take It Easy" –

Eagles Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...

* 1973 – " Chevy Van" –

Sammy Johns Sammy Reginald Johns (February 7, 1946 – January 4, 2013) was an American singer and songwriter, best known for his million-selling 1975 hit single, "Chevy Van (song), Chevy Van". Career Johns was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. Johns ...

* 1973 – "

Ridin' My Thumb to Mexico "Ridin' My Thumb to Mexico" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Johnny Rodriguez Juan Raoul Davis "Johnny" Rodriguez (born December 10, 1951) is an American country music singer. He is a Tejano and Texas country mus ...

" – Johnny Rodriguez * 1974 – "West Nashville Grand Ballroom Gown" –

Jimmy Buffett James William Buffett (born December 25, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, and businessman. He is best known for his music, which often portrays an "island escapism" lifestyle. Together with his Coral Reefer Band, Buffet ...

* 1975 – "Jo and the Cowboy" – Johnny Duncan and Janie Fricke * 1976 – "Coyote" –

Joni Mitchell Roberta Joan "Joni" Mitchell ( Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian-American musician, producer, and painter. Among the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitchell became known for her sta ...

* 1976 – "Hitch a Ride" – Boston * 1976 – "Hitchhiker's Hero" – Atlanta Rhythm Section * 1977 – "

Rockaway Beach Rockaway Beach may refer to: * "Rockaway Beach" (song), by the Ramones * Rockaway Beach, California * Rockaway Beach, Missouri * Rockaway Beach, Oregon * Rockaway Beach, Wisconsin * Rockaway Beach, Queens, New York City ** Rockaway Beach and Boa ...

" –

Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United ...

* 1980 - " Autostop (Hitch-Hiking)" - Anna Vissi and The Epikouri * 1984 – " The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking" –

Roger Waters George Roger Waters (born 6 September 1943) is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. In 1965, he co-founded the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. Waters initially served as the bassist, but following the departure of singer-so ...

* 1997 – " Hitchin' a Ride" –

Green Day Green Day is an American rock band formed in the East Bay of California in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, together with bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt. For most of the band's career, they have been a powe ...

* 2001 – "101 North" – Tomahawk * 2002 – "

Thumbing My Way "Thumbing My Way" is a song by the American rock band Pearl Jam. Written by vocalist Eddie Vedder, "Thumbing My Way" is the seventh track on the band's seventh studio album, '' Riot Act'' (2002). Origin and recording "Thumbing My Way" was writt ...

" –

Pearl Jam Pearl Jam is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. The band's lineup consists of founding members Jeff Ament (bass guitar), Stone Gossard (rhythm guitar), Mike McCready (lead guitar), and Eddie Vedder (lead vocals, guita ...

* 2002 – "Blue Sunday" –

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were an American rock band from Gainesville, Florida. Formed in 1976, the band originally comprised lead singer and rhythm guitarist Tom Petty, lead guitarist Mike Campbell, keyboardist Benmont Tench, drummer S ...

* 2003 – " Lost Dogs" –

* 2004 – " Wagon Wheel" – Old Crow Medicine Show * 2006 – "

Hitch Hikin' Music ''Hitch Hikin' Music'' is the eleventh album by Classified, released in September 2006. "Find Out", "Feelin' Fine (Remix)", "All About U" and most recently, "Hard to Be Hip-Hop" were released as singles. Also notable is that Jordan Croucher's (f ...

" –

Classified Classified may refer to: General *Classified information, material that a government body deems to be sensitive *Classified advertising or "classifieds" Music *Classified (rapper) (born 1977), Canadian rapper *The Classified, a 1980s American roc ...

* 2006 – "

Leaving Beirut "To Kill the Child"/"Leaving Beirut" is a 2004 digital download and a Japan-only CD single written and performed by Roger Waters. "To Kill the Child" The first song of the single runs at 3 minutes and 31 seconds. The lyrics open with the image ...

" –

* 2008 – "The Backseat" – The Gaslight Anthem * 2011 – " Hitchhiker" – Neil Young * 2011 – " Paradise" – Coldplay * 2013 – "Hitchhiking" – SHINee

Television

* 1960 – "Hitch-Hike", an episode of ''

Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, aired on CBS and NBC between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers and mysteries. Between 1962 and 1965 it was ren ...

'' based on a short story by '' Ed Lacy'' * 1960 – "

", an episode of '' The Twilight Zone'' * 1976 – '' The Secrets of Isis'' episode 2.17 ''The Hitchhiker'' * 1979 - '' Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids'' episode "Free Ride" * 1981 – '' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' TV series * 1983 – ''Andrea's Story: A Hitchhiking Tragedy'', an

ABC Afterschool Special ''ABC Afterschool Special'' is an American television anthology series that aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from October 4, 1972, to January 23, 1997, usually in the late afternoon on weekdays. Most episodes were dramatically presen ...

presentation * 1983 – '' Quincy, M.E.'' episode "Beyond the Open Door" * 1983 - '' The Day After'', Made for TV movie aired on ABC. * 1984 – '' Diff'rent Strokes'', a two-part very special episode, "The Hitchhikers" * 1999 – '' SpongeBob SquarePants'' – " Pizza Delivery" * 2000 – "

The Hitch-hiker ''The Hitch-Hiker'' is a 1953 American film noir thriller co-written and directed by Ida Lupino, starring Edmond O'Brien, William Talman and Frank Lovejoy, about two friends taken hostage by a hitchhiker during an automobile trip to Mexico. ...

", an episode of '' Tales of the Unexpected'' * 2003 – '' Cold Case'' episode 1.10, "Hitchhiker", addresses similar murders of hitchhikers in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey * 2004 – '' The L Word'' episode "Losing It" * 2006 - '' Lost'' episode "Further Instructions" * 2006 – The '' Masters of Horror'' episode " Pick Me Up" * 2007 – '' Peking Express'', a Dutch/Flemish reality game show that follows a series of couples as they hitchhike to or from Beijing (in seasons 1–3) and South America (in seasons 4 and 5)

Fictional hitchhikers

* Augustin l'auto-stoppeur (by Belgian sculptor Gigi Warny) * Hitchhiker – a hitchhiking lunatic killer played by actor Edwin Neal in the original film, '' The Texas Chain Saw Massacre'' (1974) * Phineas, Ezra and Gus the Hitchhiking Ghosts – considered the mascots of the Haunted Mansion attraction, who also appear in other media, such as Disney's House of Mouse, '' The Haunted Mansion'' movie, and official merchandise * Ford Prefect – a space-hitchhiking travel writer in ''

The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' (sometimes referred to as ''HG2G'', ''HHGTTG'', ''H2G2'', or ''tHGttG'') is a comic science fiction, comedy science fiction franchise created by Douglas Adams. Originally The Hitchhiker's Guide to th ...

'' * The Hitcher – a green cockney man who was featured in '' The Mighty Boosh'' * Jack Reacher - a character of the Lee Child novels

References

Bibliography

*Brunvand, Harold (1981). ''The Vanishing Hitchhiker. American Urban Legends and Their Meaning''. New York NY: Norton & Company. *Griffin, John H. (1961). ''

Black Like Me ''Black Like Me'', first published in 1961, is a nonfiction book by journalist John Howard Griffin recounting his journey in the Deep South of the United States, at a time when African-Americans lived under racial segregation. Griffin was a nat ...

''. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. *Hawks, Tony (1996). ''

''. London: Ebury. *Laviolette, Patrick (2016)
Why did the anthropologist cross the road? ''Ethnos: Journal of Anthropology''
81(3): 379–401. *Nwanna, Gladson I. (2004). ''Americans Traveling Abroad: What You Should Know Before You Go'', Frontier Publishers, . *Packer, Jeremy (2008). Hitching the highway to hell: Media hysterics and the politics of youth mobility. ''Mobility Without Mayhem: Safety, Cars, and Citizenship''. Chapel Hill: Duke Univ. Press (77–110). *Reid, Jack. (2020) ''Roadside Americans: The Rise and Fall of Hitchhiking in a Changing Nation''. Chapel Hill: Univ, of North Carolina Press. *Smith, David H. & Frauke Zeller (2017). The death and lives of hitchBOT: the design and implementation of a hitchhiking robot. ''Leonardo''. 50(1): 77–8. *Sykes, Simon & Tom Sykes (2005). ''No Such Thing as a Free Ride''. UK Edition. London: Cassell Illustrated. *Tobar, Héctor (2020). ''The Last Great Road Bum''. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. *Kabourkova, Michaela (2022).
Solo Female Traveller: What I Learnt from Hitchhiking in 70 Countries
'. Valencia: Amazon.

External links

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