A hitchhiker’s guide to, well.. hitchhiking.
Life sucks. Right? We all know it. Even Buddhists believe that all life is suffering.
Wrong. I’m here to tell you about how I was able to turn my my rock bottom into the best time of my life. My hope is that this post will inspire you to get out in the world, explore and have stories like these to tell.
Tip #1: Be Prepared
One backpack. Everything I own is on my back and I’m walking along a dirt road towards the highway I hear in the distance. I arrive at the on ramp and stick out my thumb.
A dirty blue pickup truck pulls up and the window rolls down. “Where are ya headed?”. “West”, I say. The man nods and unlocks the door. I have my first ride.
Tip #2: Make Friends
I’m in Adaire, Iowa. Been standing on this corner to the on-ramp west for hours and the sun is beating down on my already sunburned skin. Just as I’m about to walk over to the over pass to get some shade a police officer pulls up and gets out of the car. “Am I breaking any laws officer?”, I ask as he’s walking towards me. “Nope”, he says. “Do you mind if I pat you down for weapons quick?”, “Nope”.
After a quick pat down the officer asks if I want a ride. I say yeah, throw my bag in the back of the cop car and hop in the back seat. On the way to next town over I can’t help but feel like he’s just tricked into an easy arrest. My anxiety quickly goes away as I hear him radio over to the next town and ask if there’s anyone available to bring me even further.