thedregs

Have you ever considered hitching/trainhopping? Like, just leaving your troubles behind and hitting the road, Kerouac-style, only with less drug binges (possibly)? I was always pretty reluctant to jump in the back of a strangers truck, but I saw VBS's Thumbs Up! and suddenly it didn't seem so bad. In fact, it looks pretty fun. Shit-scary at first no doubt about it, but then as far as travelling goes i'd feel a lot better about that than fucking off to a developing country for my own spiritual betterment. Has anyone done it? Is it like the show, cause I can imagine them cutting out a lot of the boring waiting-around and just leaving the awesome bits in.

Randle2I

I've always wanted to try it as a social experiment moreso than a way to get away from it all. Unfortunately trains are more or less a thing of the past and trying to hitchhike in todays world is just asking for trouble. I can see it now, a young black male trying to explain to a police officer that he's just "hitchhiking for fun", something tells me I'd see the back see of a cruiser faster than I'd get get to the next town. If you try it & ever swing through central Ohio though I'll be sure to give you a ride.

BadNick

Sure. I did a lot of hitchhiking but that was back in the mid 1960's to the early 1970's. You meet a lot of interesting people ...and it's very surprising how many people will go substantially out of their way to take you someplace. Now my family needs me too much for me to do that at this time. But I still like the idea and would do it again if I could ...I wonder if getting a ride now adays is less safe, and if, as a substantially older hitchhiker, it would be more difficult to get rides? I would leave Phila and head toward Alaska via a very circuitous route. To get moving along the road, I could see blending in some train hopping, too. Since all the major railroads have been customers I've dealt with for over 30 years, I see the behind the scenes operations, so I think I could find easy ways of being allowed on trains without the typical "hobo" difficulties and risks. At times I can see this getting lonely, so either have a hobo buddy or enough peace of mind to deal with it.

jewels

A friend and I used to do it for fun in the early 70s, just to see who we'd meet and for something to do when playing hooky.

I don't know that I'd even consider it in this day and age, even for the guys. Scary out there, although the idea sure is very appealing.

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Fotzlid

i never hitched but i did give plenty of hitch-hikers a ride. met some interesting people.

stopped doing that quite some time ago. its a sad statement that most consider it too scary to do that now, myself included. the paranoia about strangers grows each year.

thedregs

yeah its a sad state of affairs when on the one hand youve technology bringing everyone together - globalisation, social networking, everyones only a click away etc. but on the other, were getting more scared of own our next door neighbor. we become more and more accessible but get more and more alienated from each other.

has that much really changed since the 70's/80's?

BadNick

imo, no.

Aladdin Sane

I hitched-hiked quite a bit back in the early 80s. You heard the same "it's not safe" talk then. Lot's of people thought I was crazy for doing it. I thumbed across the Great State of Texas twice. I hitched from Dover, England to Loch Loman, Scotland and back to London. I've gotten around Holland with my thumb out more than a few times.
Through it all, I've only caught two rides from potential ax-killers. In both cases I felt that something wasn't right before I stepped into the car. The most important advice I can give is to trust your intuition.

I met some wonderful people and was even invited for dinner and an overnight stay.

It can be a real adventure. If that's your thang, go for it.

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cj2112

A friend and I hitched up and down the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State. It was one of the best times of my life. That was in 1990...

SSJTWIZTA

My friend travis has been trying to convince me to trainhop for years...and i think i might take him up on his offer soon. It seems like it would be a great experience.

he also wants me to hike the appalachian trail with him...which is a strech from Georgia to Maine.

oh and before you do this, you should check out this book called "hobo" by eddy joe cotton. he wrote it after he walked away from home at a young age and started hoping trains and such...you might learn a thing or two.

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First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the communists and I did not speak out because I was not a communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for me And there was no one left to speak out for me.
-Pastor Martin Niemoller