Is hitch-hiking still a thing?

[Netcurtainnelly]

Inspired by a chat with someone yesterday who hitch hiked years ago and never encountered any problems .
They said they stood by the side of the road holding a rolled newspaper out and had lifts, once in a very posh car which they still remember today.

I said can't imagine it today, it's not safe.
Shame that society has changed though. Someone would help you, in return for a little company and a chat.

Would anyone still do it today or know anyone that does? I never have and wouldn't.
Just curious to know, has people hitching a lift disappeared?

I used to do it back in the day but as everyone says, unthinkable now, but ironically it was actually way more dangerous back then when you think about it - I just got lucky.

I haven't seen a hitchhiker in donkey's years. And haven't done it myself since 1981, when my friend and I got picked up by two guys in France who had shotguns in the car (hunting forest birds), sped on the wrong side of the road and made jokes to each other about what they'd do to us in the next forest.

I'd been sceptical when they pulled up, but my friend told me it would all be just fine.

I remember her sitting there frozen, her face white with terror, while I was doing my best to "make friends with" the guys in the front seats by joining in with their banter and casually suggesting they drop us off at the next village (made up some bullshit about people expecting us).

I swore to myself that if we survived, I'd never again let someone else's judgement override my own. Ha! Well, that didn't quite work out over the years 🫣😁 but hey, I live to tell this particular tale!

My Mum flatly refused to ever pick up a hitch hiker. She said it brought back memories of being terrified when her Grandmother would pick up stoned randoms from the IoW festival. I couldn't do it, you never know who you might be picking up.

I don't really see hitchhikers where I live, but I do quite often see posts on the local community facebook page asking for lifts, so I think that's how people are mostly doing it.

My brother and his girlfriend used to hitchhike a lot in the UK in the 1990s. I did it a few times with friends in Australia in the early 2000s.

In central Europe, where I live now, it's fairly common to see students hitchhiking during the summer. I have picked a few up occasionally when I had space, it's always been a positive experience.

It's great in theory, but I wouldn't encourage my children (or anyone else) to do it unless there was no other option. Even if it's fine 99% of the time, it only takes once if it goes wrong.

My childhood was littered with news articles of the murders of hitch hikers. It’s a gamble I don’t know who would want to take. Hitch hiker could be the danger too, in a plot twist.

I used do it all the time (lived rurally).
I was involved in a car crash and never hitch hiked again.

I've hitched and would do so again.

1980s, any long trip, I hitched 👍 🚗 🚛 both in the UK and Europe. I also used to give lifts where possible.
Only trouble ever was a guy in a sports car who made it clear (by rubbing my thigh) that he would be keen to 'get personal', and a deranged lorry driver who swore/shouted at other drivers all the time.
As a lift-giver, I picked up a woman who was clearly out of it on whatever, so I made sure to drop her off somewhere safer than the place I'd picked her up.

I've occasionally given people a lift when coming off a hillwalk - a memorable group of lads we'd chatted to coming down a Lakeland fell - and they realised they'd come down the wrong side and it was something like a 12 mile walk to their cars. Gave 2 of them a lift and they were so polite and apologetic. Also gave a lift near home to a lass who was trying to hike several miles back home in the dark.

I'd probably give a lift to someone locally as it's all fairly safe round here .

I did hitchike round NZ with a friend for a few months 35 years ago...we met some amazing people.

I live in an area with zero public transportation and I don't have a car all the time. The way back from the supermarket involves a huge, steep hill and I'll occasionally get asked if I want a lift up the hill, when I've got all my bags of shopping. I do accept sometimes.

My DH and I were talking about this the other day. My DF who was retired from the Navy would always pick up a fellow sailor - they would have their kit bag with their hat on top so clearly a serviceman - and he would actually go out of his way to get them on their way to where they were going. DH would always offer a lift to someone with trade plates.

There is someone locally who regularly hitchhikes for a specific trip, a 20 mile journey door to door. Public transport involves several buses and it's the type of trip that gets you there and gives you half an hour before you need to catch the bus home again. He has a genuine reason to make the trip and is always very appreciative of any lifts he gets but he is the only person I have seen hitching for a long time.

I hitch hiked in 90’s and between 2006-2008 in USA. Good trips nothing concerning but wouldn’t do it anymore.

I used to when I was a teenager and I lived in a village with no bus. I have picked up the occasional hitchhiker making their way to the next village/ town, again I live rurally and it'd be a really strange place to stand about pretending to hitchhike if you were looking for a victim!

I can't recall the last person I saw hitchhiking though. Shame, we are becoming so suspicious of strangers. I don't think the World has become more dangerous, we're just made more aware of the times that things have gone wrong.

I used to see lots of people hitch on the motorways coming out of London in 90s but I never stopped

There are areas in the UK where people walk one way & hitch a lift back to their starting point eg Glen Coe in Scotland

Attitudes used to be different and it wasn't seen as particularly dangerous. When I was a student in the 80s, the Student Union organised things like charity hitch hikes to Paris or Amsterdam

I drive past two women trying to hitchhike last week having not seen any in some years other than on the way to festivals. Didn't stop as thought they wouldn't want to share the back seet and tarpaulin with my incontinent dog. Also they may have been crazy maniacs

I haven't seen any for many years but remember when it was a very usual sight. My father, who was one of the WW2 generation, instructed me that you never drive pass anyone in military uniform hitching, apparently giving lifts to soldiers making their way home whilst on leave during the war, was something everyone did and it would have been shocking not to. He was still living by this rule decades later.

Well, or a handlettered, barely legible sign on the back of a random bit of cardboard!

I see them pretty regularly in the summer heading up to the north of Scotland. Its usually couples tho and rarely single travellers.

Probably depends on your location.
In Ireland, I wouldn't consider it, but my friend from Croatia tells me it's quite normal there.

Part of the change in behaviour will be because of access to cars.

In the 70s 50% of households had a car. Now it is about 80%.

I used to hitch a lot but stopped when cars got central locking.

A friend of mine does it regularly – he lives in a very rural area and he says he has no issue with getting lifts - in fact, he's been doing it for a while now and many of the drivers are people who've picked him up before. He's found it's a great way to get to know the local community and meet people.

I wouldn't pick someone up if I was on my own in the car, and I probably wouldn't hitch unless desperate – but I have been known to pick people up in certain circumstances when driving with others out in the countryside.

It's SO important to remember that the vast majority of people out there – both hitchhikers and drivers - are just normal, decent, honest people.

Public transport in rural areas is worse than ever so perhaps we will see more of this happening in future. It's a very sustainable mode of transport.

I saw a hitcher a couple of months ago and thought it was odd. My sister used to hitch to college so she could pocket the bus fare. I hitched around New Zealand, Ireland and various parts of Africa (Malawi, Zimbabwe) when younger - mid 90s. Not sure my parents were aware at the time..