Why Hitchhiking Isn't Worth the Risk
When you're on a tight budget and public transport seems unreliable or expensive, hitchhiking might appear to be an easy solution. Films and books often portray it as a carefree way to travel and meet interesting people. The reality is far more concerning.
Hitchhiking puts you entirely at the mercy of strangers. You have no control over who stops, where they're going, or what might happen during the journey. While serious crimes represent the extreme end of possible outcomes, even minor incidents can ruin your gap year experience and potentially put you in danger.
Legal Issues
In the UK, hitchhiking itself isn't illegal, but you can't walk on motorways or slip roads where hitchhiking typically happens. This makes it an offence in practice on major routes. Countries like Germany and Australia prohibit hitchhiking on highways, while some US states ban it entirely.
Getting arrested abroad can create serious problems for future travel, job applications, and visa requests. Even where hitchhiking is legal, you may attract unwanted police attention, particularly in remote areas or at night.
Safety Risks
Standing by busy roads creates immediate physical dangers. You're exposed to fast-moving traffic, often in locations not designed for pedestrians. Poor weather, limited visibility, or distracted drivers increase these risks significantly.
Once you accept a ride, you face additional uncertainties:
- The driver may be under the influence of alcohol or drugs
- The vehicle might not be roadworthy or properly insured
- You could be driven somewhere you didn't intend to go
- The driver may have criminal intentions
- Other passengers in the vehicle might pose threats
You also risk being stranded in unfamiliar or isolated locations if a driver changes their mind about the destination or if something goes wrong during the journey.
Your situation may be slightly different. ask a question below ↓ and our editorial team will reply with our advice.
Better Transport Options
Most countries offer affordable transport options that are safer than hitchhiking. Research these before you travel:
- Local buses and coaches often have budget routes or discount passes
- Train networks frequently offer youth discounts or advance booking savings
- Shared minibus services operate in many countries
- Rideshare apps like BlaBlaCar provide verified drivers and trip tracking
- Domestic budget airlines can be surprisingly affordable for longer distances
- Bicycle rental gives you independence while keeping costs low
Hostels and tourist information centres can help you find economical transport options. Fellow travellers are often excellent sources of advice about getting around cheaply.
Emergency Preparation
People often consider hitchhiking when something has gone wrong, such as missing the last bus or losing their money. You can avoid these situations with forward planning:
- Keep cash in multiple locations, including a small emergency fund separate from your main money
- Carry debit and credit cards from different providers
- Keep digital copies of important documents stored securely online
- Maintain a charged mobile phone with local emergency numbers saved
- Purchase comprehensive travel insurance before departure
- Research the locations of your country's embassies or consulates
If you find yourself genuinely stranded, contact local police, your embassy, or a trusted contact at home before considering hitchhiking. Many countries have tourist assistance services that can help in emergencies.
Your gap year should be about broadening your horizons and gaining independence, not putting yourself at unnecessary risk. The money you might save by hitchhiking instead of using public transport is rarely worth the potential consequences. If budget constraints are making you consider hitchhiking regularly, it might be better to adjust your travel plans, spend longer in fewer places, or look for ways to earn money during your trip.
As a foreign visitor, you may be particularly vulnerable. You might not understand local customs, have limited language skills, or know who to contact if things go wrong. These factors make the risks of hitchhiking even greater than they would be at home.
Yes. Unlike bus travel where you obviously know the driver and the other passengers
“May leave you stranded in deserted and/or unfamiliar areas.”
Yes. Because if you go backpacking, the last thing you’d want is to end up somewhere you haven’t seen before.
I’ve hitchhiked thousands of kilometers, and these days I can barely bring myself to get on a bus or train. Doing the latter, I’m just a consumer, but if I hitchhike, I go on an adventure and I can end up anywhere. It’s the greatest feeling in the world, and no form of paid transportation can compete - because paid transportation turns the human relation to your driver into simply a question of money, and also paid transportation only ever takes you where it’s supposed to, so you never get outside your comfort zone, or experience anything unpredictable
(all my unpredictable experiences having been wonderful, btw)
But whatever gets you through the night, if you don’t want to hitchhike, well, don’t do it
The only ones I meet who had problems like that where always travelling the normal way with their moneybelt.
Another nice article I read about Hitchhiking and robberies in Mexico put up this question.
Who would you rather rob a car with local people (and surprisingly a hitchhiker) not having much or this giant Piñata Bus full with wealthy rich tourists.
But don't worry they probably won't find your moneybelt or emergency phone.
To the Rest of unscarred people warm roads
Generally hitchhiking is safe. Still, do remember common sense and that you have no obligation to get in a car if it doesn't feel right.
Check out hitchhiking groups on FB for people with actual real-life experience and proper advice about hitching.
When a person hitchhikes, s/he puts him or herself totally at the mercy of whoever gives them a ride, thereby putting him/herself in an extremely vulnerable position. The risk of a hitchhiker or even someone who picks up a hitchhiker getting into a situation that s/he has absolutely no control over are there, and they're quite real, to boot.
I'll also add that it's no consolation to the hitchhiker's friends and loved ones if s/he is robbed, assaulted, or worse, or seriously injured or killed in a crash.
To say that more people get hurt or killed while crossing the street is a totally BS non-sequitur and off the subject. It's better to err on the side of caution and sensibility and not hitchhike or pick up strangers, due to being in an extremely vulnerable position when in a closed vehicle with a stranger that one's never seen before, because there's very little that one can do if things get bad.
Theft of smart phones and other new, hi-technology gadgets that're designed to contact other people are on the rise. The person you pick up, or get picked up by could very well steal your smartphone or whatever, and then where would you be if the situation turned nasty? Not in a good situation...that's for sure.
Thinking about where/when/how you hitchhike can make a hell of a difference. Where: some countries are used to hitchhikers, some are definitely not. For example: in the Netherlands/Belgium/Germany/Poland it is not unfamiliar concept. But compared with Spain, you could be considered a prostitue. So read up on your destination. Do they speak english? Or do you have a basic knowledge of the language of your destination?
When: think about the time you are standing next to the road.. is it night? People might have been drinking.Is it early in the morning? People might be on their way to work, so less likely to take you.
How: There are multiple ways to hitchhike. You can stand next to the road and hold a sign or your thumb, and you are at the mercy of people who stop for you. You could feel pressured to accept the ride. However, the way I have been learned is more efficient, and more safe: Make sure you are dropped off at a gasstation, so you yourself can approach people. You can estimate by someones car and their behaviour if you feel safe approaching them or not. And people are more likely to take you if they have had a normal conversation with you.
For the people wondering below: why would you do it at all? I can only speak from my own experience, of course. For me it is the best way to get to know a country, a culture, a new language. In a society where people communicate more via phones and computers, having honest conversations with strangers is refreshing. And because there is such a stigma attached to the dangers of hitchhiking, it refreshes my fate in humanity everytime. Actually a lot of the time people are more afraid the hitchhiker will kill them than the other way around. The whole honest experience, it's a rush. Really, just like bungeejumping. The one time it goes wrong, yes it is horrible, but I'm ready to take that risk.
Just know what you are getting yourself into. Don't be naive.
Besides the dangers hitchhiking is not a very efficient way of travelling. What happens if no one picks you up? You could find yourself having to walk long periods in bad weather. You may get a lift but the driver can only cover a part of the distance to your destination. It is argued that hitchhiking is cheap but will drivers demand payment? Another risk is drivers playing jokes by pulling over to give the impression they are going to give you a lift and driving off.
Just because you believe that more people are killed by cars while crossing the street, or wherever, doesn't mean that hitchhiking or picking up a hitchhiker is safe, or smart.
The reason that hitchhiking re-lated crimes are as rare as they are is because people don't hitchhike or pick up hitchhikers very much these days...and with ample reason: It's way too risky.
Just because more people have cell-phones, etc, doesn't mean that they're immune to being in a bad situation when they either hitchhike or pick up a hitchhiker. Just because the technology has improved doesn't mean that people who perpetrate horrible crimes always get caught, either. Many of these perpetrators of crime are smart enough and resourceful enough to avoid getting caught regardless of the existing technology.
When you either pick up or get into a car with a total stranger, you're completely at their mercy, no matter what kind of cell phone or beeper you've got. Being in a closed, moving car with a total stranger, in either case, makes one especially vulnerable. just because most people are normal and honest doesn't negate the fact that when one hitchhikes or picks up a hitchhiker, the risk of either being picked up by, or picking up someone who's NOT so normal and honest is there...and very real, to boot. These not-so-normal-or-honest people don't have to be in the majority to present a problem.
I'll also add that a person with bad intentions doesn't have to be a murder to inflict harm on a hitchhiker. One can be careless, dangerous, crazy and/or just plain irresponsible. Why would any sensible person take that chance? Suppose the person that picked you up refused to let you out where you wanted to go, despite your requests? Suppose the person(s) that picked you up drove you to a lonely, isolated place, and then robbed, assaulted you, or possibly worse? Suppose the person who gave you the ride was drunk, drugged-out, or just a dangerous or careless driver, you ended up in a terrible crash and was either permanently maimed or killed as a result? What then? What if something horrible happened to a friend, co-worker or loved one of yours while they were hitchhiking? Think about that.
Secondly, when one puts him/herself in a car with a total stranger or strangers, s/he or he is putting him/herself at the mercy of that person or persons, and, all too often, has little or no control over what may happen. At least if one meets somebody at a dance, a party, a nightclub or a bar, there's always the chance of ducking out quickly and calling for help if things start to get dicey. If a threatening situation occurs in the street or wherever, there's always the possibility of running to higher ground, or defending oneself physically, if they're able to and must.
In a car, however, the options for doing any of the above-mentioned things are extremely slim to none. It's not worth taking such a stupid risk, imho.
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