Hitchhiking is an exercise in personality development. It's taught me to be more aware of people, to trust myself implicitly, manage my relationships, divert/change/adapt my conversation skills and to be more humble (when being turned down ride after ride).I love it and think it brings more to your world and others! So here is more information on hitchhiking a little more specific to women.
As far as actually being a female hitchhiker goes, needless to say it's better to hitchhike with someone, preferably male (rather than a bear in a party hat). It makes life much easier. But the first thing I have to say is that a huge percent of the population is made up of good people. Tried, proven, tried and proven time and time again.
The second is, your intuition is worth more than you can imagine. I've never understood how good I was at assessing people until I began hitchhiking.
The third is it is imperative to give out a happy, adventurous upbeat vibe. If you have a bad feeling partway through a ride, don't slip into thinking the worst, this may bring out the worst in the driver..always believe the best in people and they will usually live up to it.
So hitchhiking for women..
I recently had a friend in Sumatra complain about the men giving her grief, sad to say there are a few countries where this is more serious, India being one that comes immediately to mind...So what can you do to ensure you put across the right message as a female hitchhiker?
Timing - The first one goes without saying, preferably don't hitchhike at night..this is when streetwalkers and drunks come out! So find a place to crash couchsurfing.org If you are traveling a long distance, make sure you start early in the morning.
Choose your driver - It's important to assess people, it's amazing how easy this can be even when the car is travelling 90km p/hr..first check the car's occupants, the type of car and the occupants face..for example, 9 times out of 10 if the driver is a single young, Indian and driving a souped up car..I wave them past.
I like four wheel drives, women, families, older men in nice looking cars and average types. You can tell a lot about someone by chatting to them, so for women, the best tip is to try your luck at petrol stations, have good time to assess, try a bit of humour to judge personality, and double check direction and towns - all before heading out on the highway!
Choose your clothing - I'm not saying wear a burkha, but it's wise to ensure you are covered and look like a tough-ish traveller when hitching. I forgot once on a short 1 hour hitch and wore my normal feminine clothing, flowing pants and singlet top, most of the drivers that stopped were leering and it took me at least 20 mins to find someone I felt safe with.
Talk! The best thing I've found to put wayward thoughts out of a lonely truck driver's mind is to ask him if he has a wife..or better..a daughter! Talking to male drivers about their families, home towns, life and yourself brings you into better focus. Saying you have been happily married for a few years also helps :)
Energy - since us travellers go and go, remember it's best not to hitch when you are overly tired. Being tired means your amazing intuition isn't running at it's highest, you are probably not giving off great vibes and you are slower to react if something happens - best advice is to stay another day where you are and start off the next day
Lie - When asked about marital status, say you have been happily married for 10 years to a huge Australian man. And when people why you are hitchhiking (especially in countries where it's rare) my brother Josh usually says he is conducting a social experiment on human kindness, hehe
Further precautions -
- Always keep your bag on your lap - your bag SHOULD be small enough to keep with you!
- Consider keeping a small weapon with you - I keep a pair of nail scissors in my front pocket - it just makes me feel better :)
- Visibly take the car registration before getting in
- Tell the driver you have a friend waiting for you on the other side, she/he will be worried if you don't arrive
- If things turn sour, slip your seat belt off in preparation and tell the driver you are going to be sick
- If the driver is too eager for you to get in - you probably shouldn't. I once had a guy do an illegal turn to pick me up, he was travelling the wrong direction - A blunt NO to that one!
- Remind yourself that you in the superior position to the driver. He has to keep his eyes on the road and his hands to the steering wheel whereas you have hands and attention free, after all. Don’t be bashful about laconically informing the driver about this.
- And finally, the best ever, most extreme tactic when already in the car (given to me by my mum) is freak out like a psycho, make yourself vomit - anything to disgust your driver - for sure he'll let you out of the car
Since being a professional psycho-murderer* requires a high amount of planning and preparation, the following items are needed to stay in business: shovel, plastic bags, axe, rope, Febreeze, hacksaw, someone to murder, white van, trucker hat, countryside, mustache - it's highly unlikely you will be unfortunate enough to encounter one
* Only .002307% of the population fits into the active psycho-murderer category. This individual is either in jail for being a psycho-murderer or they are smart enough to plan their murders and cover their tracks ... so try not to hitch in white vans.
Happy hitching!
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