Hitchhikers - are they all ax-murderingly crazy - or just misunderstood

hondasam wrote: »

It's rare you see people hitching now, odd few. I have done it myself long time ago and I have picked people up, I would judge them by what they are wearing and think ya there are ok.

You'd probably end up picking up Jeffrey Dahmer, and leaving Jesus standing.


I used to love hitching around the country for fun, it was a brilliant way of meeting people and getting to know areas, every journey was one big adventure.
Ah..... memories of the queues and etiquette surrounding it.

hondasam wrote: »

He only killed boys, I'm a girl I would be safe.
The etiquette LOL brings back memories, first in queue got first lift unless you knew someone and they passed the first person and carried you.:D
I would not have the nerve to do it now.

Some drivers pick people up because they have a rucksack and because I always had one on my trips (and a sign) often I'd get picked up from the back of the queue (they probably thought I was foreign and exotic, only to be greeted with a hows it going boy), I can still see the withering looks on the faces of the students and non-rucksacky people further up, as I settled into my comfy seat accelerating past them.

I used to hitch from Newlands cross to Cork a lot in the early 90's to safe my money for drink & stuff. I was on apprentice wages of about £45 and the train fair was about £20 so that was a no-no. I used to have a sign "New-York (OR CORK)" can't ever remember not getting a lift.
A few times I didn't get a lift all the way but ended up somewhere along the way. The old turnpike turn-off a Thurles was a hole of a place to get a lift from, just got trolleyed in the pub there instead before trying when the traffic calmed.
I met some interesting people, I was even seconded into being entertainment for two kids in the back seat of a car so the parents up front didn't have to deal with it, got an ice-cream for my troubles :)
The best bit was all the alternative routes to Cork while the various bypasses were being built, when I eventually got a car I knew all the roads to dodge traffic, check points etc. Still prefer to use the older routes.
Nicest ice-cream ever was in a place in Stradbally, wouldn't have found that without hitching.

My car's engine blew up in Australia miles from anywhere, I had to hitch back to Sydney with all my belongings, including surfboard. The same weekend that Peter Falconio "went missing", not too many people keen on stopping. Eventually got a lift from an english couple in a vintage peugeot, fierce nice. Dropped me in Ghetto Central for a train connection.

I also picked up a hitch-hiker in North Arizona. I was driving back to Phoenix from Las-Vegas on my own. He was in a little town in the middle of nowhere. Told me his buddy and himself won some money on horses and were going to Vegas, got caught speeding and the buddy had a few outstandings so he got arrested and car impounded, leaving the other lad stuck.
Not sure if it was true, don't care, he was a nice enough lad. Dropped him off and he told me about all the party spots around the collages. Told me the name of a collage hotspot in Tempe, went there with some others from Work that weekend, great nights.

Worst ever was a buddy and me getting a lift from Newbridge to Dublin with a french lad, who when spotting a garage on the RIGHT HAND SIDE of the (then) carriageway, turned across the median break into oncoming lane, thank fcuk there was no traffic.

So not all psychos.

And yes, I have noticed lately that there are a lot of people hitching, what ever the reason. I've a people carrier now with permanent child seats so only have the front seat. No one uses signs any more either.

In a moment of madness a while back I gave a lift to someone as it was raining, what a mistake, coughing and sneezing all the way. Thought he was gonna give me the pox

fluorescence wrote: »

I didn't mean in a city, I meant that the closer you are to a main town or city, the less likely cars are to pick up hitchhikers

You will usually see them on the outskirts or the city or town hitching out of the city obviously.