10 reasons why I started to hitchhike and i can't come back

A short description why i decided and i enjoy so far Hitchhike:

1- The trip is more fun :

Since i read "On the road" by Jack Kerouac, or actually since i started to meet people who used to hitchhike while they are traveling, i decided to try it.
I still remember the first times, the adrenaline, the hope, the hope who leaves, the happiness and others emotions that they will keep you company while you will be there trying to have a free ride.
I heard many stories, about interesting characters who stopped by and give a free ride to these who tried  to travel in a different way, and i decided "I wanna do it".
And every time, is a trip in the trip, because you will really feel to be a traveller only with these kind of experiences.

Hitchhiking in Thailand with Iman

2- I save money :

Ok this is the most rational reason why you would decide to hitchhike, travelling unfortunately is not free, and you need money to travel.

When you start to travel for a long time, this factor is even more important, you will always try to find the cheapest solution, because you will become addicted by travelling, and will you want to travel as long as possible, so, if there is a way to travel for free, why do not try it?!?

Here trying to get a ride to Hualien (Taiwan)

Hitchhike in Western way in Asia, doesn't work !!

3- It's a way to meet local people: 

As i explained in my first point of "10 reasons why you should use Couch Surfing to travel the world", for me meeting local people is really important on my travels, and hitchhike is another way to do it.

An awesome family give me the final ride to reach Bangkok

Local guys in Laos on a slowly and steady little tractor 

4- I feel free:

This reason is really important for me, because every time i had a lift, short or long that it was, once i was lying down on the back of a Pick-Up, with my eyes towards the blue sky, i had this feeling of freedom. 

I was feeling free about the time, about money, about society, about everything, i was feeling FREE, so every time i had this feeling, while watching the sky, i took a deep breath, and i started to think how lucky i was to experience something so deep that i never felt before in my life.

On the recycle truck going to Pakse (Laos)

5- People who decide to pick you up are nice people:

99% is like this, and i don't say that because they give you a ride, but because they are giving you much more than this.

The behave of these people is described in these few steps: 

1- they  see you on the road, 

2- they think, and  decide to stop

3 - they decide to help you

And this last point, what make them a kind people.

Who decide to stop while is going somewhere, and decide to help a stranger, is of course a nice person.

The 1% are people who afterwards will ask you money, or weird people that make you experience something that will become your own story like "That was that time while i was hitchhiking...", just something to experience and tell about it.

The percentage of these kind of people is really low, so don't be afraid to hitchhike.

This awesome delivery guy picked me up on the way to Hualien (Taiwan)

Chineses who are working in Laos invited us to stay on them place for few days in Vientiane (Laos)

6- It's a sustainable way to move and traveling :

Ok, here is my green heart who talks, yeah because, hitchhike like car sharing, and care pooling, is a sustainable way to go somewhere for short or long distances.

If  we want save the world we need starting to change many things towards sustainability, (I'm a bike, and Scandinavian supporter), and hitchhike is only one small piece of the big puzzle.

So if you decide to hitchhike remember that you're doing something good also for the nature, and on the other side, if you see someone who's hitchhiking, stop and do it for him/her, for you and for the world, you will feel 3 times better.

Sharing a car in Thailand

A final ride to Hualien

  

7- Sometimes you end up your ride in a really awesome place:

Coming back to a more traveling reasons, it sometimes can happens that the person who is giving you a lift, it may go in a different direction or just stop earlier on the way.

You will find yourself in a middle of a place without name, location, that even google maps will be asking "where bloody are you?", but you will learn to discover the beauty of these untouched and not touristic places.

 We stopped to visit this bridge, old as Angkor Wat, no even one tourist 

The morning view from the tent, camping in the middle of nowhere (Cambodia)

8-You start to travel on vehicles you never seen before:

It happened to me in Laos, but i'm quite sure will not be the last time.

You will also experience to travel in vehicles, who are not made to travel at all, but while you're having a free ride, everything something like this, lose importance.

Kind of 2 wheels truck attached to a trailer in South Laos

9- You get out of your comfortable zone :

You will experience and understand how lucky you was until now.

After been travelling in Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and see how the locals move on their country i understood and decided to travel like them.

I understood i could give up that extra comfort (expensive optional), that the society where i grew up made me think as normal thing for everyone.

I think as a free ride, as a help been given to me from a stranger, i can only be happy and thanks, so the time for complaining will vanish on the way.

In a a back of a pick-up somewhere in Thailand

10- You feel happy : 

I want to end up with one of the most important reason.

As i was describing the sensation of freedom in the 4th point, here i will tell to you about that feeling of happiness that also come while you jump on your next ride.

While someone decide to stop and give me a ride, i think that ride could be a reason to be happy that day, because once again in my life, someone stopped and decided to help me, once again in my life i'm feeling to be lucky, once again in my life i think, i have been a really nice person on my previous life to deserve all this kindness.

Happy smiles in Laos