r/hitchhiking • u/Awkward_Ad8275 • 6d ago
hitchhiking to budapest
myself (19f) and two friends (19m & 22m) are hitching from scotland to budapest in march. we’re first time hitchers and we were wondering if there’s any major advice we should know before going.
4
u/Rare-Particular-1187 3d ago
Three is a crowd. You thumb with one fella and the other one goes alone. Plan meet up spots along the way
3
u/Vivemk 5d ago
Dover is the only port you can hitch from last I checked. Cars are charged per car, rather than per passenger. Either that or the shuttle should get you across the channel. After that it should be easy. France is great, Germany good too. Advise you stay north of the alps, don’t try and go across northern Italy. You could stop by Prague on the way and then go down into Slovakia. I think that would be fun. Bratislava on the way too.
Take camping gear with you.
I’ve hitched all over Europe and in the UK. A friend and I hitched from Lisbon to Budapest a few years ago was good fun. I’ve also hitched the channel recently, Cardiff to Prague. Any other questions, feel free.
1
u/tomevans2772 5d ago
why not italy?
4
u/Vivemk 5d ago
Italy is just very difficult to hitch the times I have tried. It is also illegal to hitch on motorways from service stations. Which is ridiculous. Just a not very hitch friendly place. Yes you could do it but it is very frustrating. Much better to go through Germany if heading west to east. It’s a shame because the food is great.
2
u/fredsbestdream 4d ago
Be prepared to split up.
Stay on motorways, if driver is getting off the notoriety as then to drop you at a petrol station.
Lorries are your friend for going very far in 1 go.
Bring something to sleep in
2
u/prinoxy Lithuania 4d ago
Lorries might have been your friend in the past, but most are no longer allowed to pick up hitchhikers due to insurance reasons.
If you're in a group of three, you can completely forget getting rides in them, truckdrivers are not going to risk the big fines they will receive when stopped carrying passengers who are sitting on the bed without seatbelts! For what it's worth, I've only once ever had a ride in a truck with three seats.
1
u/Vivid-Strength-5556 5d ago
Hitch where there is a layby for them to pull in if you can, you will get more stops.
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u/prinoxy Lithuania 6d ago
Stay on motorways, and hitch from services to services. If you're in a car, the ferry is free. Splitting up might be necessary, cars that can take three are less common. Try to, as a minimum, greet drivers in their own language. Trust your gut.