Hitchhiking, have you ever, would you ever again, share your experience/story

LadyEmeraude

LadyEmeraude

You may call me EM šŸ˜Š
Gosh all those years ago when we were younger, back in the 60's, 70's, many seemed to catch a ride
or hitchhike a lot of the time. Things were different then; things are different now. I would never
hitchhike now, not these days.

Did you give rides to hitchhikers in days gone by?
 

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chic said:
I hitch hiked when I was a teenager but wouldn't ever again or condone for young girls. Too dangerous. Remember Ted Bundy? :oops:
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I sure agree, too dangerous. * I met Ted Bundy just once. It was at an event, think it was 1970 at the High
School, he had attended and graduated from-- which was Woodrow Wilson High School in Tacoma, WA.
I attended and graduated from the same High School, Woodrow Wilson.

He I believe graduated around 1965, and I graduated in 1970. Anyway, this event he came back to speak
at for like 10 min in the gymnasium. He had on his Wilson Letterman jacket think it was, he was in the
yearbooks, decent looking guy. Anyway, he gave a worthy talk on sports. Then he came and sat next
to my friend, because he knew her family. I of course did not know him, just knew of him. "Oh, this is
Ted, she said, Ted Bundy. I never forgot that name though, of course who knew at the time, who he would
end up becoming.

Oh gawd!

Anyway, how awful those following years unfold, tragic in every way.
 
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Why is it that if an attractive female sticks her thumb out on the road, then nice cars pull up and give her a lift, but whenever I tried hitching a lift, it was usually a farmer with a truck that had been carrying pigs, and him saying, "Get on the back, there's plenty of room." šŸ˜Š
 
Did it most weekends when I was first in the military.

AS my route home took me past a couple of American bases I was often picked up by Americans. I don't have any stories though I would just picked up taken as far as they could and dropped off. Sometimes it would be somebody who had served during the war, this was in the early 50s, other times it would be a woman whose son was during his national service.

Country to all the stories you hear, it was never an attractive, and rich, 30 something who wanted to take me to a hotel!
 
Many years ago, when I was young and stupid, I hitched a lift home one night, once I was in the car, the driver didnā€™t say a word, starting to panic when I realised we were heading in the wrong direction, I asked where he was going, he replied ā€œWeā€™re taking the scenic routeā€ and I was terrified

After driving around country lanes for a while, he dropped me off at the street where I lived, told me how foolish I had been to hitch a lift with a stranger and never to do it again

I was so lucky, my blood runs cold when I think of what could have happened, and of course, never did hitch hike again
 
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Wren said:
Many years ago, when I was young and stupid, I hitched a lift home one night, once I was in the car, the driver didnā€™t say a word, starting to panic when I realised we were heading in the wrong direction, I asked where he was going, he replied ā€œWeā€™re taking the scenic routeā€ and I was terrified

After driving around country lanes for a while, he dropped me off at the street where I lived, told me how foolish I had been to hitch a lift with a stranger and never to do it again

I was so lucky, my blood runs cold when I think of what could have happened, and of course, never did hitch hike again
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I was hitching with girlfriends one night when an old guy picked us up. He started talking dirty to us. We were just 16, 17, years old. When he had to stop for a red light, we all piled outta that car so fast and ran back to civilization which was just around the block. We were lucky there were few car doors with automatic locks back in those days.
 
I once hitch hiked with 4 friends , and we got in with some weirdos ā€¦..never againā€¦
we topped up jumping out of the doors at traffic lights ā€¦and phoning our parents crying , as we didnā€™t know where we were
we had to knock on doors to see where we were .
topped up we were 15 miles away ā€¦
 
chic said:
I was hitching with girlfriends one night when an old guy picked us up. He started talking dirty to us. We were just 16, 17, years old. When he had to stop for a red light, we all piled outta that car so fast and ran back to civilization which was just around the block. We were lucky there were few car doors with automatic locks back in those days.
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Iā€™ve just seen your post chic ā€¦how uncanny , so alike x
 
I hitchhiked across Canada in 1971. Some weird experiences but nothing bad.

When I lived on the island and didn't have a car, I hitchhiked from time to time. It was an accepted way of getting around. The island was fairly large and had no buses or taxis. This was in the 2010s.

But in a city or on the highway, probably not, unless I was desperate.
 
timoc said:
Why is it that if an attractive female sticks her thumb out on the road, then nice cars pull up and give her a lift, but whenever I tried hitching a lift, it was usually a farmer with a truck that had been carrying pigs, and him saying, "Get on the back, there's plenty of room." šŸ˜Š
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My;hubby hitched in the Middle East cos his car broke down and he got chucked in the back with the camels as the goats sat at the front lol
 
My friends and I hitchhiked a lot when we were 14-16. Just south of San Francisco during the late 60's. Hippies were everywhere and also hitchhiking. You would have to form a line at some places. The variety of experiences ranged from gross...to exotic. After we got cars we no longer hitched. Oh once after I was drafted I was hitching back to camp and a sports car with the top down picks me up. I had about 80 miles to go. The driver was a 20 year old girl wearing nothing but her nightgown. Seemed like that 80 miles went by in a flash. :)
 
Wren said:
Many years ago, when I was young and stupid, I hitched a lift home one night, once I was in the car, the driver didnā€™t say a word, starting to panic when I realised we were heading in the wrong direction, I asked where he was going, he replied ā€œWeā€™re taking the scenic routeā€ and I was terrified

After driving around country lanes for a while, he dropped me off at the street where I lived, told me how foolish I had been to hitch a lift with a stranger and never to do it again

I was so lucky, my blood runs cold when I think of what could have happened, and of course, never did hitch hike again
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God you were lucky wren !
 
I've never hitchhiked, but I have picked up a couple of female hitchhikers in my 20's. I was surprised at how clueless they were.
I asked them where they were going & told them I'll drive them there because I didn't want them to hitchhike again. One was visiting a friend - 40 miles away. We stopped for lunch. :)
 
win231 said:
I've never hitchhiked, but I have picked up a couple of female hitchhikers in my 20's. I was surprised at how clueless they were.
I asked them where they were going & told them I'll drive them there because I didn't want them to hitchhike again. One was visiting a friend - 40 miles away. We stopped for lunch. :)
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I preferred being given a lift by young guys 20ish. They were often friends or friends of friends so we always had a good time, but old men picking up young girls was creepy. I suppose young men can be just as creepy and dangerous. Remember Colleen Stan?? :eek:
 
chic said:
I preferred being given a lift by young guys 20ish. They were often friends or friends of friends so we always had a good time, but old men picking up young girls was creepy. I suppose young men can be just as creepy and dangerous. Remember Colleen Stan?? :eek:
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No who was Colleen Stan, please share!
 
Stories? There were quite a few actually. But I don't have enough time.... I did find that the scary looking people could be very hospitable and kind.

Back in 1971, at one point in the mountains I was alone. I saw a young Japanese man, also hitchhiking alone. It was considered a good idea for a man and woman to team up. Safer (maybe) for the woman, and it increased the man's chances of being picked up. The man didn't speak English, but somehow we agreed to hitchhike together that day.

A man picked us up. He said he was a fashion photographer and gave me his card. I was wearing a long dress, and he asked me if I was a fashion model. Soon he suggested that I ditch my hitchhiking partner and continue with him. That would have been rude and unfair to my partner, and why would I want to do that anyway?

But here's the weird part. We were driving on winding mountain roads. The driver had some kind of problem with his ears. Every now and then he'd take both hands off the wheel and clap them loudly, oblivious of all the sharp turns and dropoffs. Yikes!

A few years ago, I was pulling out of a highway gas station and saw a 60ish woman hitchhiking. She "looked like she'd had a rough life." Something about her face -- too much cheekbone or something. But I gave her a ride anyway.

She explained why she was hitchhiking. She was on her way to visit a relative, and her vehicle broke down. Someone picked her up and said he'd take her where she needed to go.

Apparently he was confused, because so many places in that area were either Something Bay or Something River. So he ended up leaving her about 50 miles from where she needed to be.

She had hitchhiked most of the way back, and I drove her the rest of the way. Of course I kept my eyes on the road. But gradually I realized that maybe she wasn't a tough chick, as I had originally thought. Her pants and sweater were expensive, and her face was perfectly made up.

So, what was wrong with her face? Plastic surgery! That's my guess anyway.
 
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July 1970, I was trying to hitch from Jackson, Wyoming to Ogden, Utah. It took 2 days to get a ride, but it was an interesting one. A school bus full of hippies, lots of fun and they took us all the way.

Turns out the reason it was so hard to catch a ride was that the day we headed out a hitch hiker just a few miles north had killed and eaten the guy who gave him a ride. Apparently the hippies who picked me up had no radio and had not heard the news. Not cannibals either.

The Heart-Eating Hippie Who Admitted "I Am a Cannibal" When He Was Arrested
https://gizmodo.com/the-heart-eating-hippie-who-admitted-i-am-a-cannibal-1724667829
 
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I was driving along a long, pitch dark road (in the late 70's, I guess) and a 13/14 year old girl had her thumb out for a ride.
She was my daughter's age! This was about 3 AM!
My "MOM SELF" took over and I was admonishing her as if she WERE my daughter, for hitchhiking!
I kept thinking of what could have happened to her and what I would say if if were my daughter.
She kept saying, "You can let me off here."
Nope!
I took her all the way home and walked her to her door! She was hoping I wouldn't talk to her parents. I didn't,
but I'm sure she wished I hadn't given her a ride. That poor girl!
 
When I was young, I picked up a few hitchhikers with mixed results. I have learned not to pick up men who look like bums and not to pick up women who look young or trashy. A few times I took them to a place where there were other people like a gas station and had to tell them to get out. Also, I have told them to get out of my car on the side of the road shortly after picking them up. When a man starts talking about his troubles it is time for him to get out. Once I was with a friend and his wife were traveling when his wife wanted us to pick up a hitchhiker at night, so we did. Shortly after that, he started talking crazy about hurting people, we had to stop the car and physically throw him out and leave him there. Then my Vietnam Veteran buddy reports him to the police in the nearest town. Young women hitchhikers are nothing but trouble, with their poor little me stories and a give me attitude. I have helped people stranded on the side of the road because their car broke down and it was extremely hot or cold weather. I have also been helped by others when my vehicles broke down on the side of the road of which I have been grateful. I do not pick up hitchhikers anymore because I am not as strong as I used to be and not as threatening to anyone who would want to overpower me.
 
On a very cold night in Baltimore I saw a girl hitch hiking, she was obviously not dressed for the cold. Turned out she was a desperate hooker with a long sad story. She was offering most anything for only $20. I felt sorry for her and just gave her the $20 (for nothing in exchange) and let her out. Later when I told people about it they said I had been taken advantage of, but I don't see it that way, she clearly needed something and maybe the $20 helped a little.
 
I picked up a young girl on my way home from New Haven one night on the Interstate; she was frantically waving by the side of her car. Yup, the Mom came out and I took her to the nearest gas station to call her father. No cell phones then.

My ex and I when young, hitched to NYC to see a play. Took the bus home. How stupid! But we thought we were just sooo daring.
 

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