Essay

Hitchhiking the world

By Kip Cates

When I was a young man, I traveled around Canada, the United States, England and Europe — all for free. How did I do it? By hitchhiking! Hitchhiking is a way of traveling by asking people to give you a ride. All you have to do is stand by the side of the road, stick out your thumb and wait for a car to stop and pick you up.

What are the advantages of hitchhiking? First, it's free! You spend no money on transportation. Second, it's exciting. It brings a unique sense of adventure and the unknown. You never know when a car will stop, who you'll meet or where you'll end up. Third, it's educational. When you hitchhike in a foreign country, you meet local people, learn about their lives and practice speaking their language.

Imagine that you're hitchhiking in England. It's a beautiful morning. You feel free, happy and ready for adventure.

A car slows down. The driver is a woman. "Where are you going?" she asks. "To London," you reply. "I'm going in that direction," she says. For the next hour, you learn about the life of a British housewife — her children, their education, gardening, local history.

She drops you near a farm. You wait and watch the cows. After a while, another car comes along. It's a Mercedes! A businessman rolls down the window. "Where are you heading?" he asks. "To London." He's the director of a company. For the next hour, you learn about overseas sales, production costs and market trends.

He lets you off beside a highway. You stick out your thumb. Soon, a truck comes along. "Where are you going?" asks the driver. "To London." For the next two hours, you learn about the life of a working class truck driver — his childhood, his hometown, his soccer team.

What was my longest ride? Two thousand kilometers! An American in New Mexico stopped to pick me up. He was in a hurry to get to Chicago and asked me to help. We took turns driving non-stop and crossed the U.S. in a day.

What was my most unusual experience? Once, I got a ride in Wales with some professional singers. As we drove, they serenaded me with beautiful Welsh songs — my own private concert!

My most generous ride was in France. It was late at night and I was hitchhiking to Paris. I was cold, tired and hungry. A Frenchman picked me up, took me home and introduced me to his wife and kids. He fed me a delicious meal, gave me a bed, then drove me back to the highway the next morning. Nice guy!

My hitchhiking adventures took place in the 1970s — a golden age when life was simpler, people were kinder and travel was less dangerous. Now, I look back with fondness at how I traveled the world — for free — by hitchhiking.

Shukan ST: NOVEMBER 2, 2012

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