Can I hitchhike in Thailand?
Posted in Thailand
B-Prime, Feb 17, 2008
If you’re at all considering doing this I can’t recommend it enough. It’s a great way to get off the beaten path and interact with locals that don’t work in the tourism industry, and being forced to constantly explain to people just what the fuck it is you’re doing does wonders for teaching you parts of the local language that don’t involve prices. I got to ride in everything from a luxury Pick-up with air-con to the hood of a logging truck with the lumberjacks, and most of the time I would beat people I knew to my destination.
The best way to get rides is simply go to the edge of town and start walking along the highway in the direction of where you want to end up. The further you are from a large city, the more likely you are to get picked up. Don’t tell people where you’re going unless they have picked you up and asked, the best way to go is just what direction you’re going and make sure to mention the highway you’re using, then politely ask if you can ride until they turn.
I would always offer to pay people’s bridge tolls and such, but never once did anyone accept. The only gift that I was ever allowed to give was buying a case of Beerlao for some guys that let me ride with them to Xepon in the middle of nowhere Laos during Laotian New Year, but I drank a lot of it while we celebrated and sang karaoke to patriotic Laotian songs (Though I politely declined to join in the songs about defeating America) and had some of the best BBQ pork I have ever experienced. One guy, upon dropping us off, pulled 3 Beer Chiangs out of the cooler we were sitting next to in the bed of his truck and had a drink with us before heading off the highway to who-knows-where.
Never hitch at night. Nobody can see you, any rural guesthouse or “hotel” is going to be closed by then, and you can’t enjoy any of the scenery or the atmosphere of the small towns on the way. You shouldn’t have any trouble finding a ride before dusk, and if they don’t take you all the way before nightfall, where you get dropped will usually have some people in it. Provided the driver doesn’t offer to let you stay with him that night, you can always talk to a few locals in whatever tiny town/village you got stranded in for “advice” on where to stay that night, and you’ll either be directed to somewhere you can pay for a room, or offered a place to sleep.
The most helpful advice I can offer applies to travelling in general, but it is exponentially more useful in hitching.Nothing gets you farther than a genuine smile and a carefree attitude.
Also, if they have a pick-up, make sure to phrase it so that you’re asking to ride in the back, not the cab. It may sound minor, but it will drive home the fact that you’re just looking for a ride and pre-emptively alleviating any fears of you being a serial killer.
April 29th, 2008 at 6:05 pm
Do u think it would be safe for women???